'Extremely generous' donation gives £20,000 boost to life-saving air ambulance service

Lifesaving missions across Hampshire have been boosted by an 'extremely generous' £20,000 donation.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) has received the money from ExxonMobil Fawley whuch wanted to support the charity’s response activities and help fund essential equipment for its critical care teams.

Funded entirely by charitable donations, HIOWAA’s highly trained doctors and advanced paramedics bring specialist critical care directly to seriously ill or injured patients across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The team respond to serious road traffic collisions, emergency medical situations and major incidents both day and night, 365 days a year. 

Richard Corbett, Chief Executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, said: “This extremely generous donation from ExxonMobil Fawley is going to make an immediate impact on patients and families who are facing the worst moments of their life. 

“As a charity, 100% of our funding comes from the generosity found within our local communities. We are immensely grateful to everyone at ExxonMobil Fawley, and we look forward to developing this partnership, which will benefit everyone in the local community.”

To mark the donation, representatives from ExxonMobil Fawley’s leadership and fire response team visited HIOWAA’s new airbase at Southampton Airport, gaining first-hand insight into the charity’s operations.

The facility brings its operational, clinical and fundraising teams together under one roof for the first time. The new central position of the charity’s airbase puts the service in the heart of the region, where more than 70 percent of its emergencies occur. From its new base, crews can reach almost every patient across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight within 10 minutes from take-off.