Take a look at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s new northern airbase as work reaches the final stages.
The £9m facility is taking shape but the charity still needs to raise £400,000 to finish it. The state-of-the-art base will provide a permanent operational home for the charity's northern teams, working alongside its established base at Nostell, near Wakefield.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance has operated from rented premises at RAF Topcliffe since 2012. The new facility is located at Skipton Bridge, near Thirsk.
The purpose-designed facility includes a dedicated helipad and hangar, operational planning rooms, clinical storage, advanced training and simulation suites, staff accommodation, offices, meeting areas and a gym. It will also offer space to host community and supporter events in future years.
Kathryn Marsden OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “This is about much more than completing a building. It is about creating the right environment for our crews to deliver the highest standard of critical care, now and for the future, and securing a permanent home for our northern operations.”
The Yorkshire Evening Post has been down to take a look around inside as the work reaches its final stage.
1. Work is underway
Workers in hi-vis vests on the site of the new Yorkshire Air Ambulance base Photo: Gerard Binks
2. Checking in
CEO Kathryn Marsden OBE at the airbase Picture Gerard Binks Photo: Gerard Binks
3. Work is coming along well
Work ongoing at the new Yorkshire Air Ambulance airbase near Thirsk. Photo: Gerard Binks
4. Putting in the hard work
The hard work is continuing at the new Yorkshire Air Ambulance airbase Photo: Gerard Binks
5. A look at the outside of the base
This is what the exterior of the new Yorkshire Air Ambulance airbase looks like as work continues. Photo: Gerard Binks
6. Work in progress
£400,000 is still needed to complete and equip the purpose-built Yorkshire Air Ambulance facility near Thirsk. Photo: Gerard Binks