The Children’s Air Ambulance arrives at new airbase

The Children’s Air Ambulance (TCAA), a service that provides the only intensive care helicopters in the UK dedicated to transferring critically-ill babies and children, had been looking for a new base in the north of England after the closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Therefore, to celebrate its 10^th anniversary, TCAA moved to its new home at Thatcham Research’s Gamston vehicle testing facility and airfield in Nottinghamshire. Thatcham Research, the only ‘not for profit’ and insurer-funded vehicle research organisation in the UK, acquired its Gamston site in 2022.

Richard Billyeald, Thatcham Research Chief Technical Officer and a Director of Gamston Aviation Ltd, is pleased to welcome TCAA and its vibrant green Leonardo AW169 helicopter to its new home. “I’m delighted we’ve been able to offer the Children’s Air Ambulance a fantastic new base with us in Nottinghamshire. We’re always pleased to welcome new tenants to the airfield, which enjoys a geographically strong location as a hub that can serve the north of England, and we look forward to working closely with TCAA to support their lifesaving work,” he said.

The charity currently flies two new helicopters – one is now out of Gamston, and the other is based at London Oxford Airport to serve the south of England. Both helicopters carry state-of-the-art medical equipment onboard, including bespoke incubators and ECMO functionality.

Alfie Daly, Head of Operations for the Children’s Air Ambulance, said: “We are so pleased to be operating our vital service from our new base at Gamston Airport. The airport closure at Doncaster escalated the need for a new site to operate from, and the team at TCAA are grateful to the landlords at Gamston for acting so quickly and professionally in accommodating TCAA’s new northern base.

“This year has already seen our service making further pioneering developments since we launched 10 years ago, making the aircraft second to none in the provision of paediatric and neonatal transfers. We look forward to continuing to assist specialist NHS transport teams during lifesaving flights from our new base.”