Photo by Brandon McDonald on Unsplash
Air Ambulance Week runs from 7-13 September 2026. It is the only national week dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the UK’s 21 air ambulance charities.
Together, their crews respond to an average of 137 missions every day, bringing specialist doctors, paramedics and hospital-level care directly to seriously ill or injured patients. The cost of these missions is met almost entirely through charitable donations.
If you would like to support Air Ambulance Week, here are five practical ways to do it.
Find the charity that covers your area
There is no single air ambulance service covering the whole country. The UK has 21 regional charities, each responsible for fundraising within the communities it serves.
You can enter your location or use the interactive map on the Air Ambulances UK website to find yours.
Once you know which charity covers you, visit its own website to see what it currently needs. This could be donations, volunteers, unwanted items or people to help at a local event.
Make a donation (and remember to Gift Aid)
A direct donation is the quickest way to help. You can donate to the national campaign through Air Ambulances UK or give directly to your regional charity.
If you are a UK taxpayer, remember to tick the Gift Aid box when making an eligible donation. Gift Aid allows the charity to claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated, without costing you anything more. You can read the eligibility rules on the GOV.UK Gift Aid page.
Organise something that people will actually attend
Fundraising does not need to involve a gruelling physical challenge. A coffee morning, workshop raffle, pub quiz or cake table at work can raise money without becoming a second job to organise.
Some air ambulance charities provide posters, sponsorship forms, social media graphics and collection materials. The Air Ambulance Service, for example, lets supporters register their own fundraiser and create an online fundraising page.
Schools can also download activity ideas and fundraising resources from its school fundraising page.
Clear out a cupboard or volunteer in a shop
Many air ambulance charities operate high-street shops, and good-quality donations create a steady source of income. Clothing, books, toys, homeware and small electrical items may all be useful, depending on what your nearest shop accepts.
Volunteers help sort donations, serve customers and create displays. It is a practical option for someone who wants to help regularly but does not want to run a sponsored event.
Get your workplace involved
Local businesses can do more than put a collection tin on reception, although that is still a perfectly good place to start.
Teams could donate the proceeds from a dress-down day, hold a lunchtime raffle, sponsor an employee taking part in a challenge or nominate their regional air ambulance as the company charity. Larger organisations can discuss an ongoing partnership with Air Ambulances UK.
It is also worth asking if your employer offers payroll giving or matches employee fundraising. A £300 team fundraiser can become considerably more if the business agrees to match the total.
