The North West Air Ambulance Charity (NWAA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Naismith as its new Director of Income Generation and Engagement.

Sarah joins after 17 years as Charity Director at the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity (MFTC), where she helped grow a fundraising appeal to build a new children’s hospital into an organisation raising money for the largest NHS Trust in the country, funding vital treatment, research and care projects at hospitals across Manchester and Trafford.

Sarah joins NWAA as the new Director of Income Generation and Engagement, where she will be responsible for developing and delivering NWAA’s income and engagement strategy. In her new role, Sarah will work across the teams to foster the charity’s focus on the supporters that enable the lifesaving service to remain operational.

NWAA’s crew of highly skilled HEMS paramedics, doctors, and pilots man three helicopters and a fleet of rapid response vehicles, attending some of the most traumatic and life-threatening incidents in the region. The charity operates 365 days a year, bringing lifesaving enhanced pre-hospital care direct to patients in critical condition across the region. It takes £9.5 million each year to fund these efforts, with the generous support from fundraisers, volunteers, and donors playing a pivotal role.

Sarah Naismith, Director of Income Generation and Engagement, said: “I’m thrilled to be joining a charity that has such an enormous impact on so many people across the North West. The skills, expertise, and resources of the air ambulance can, in a real sense, change patients’ lives, and this vital work is entirely charity funded. It’s a challenge, but one I am eager to support. I’m looking forward to enhancing the brilliant work already underway at the charity, and particularly growing our focus on the people who keep the crew flying and out on the roads.”

Heather Arrowsmith, CEO at the charity, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sarah to the NWAA team. The charity has undergone significant change in recent years. We’ve pioneered new interventions for patients, grown our clinical and operational resource on the ground, and expanded the teams who work hard every day to meet our fundraising goals.

Without meeting these goals, we would not be able to carry out our missions which make a lifesaving impact on patients across the North West. Therefore, finding the best people to support income generation is vital, and Sarah’s experience is so welcomed and will ensure the charity can fortify its fundraising efforts during these challenging times so that it can continue to make a lifesaving difference to the people of the North West.”