We have today launched an urgent £8.2 million fundraising appeal to build a new air base in Cambridgeshire, following the confirmation of planning permission for our new site outside Fulbourn.
We must relocate before losing our current home at Cambridge Airport, which is due to close in 2030. Without a Cambridge base, our service would be cut in half, leaving just one airbase in Norfolk and dramatically increasing response times to people facing life‑threatening emergencies across the region.
Our Cambridge Air Base Appeal aims to fund the construction of a new and improved facility on land at New Shardelowes Farm, ensuring we can continue delivering hospital‑level critical care to patients across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk for decades to come.
Without a centrally located base, our crews would take significantly longer to reach patients when every second counts – putting nearly 1,000 lives a year at risk.
Matthew Jones, CEO of East Anglian Air Ambulance, said:
“We are at a pivotal moment in our history. For nearly two decades, we have worked in partnership with the owners of Cambridge Airport, Marshall, to ensure that our Cambridge-based helicopter, critical care cars and specialist crews can reach people in their greatest time of need, quickly and effectively.
“Now, this vital part of our lifesaving service is under threat. We’ve moved swiftly to secure planning permission for a new site in Fulbourn, but we must now raise the funds to build the base. This is our biggest and most ambitious challenge yet, and we can’t do it alone. We urgently need the public’s help.”
Our appeal has the backing of several local people whose lives – or the lives of their loved ones – were saved by our Cambridge crew. They include:
- Mia Cornelius, from Haverhill, whose baby son Clayton was saved after being born prematurely at just 26 weeks in 2025
- Jonathan Moran, from Peterborough, who suffered a brain haemorrhage in September 2022
- Deryck Thake, from Cambridge, whose 19-year-old son was treated by the Anglia Two (Cambridge) crew following a road traffic collision in 2025
Concluding, Matthew Jones said:
“The vision for our new Cambridge base isn’t just about bricks and mortar. It’s about making sure people in life‑threatening emergencies across our region continue to receive the very best care, fast.
“It will also allow us to meet increasingly complex operational needs, provide world-class training facilities and protect our ability to serve our communities for generations to come.
“We don’t just transfer patients to hospital – we bring hospital‑level treatment to them, giving them the best possible chance of survival when every second counts. It takes a team to save a life, and we hope the public will help us in this crucial appeal. Whatever people can give will be greatly appreciated.
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