All about the governance and finance of our charity. It is vitally important to us that we are accountable to our staff, volunteers, supporters, donors, suppliers and those who we fly to.
About us
Everything you need to know about our service
Wiltshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust is a registered charity providing an essential Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) in Wiltshire, Bath and surrounding areas.
We began operating in 1990 and the helicopter and crew have saved countless lives. The charity shared a helicopter with Wiltshire Police for 24 years, but began operating as a stand-alone air ambulance from 2015 using a Bell 429 helicopter.
It costs £4.5 million a year to keep the lifesaving service operational, which equates to more than £12,000 per day.
The charity receives no regular direct funding from the Government or National Lottery grants, so relies on the generous donations from the public and local businesses to raise the vital funds needed.
Our aircrew are operational up to 19 hours a day, every day, and is called to, on average, three incidents a day in its helicopter and two critical care cars.
Our paramedics are trained in critical care skills and, together with the specialist medical equipment they use, it enables them to deliver gold standard medical care to patients. Since November 2021, our clinical delivery was enhanced by further increasing the number of pre-hospital consultant (doctors) shifts on the rota.
From our airbase in Semington, near Trowbridge, our helicopter can reach anywhere within Wiltshire in 11 minutes, or to the centre of Bath in just four minutes. When the helicopter is unavailable (eg bad weather or maintenance), the aircrew will respond to emergencies by road in one of our two critical care cars.
Wiltshire Air Ambulance can fly to anywhere within the county in 11 minutes, or to the centre of Bath in just four minutes
Quade's story
You’re naïve; you never think you’ll need the service and then suddenly something happens.
We knew Wiltshire Air Ambulance was a charity but we didn’t realise it costs around £11,000 a day to carry out their lifesaving work. It’s such an important service and that’s why it’s vital they receive as much support as possible.
Wiltshire Air Ambulance
funded by you, flying for you
Our roadmap to Net Zero
"It has never been more important for the charity to act against climate change. Whilst the part we play seems small, the collective effort will be for the good of us all."
Danielle Friend, director of finance and infrastructure
Get in touch
Have you been airlifted by us?
If you or someone you know has been airlifted by our team, it would be great to hear from you. We can arrange for a visit to the airbase for the chance to meet our pilots, paramedics and doctors.