County Air Ambulance Trust

Who we are

The County Air Ambulance Trust [CAAT], is the only charity in the country funding helipads at NHS hospitals through its HELP Appeal.

CAAT is a private company, limited by guarantee and registered with the Charity Commission. It has been helping to save lives, every day, since 1993 when it was formed to provide essential funding to keep the first air ambulance in the central region in service. The Trust was incorporated on 10 April 1995 and registered as a charity on 24 July 1996. 

The principal aim is to generate income from fundraising activities to support for the provision of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services [HEMS] throughout the country and a key part of the Trust’s existence is in working to ensure that Air Ambulances have somewhere safe and secure to land when they get to a hospital, through its HELP Appeal. To date over 50 new and refurbished helipads have been funded by the HELP Appeal and over 26,000 landings have taken place on brand new helipads alone.  The charity will continue the promotion of the campaign to help end preventable loss of life caused by secondary transfers where hospitals do not have a helipad.

This pedigree, parentage and skill sets are evidence of our commitment to the HELP Appeal and its value to critically injured patients, past, present and future. 

Our culture and values

The Charity promotes a positive workplace culture to improve performance, promote team work, respect, fairness and enhance wellbeing.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

The Charity has an Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy which is regularly reviewed. The Policy is committed to achieving a working environment which provides equality of opportunity and freedom from unlawful discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, pregnancy and maternity, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, disability, religion or beliefs, age or sexual orientation known as the “protected characteristics”.