Yorkshire Air Ambulance launches final £400k push to open new £9m airbase

Yorkshire Air Ambulance has issued a rallying call to communities as it enters the final phase of building a state-of-the-art £9 million base.

The charity has launched The Big Airbase Build campaign, seeking to secure the remaining £400,000 required to finish and fully kit out its new Northern Airbase at Skipton Bridge, near Thirsk.

Once completed in late 2026, the purpose-built site will provide a permanent operational home for the charity's northern teams, working alongside its established base at Nostell, near Wakefield. The organisation has operated from rented premises at RAF Topcliffe since 2012.

More than 95% of the total £9million funding is already in place. The charity has pledged £5million from its own reserves, while £3.6million of a £4million fundraising target has been generated through contributions from the public, businesses, grant providers and charitable trusts.

Work on site is being carried out by Yorkshire contractor HACS and is approaching the final stages. 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.

The outstanding £400,000 will be used to equip and furnish the building. This includes IT networks, monitors, workstations and communication technology for mission planning, alongside specialist simulation tools, clinical prep fittings and accommodation furnishings.

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 new airbase will give us the space, infrastructure and facilities to support our teams properly, develop our service and continue responding to patients across a vast and diverse region. It is a significant investment in the future of Yorkshire Air Ambulance and in the communities who rely on us.

“We are now within touching distance of making that vision a reality, and this final £400,000 matters. I would ask anyone who has supported Yorkshire Air Ambulance, benefited from our service or simply wants to help protect it for the future to consider being part of this final push. When its doors open, it will belong to everyone who helped make it possible.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance treated 1,312 patients throughout the region during 2025/26, including 647 across North and East Yorkshire. The new location will safeguard emergency response times, allowing crews to reach 90% of Yorkshire's population within 20 minutes of flight from one of its operational sites.

As an independent charity, Yorkshire Air Ambulance relies entirely on public backing and receives no direct day-to-day funding from the NHS or central government.

Donations towards the campaign can be made online.