Air ambulance to move base due to high demand

An air ambulance service is set to move to a new base as demand for its emergency work has tripled in the last 10 years.

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) is planning to move from its current site at Henstridge Airfield to the Leonardo helicopters airfield in Yeovil.

An agreement for a 35-year lease has been signed and Leonardo will not charge the charity rent.

Charles Hackett, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance CEO, said: "A few things contributed to that change. The population has increased but partially it's also driven by the increase in our capability."

Hackett added: "Henstridge has been excellent and wonderful to us for coming up to 20 years. When we moved there, we had two pilots, four or five paramedics, and a very small helicopter.

"We now have 11 pilots, 14 doctors and up to 18 specialist practitioners. There's limitations to having one helicopter and one small base."

Hackett said the lease would be independent from Leonardo, with question marks over the firm's future if it does not secure a new government contract.

The next steps for the new base will be a public consultiation in mid-2026 and applying for planning permission.

In the meantime, the charity will continue operating from Henstridge Airfield.

Last September, DSAA launched its 2ndHeli Appeal to help fund the purchase of a second helicopter.

The aircraft has undergone test flights and will soon travel to Gloucestershire Airport, where Gama Aviation will customise it for emergency call-outs.

"We're getting there, we're nearly there. We've completed the purchase of the helicopter. It isn't yet an air ambulance, that's why we're still fundraising," Hackett said.

The helicopter is expected to be operational by the summer.

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