Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

What Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance does

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) is a registered charity and private company limited by guarantee that delivers helicopter-based pre-hospital emergency medical care across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Founded on 1 July 2007 and headquartered in Southampton, UK, the service operates 24/7/365 with EC135/145 aircraft provided through an aviation partnership with Babcock, supplemented by critical-care-equipped Emergency Response Vehicles for ground-based deployments. Patients receive advanced medical interventions from a crew of consultant doctors and specialist/advanced paramedics, including emergency anaesthetics and surgical procedures, with rapid transfer to major trauma centres such as University Hospital Southampton. In October 2025 the Care Quality Commission rated the service 'Outstanding' — the highest overall rating — across safe, responsive, effective, caring and well-led domains, reflecting clinical governance co-managed with UHS and South Central Ambulance Service.

The charity's core product set extends beyond helicopter response to a Patient & Family Aftercare Service, a CPR Skills for Life community education programme, clinical research in pre-hospital medicine, and a suite of fundraising programmes including weekly lottery, virtual gifts, events (Dash in the Dark, Runway Run), corporate partnerships, trusts and foundations, and legacy giving. Revenue mechanics are entirely donation-driven with no government or lottery funding: the disclosed daily operational cost is approximately £17,500, and the charity conducted over 1,000 deployments in a recent year. Face-to-face fundraising is delivered through Lottery Fundraising Services, a jointly-controlled subsidiary, and the team won Third Sector Awards 'Fundraising Team of the Year' in 2023. Donations are structured into recurring tiers (monthly £8/£10/£15) and one-off gifts (£10/£27/£46) tied to specific items of equipment.

Customers — defined as donors and supporters — are spread across individuals, corporates, charitable trusts, and event participants in South East England; end beneficiaries are Hampshire and Isle of Wight residents and visitors requiring emergency critical care, with no charge to patients. Governance sits with a Board of Trustees chaired by Rebecca Brackwell-Slade; executive leadership comprises CEO Richard Corbett (joined September 2021 from Oxfam GB / Care International UK), Deputy Chief Executive Sherie Williams Ellen, Medical Director Dr Chris Hill, Director of Finance Jennifer Terry, and Director of Income and Engagement Keith Wilson. In June 2026 the charity opened a new airbase to support growing operational capacity.

Name

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

Legal name

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

Website

https://hiowaa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) is a registered charity that provides helicopter-based pre-hospital emergency critical care and emergency response vehicles to Hampshire and Isle of Wight residents, operating 24/7/365 and funded entirely by public donations, lottery, and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Ambulance Services (621910), Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219), Air Transportation (481)

SIC

Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Medical Transport (Helicopter/Fixed-Wing) (HLAFANAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ambulance Fleet, Equipment & Logistics Services (HLAFANAN)

Keywords

• Air ambulance services
• Helicopter emergency response
• Pre-hospital critical care
• Charity fundraising programs
• Community CPR training

Headquarters

HQ city

Southampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Public Donations: One-off and monthly donations from individuals in Hampshire and Isle of Wight communities. Donation tiers include £8, £10, £15, £27, £46.
2. Lottery: Weekly lottery programme generating recurring income from participants.
3. Fundraising Events: Events including Dash in the Dark, London Marathon runners, skydives, cycling events, and community challenges.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Business partnerships and sponsorships with local and national companies.
5. Legacy Giving: Bequests and gifts in wills from supporters.
6. Trusts and Foundations: Grants from charitable trusts and foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is a UK-registered charity that operates a helicopter emergency medical service delivering pre-hospital critical care to patients suffering life-threatening injury or illness across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The service is dispatched free of charge to patients, operating alongside the regional ambulance service and funded primarily through charitable donations, a weekly lottery, and community fundraising.

