Air ambulance confident of raising £4.4m for base

An air ambulance charity is confident it will be able to reach its funding target for a new base, despite needing £4.4m more.

The East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) must move from its current site at Cambridge City Airport by May 2029; it has earmarked a new base for New Shardelowes Farm on Balsham Road, in nearby Fulbourn, and is fundraising for £8.2m.

In early August, South Cambridgeshire District Council confirmed it was granting planning permission, subject to 41 conditions.

Richard Hindson, EAAA director of operations and infrastructure, said the community had been "super passionate" about the project but added, "We've still got a way to go."

"We've still got to raise £4.4m in order to pay for the entire project, but we're confident that we'll be able to achieve it; we're getting huge momentum," he said.

The charity operates 24 hours a day, covering Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, with its other base located in Norwich.

The Prince of Wales worked for the EAAA on a voluntary basis at Cambridge.

It said it had to find an alternative site for its western base due to the planned closure of Cambridge Airport, where thousands of homes are planned.

Hindson said the aim was for the new base to be operational in late 2028 "so that if there is some delay, we can still achieve it on time".

"What we've tried to do is turn that potential significant issue into a real massive opportunity and secure our forever home and secure facilities that will support the air ambulance for decades to come," he added.

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