Fundraising award for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance charity

Natalie and Sarah from the HIOWAA Engagement team are presented with the award by host and comedian Maisie Adam

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance are celebrating after winning Fundraising Team of the Year at the Third Sector Awards 2023.

The prestigious event showcased outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations operating nationally in the charity sector, marking their tireless efforts and transformative impact.

The award for Fundraising Team of the Year recognises the dedication from the charity team who work hard behind the scenes to ensure the people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight continue to have the best pre-hospital care possible.

Whether they’re at events out in the community, giving talks to local groups and clubs or offering support to people looking to fundraise, the Engagement team works in support of the pilots, dispatchers, doctors and paramedics to help save lives in the region 365 days a year.

Members of the HIOWAA team with the award at the charity's 5k fun run, Dash in the Dark.

HIOWAA were up against a host of national and regional charities including Great Ormand Street Hospital Children’s Charity, National Trust and Blood Cancer UK.

The judges commended the charity’s “practical and impact-focused approach to fundraising... and looking at the real drivers of growth and being brave enough to make those steps.”

HIOWAA Director of Income and Engagement, Keith Wilson, said: “We are delighted that our Engagement team and approach to generating income for this charity has been recognised by the Third Sector Awards judges.

"Our collective passion for innovation, collaboration and putting our supporters first is what drives this team, and being awarded alongside some of our favourite national charities is welcome reward for our efforts.”

The life-saving charity, whose first flight was back on July 1 2007, has also been shortlisted for three Air Ambulance industry awards.

They are: Innovation of the Year for its mobile flight simulator, Charity Team of the Year, for the Engagement team, and Special Incident of the Year, in which its crew attended a multi-vehicle, mass-casualty road traffic collision in Cheltenham, where eleven helicopter emergency medical service crew members from HIOWAA, Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Great Western Air Ambulance responded to a total of eight patients.

The winners of the Air Ambulances UK Awards of Excellence will be announced on Thursday November 30 at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, the home of Pompey’s League One rivals Reading FC.