![](https://emergencyservicestimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ESS-Button-resized.png")
The Air Ambulance Service has launched a public appeal to help fund a new permanent base near Catthorpe, as its current operating site at Coventry Airbase is set to close in summer 2026.
The charity, which receives no NHS funding, responded to 3,460 emergencies last year across Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland. It operates helicopter emergency medical services under the name “Your Local Air Ambulance” from Coventry Airport and Nottingham Heliport, as well as the dedicated National Children’s Air Ambulance, which has transferred more than 1,200 critically ill babies and children to specialist hospitals.
To maintain and improve response times once Coventry Airbase closes, the charity is seeking public backing for a new site near Catthorpe, located close to the M1 and M6 and central to the counties it serves.
Chief executive Peta Wilkinson said public support is vital to sustaining the service. “A quarter of the UK population say they know someone that has been helped by an air ambulance. But a mission doesn’t start when we take to the air – it starts with someone choosing to support their local air ambulance charity with a donation,” she said.
Wilkinson added that relying on rented premises is no longer viable. “Until now we have always needed to use rented premises for our helicopters and rapid response vehicles, but this is no longer sustainable. We urgently need a permanent base that is owned by the charity so that we can secure our future and continue to provide care in the air in the fastest time possible.”
The planned Catthorpe facility would offer faster response times, upgraded training and rest facilities for crews, family-friendly aftercare spaces, and expanded capacity for paediatric transfers through the National Children’s Air Ambulance.
Wilkinson said the “Big Bases Appeal” will seek support from businesses, organisations and individuals. “Every penny will provide security for a service that any one of us may need one day,” she said.
To read similar articles, check out our Frontline channel
