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Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT) has unveiled a new rapid response vehicle and a newly refurbished helipad at its Earls Colne airbase after receiving almost £100,000 from the HELP Appeal.
The grant from the national charity – the only organisation dedicated to funding helipads at NHS hospitals and air ambulance bases – has enabled the service to upgrade its existing landing site to meet the latest aviation standards and remain fully operational for critical care flights.
Funding has also supported the addition of a new Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV), taking the charity’s fleet to six. The cars are used at night or when helicopters cannot fly due to poor weather or maintenance, ensuring crews can still reach emergencies quickly.
Like the aircraft, each RRV is staffed by a pre-hospital care doctor and a critical care paramedic and carries the same specialist equipment and medicines, providing a level of treatment far beyond that of a standard land ambulance. Last year the vehicles were deployed more than 1,400 times across Essex and Hertfordshire.
Mark Jarman-Howe, chief executive of Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, said the investment would strengthen frontline care. “Our mission is to deliver the best pre-hospital care and this grant will play a big part in helping us continue to do that,” he said. “It’s vital we have the latest equipment and facilities so we can get our teams to where they’re needed as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Robert Bertram, chief executive of the HELP Appeal, said the charity was pleased to back the service. “By funding both their base helipad and a new critical care car, we’re helping lifesaving teams reach the most critically ill patients in the region,” he said. “This is the first time the HELP Appeal has made such a significant investment in this area.”
In 2025 Essex & Herts Air Ambulance crews attended 2,491 missions, ranging from road collisions to cardiac arrests and other medical emergencies. With each call-out costing around £2,800, the charity relies heavily on public donations and support from funders such as the HELP Appeal to keep its helicopters in the air and vehicles on the road.
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