The Air Ambulance Service looks to build its new base in the Harborough district

The service covers Leicestershire, Rutland and Derbyshire from Nottingham Heliport – and covers Warwickshire and Northamptonshire from its Coventry Airbase, which is scheduled to close in the summer of 2026.

The Air Ambulance Service charity – which receives no NHS funding – operates helicopter emergency medical services under the name “Your Local Air Ambulance” . It also operates the “National Children’s Air Ambulance”, a one-of-a-kind dedicated helicopter transfer service that has taken more than 1,200 critically ill babies and children to hospitals where they can receive the best care.

The charity is about to launch an appeal to ask the public to support a new base outside Catthorpe in the Harborough district, near the border between Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.

The Air Ambulance Service chief executive officer Peta Wilkinson explained: “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.

“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.

“This site in Catthorpe is perfect as it lies at the centre of the three counties, with superb access to the M1 and M6. Because of the vital nature of the project, we are investing substantially from our reserves but hope that we can count on the support of the communities we help.”

Peta added: “Businesses, organisations and individuals can all contribute in a variety of ways to what we are calling our “Big Bases Appeal”, but every penny will provide security for a service that any one of us may need one day.”

For more information on the build project, visit the website https://theairambulanceservice.org.uk/big-bases-appeal