Air Ambulance Awareness Week 2025 runs from 8 to 14 September and is a timely reminder of the critical role air ambulances play in supporting seriously injured people. In this article, partners Ben Rogers and Nichola Fosler, and paralegal Rosabella Setchwell highlight the work of air ambulance charities.
Every year, air ambulance charities collectively carry out over 45,000 emergency missions across the UK. The goal of the week is to raise awareness of the services they provide and generate donations to ensure the continuation of their lifesaving work across the country.
Air ambulance services began in the late 1980s, and since then, they have become an essential part of the emergency medical response system.
There are 21 air ambulance charities in the UK, all of which are organised and supported by the charity network Air Ambulances UK.
What do air ambulance services do?
Air ambulances are equipped to deliver hospital-level care at the scene as well as during transit to major trauma units across the UK. Air Ambulances UK’s vision is that its charities and commercial supporters “will ensure the best possible chance of survival and patient outcome for everyone in need of lifesaving pre-hospital care”.
By travelling around four times faster than a land ambulance, helicopters dramatically cut down response times, allowing the service to reach remote and inaccessible locations as quickly as possible. In life-altering conditions, every moment counts when delivering the urgent care a patient requires.
As helicopter use is weather-dependent and because sometimes a scene is quicker to attend by road, and the services also include critical care cars, often referred to as Rapid Response Vehicles. According to Air Ambulance UK, these cars completed over 25,000 missions in 2024. The helicopters and cars are equipped with lifesaving kit and crewed by critical care paramedics and doctors who work to provide what is effectively emergency hospital care at the scene of an accident or in transit 24/7 and 365 days a year.
Stewarts sees firsthand that timely, expert medical intervention can make all the difference to the outcome of a serious accident. For many of our clients, the speed and expertise of air ambulance crews have been pivotal in reducing the severity of their injuries, improving their recovery prospects and, in some cases, saving their lives.
According to Air Ambulances UK, 23,000 helicopter missions are attended and co-ordinated by air ambulance teams in the UK each year. An example of one of our cases that involved the air ambulance is as follows: £14m settlement for motorbike rider who experienced complications after spinal cord injury – Stewarts.
In this case, Johan received lifesaving treatment following a road traffic collision when riding his motorcycle. Crucially, he was then taken by air ambulance to King’s College Hospital in London.
How does the service run?
Unlike other emergency services, the air ambulance service is generally not funded by the government or the NHS. Instead, most air ambulance charities rely almost entirely on public donations, fundraising events and corporate partnerships.
Tracy Bartram, Communications Manager at Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, makes an important point in relation to the continuation of their work:
“With each mission costing around £3,500, raising awareness is just as important as raising funds, because people can only support us if they understand more about our work and the difference that the donations make.”
Examples of fundraising efforts
To mark the occasion, on the evening of Monday, 8 September, the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is collaborating with iconic local landmarks across both counties. Seven landmarks in the area will be illuminated yellow and green in support of the air ambulance service, including Bridport Clock Tower, Christchurch Priory, Corfe Castle and Glastonbury Tor.
At Devon Air Ambulance, operations manager Mark Hawley and other team members have taken the opportunity to share personal stories and experiences from their work. They highlight the traumatic scenes they attend and how they recognise the importance of showing compassion and emotional support to the patient, their family and bystanders at the scenes they attend.
Mark explains his intentions when communicating with the loved ones of a patient who has sadly died: “My hope is always that a patient’s family member might take some comfort from the words I say at their time of greatest sadness. I suspect my words are rarely remembered, but if they are, I hope they are remembered with the intended kindness.”
The article serves as an important reminder that it is the individual crew members attending scenes who are at the heart of each air ambulance organisation.
How can you help?
You can help by making a one-off donation to the charity to support its operational costs, donating unwanted goods to charity shops, volunteering your time to assist with fundraising efforts or simply reposting an article about the awareness week. Every gesture, no matter how big or small, is crucial to ensuring the appreciation for and continuation of the services the air ambulance organisations provide.
Be sure to join the conversation on social media using the hashtags #AirAmbulanceWeek or #AAW2025.
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