Product overview

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance operates as a charity providing a unified emergency medical service, centered on a helicopter air ambulance operational 365 days a year, supplemented by Emergency Response Vehicles for ground-based critical care deployments. The organization delivers its core emergency response through the aircraft and vehicles, while offering supporting services including a Patient and Family Aftercare team for ongoing post-incident support, a CPR Skills for Life community education programme, clinical research initiatives, and lottery/fundraising programmes. The service is funded entirely through public donations and administered in partnership with University Hospital Southampton and South Central Ambulance Service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Airborne critical care response delivering a doctor and specialist paramedic team to scene of life-threatening emergencies across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight; provided free at point of use to patients and dispatched via the regional ambulance service.

Quantifiable outcome

• CQC rated Outstanding - highest possible rating
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• University Hospital SouthamptoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey operational partnership providing medical oversight, consumables, training facilities, and hospital-based care coordination. The charity operates from UHS helipad and collaborates on clinical governance and patient care pathways.
• South Central Ambulance ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmbulance service partnership for dispatch operations and coordination of emergency responses across the region.
• BabcockcoreTechnology or IntegrationAviation partner providing flight operations management including pilots (Nigel Thomson - Director of Flight Operations, Graeme Spence MBE - Head of Flight Operations). Flying EC135/145 helicopters.
• Lottery Fundraising ServicesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal fundraising partner providing face-to-face fundraising teams who help raise millions of pounds annually to support the charity.
• Air Ambulances UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational representative body for air ambulance charities in the UK, providing advocacy and sector coordination.
• Fundraising RegulatorminorOthersIndependent regulatory body ensuring the charity adheres to fundraising codes of practice.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance: Charitable air ambulance serving Kent, Surrey, and Sussex with helicopter emergency medical services. Highly comparable as a UK charity-funded HEMS operation with similar crew composition (doctors and paramedics) and fundraising model. Chris Hill, HIOWAA's Medical Director, previously worked there.
• Devon Air Ambulance: Charitable air ambulance serving Devon with helicopter emergency medical services. Comparable as a UK HEMS charity with similar operational structure, clinical crew composition, and reliance on public donations for funding.
• London's Air Ambulance: Charity-funded air ambulance providing rapid response to critical injuries in London. Comparable in mission profile (trauma, cardiac, medical emergencies) and charity-funded operating model, though serving a denser urban geography with higher call volumes.
• Wales Air Ambulance: Charitable air ambulance covering Wales with helicopter emergency medical services. Comparable in charity-funded model and regional service scope, though Wales Air Ambulance operates across a larger geographic area with multiple bases.
• Yorkshire Air Ambulance: Charitable air ambulance serving Yorkshire with rapid response emergency medical services. Comparable as a UK HEMS charity with similar clinical capabilities, fundraising model, and regional service coverage including both urban and rural areas.
• Midlands Air Ambulance: Charity-funded air ambulance covering the West Midlands and surrounding areas. Comparable in operating model, clinical capabilities, and charity-funded structure with multiple helicopter bases across a regional service area.
• East Anglian Air Ambulance: Charitable helicopter emergency medical service covering Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. Directly comparable as a UK HEMS charity with similar operational model, crew composition, and community fundraising approach.
• Great Western Air Ambulance: Charity air ambulance serving Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire, and surrounding areas. Comparable as a regional UK HEMS charity with similar operational structure, fundraising approach, and service scope covering both urban and rural communities.

Others

• Air Ambulances UK: National membership organization representing UK air ambulance charities. Not a direct competitor but a sector coordination body that HIOWAA is a member of. Relevant as an industry association that provides advocacy, research, and collective fundraising support for the UK HEMS charity sector.

Regional players

• Scottish Air Ambulance: Government-funded air ambulance service operating across Scotland. Comparable in HEMS mission profile but differs in funding model (government-funded via NHS Scotland rather than charity), serving a different geography with more challenging terrain and remote area access requirements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hiowaa
• Facebookfacebook.com/hiowaa
• Instagraminstagram.com/hiowaa56

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance