Red Funnel has raised, so far, £30,000 for its charity of the year- Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
This fundraising milestone comes at an important time for the charity, which looks to raise £3.6 million to support its plans to relocate its airbase to Southampton in a more central part of the community. This move will help improve response times for patients across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, putting the teams within a 10-minute flight time from take-off to almost every patient in the region.
The generosity of Red Funnel customers has played a big part in fundraising for this lifesaving local charity, by donating online while booking their travel and via collection boxes at all terminals and onboard. Red Funnel colleagues have also thrown themselves into a series of fundraising initiatives to raise vital funds for the charity, with six members of the team taking part in the ultimate fitness challenge – The National 3 Peaks, where they climbed three UK mountain peaks in just 24 hours. The two teams; Chris, Mike and Leanne and William, Petros and Jonathan, trained intensely to take on the three summits, covering 3,000 metres of climbing and experiencing all four seasons of weather during the challenge, raising over £3,000.
Red Funnel colleagues, including CEO Fran Collins, also took park in the “Dash in the Dark” 5k fun run on 4th October at The Royal Isle of Wight County Show Ground, as organised by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. A total £25,000 was raised by all who took part in the event, an amount that could fund seven lifesaving missions in the future.
Speaking on the impact of Red Funnel’s contribution, Richard Corbett, CEO for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, said: “From the first moment they visited our airbase, we knew this partnership was going to be special and create an enormous impact. I cannot emphasise enough what a difference working with Red Funnel has made to our service – on our charity team who have loved working alongside the staff and customers of Red Funnel and for our patients and their families who will benefit from Red Funnel’s generosity. Thank you to everyone involved for making this partnership such a success.”
These funds raised by Red Funnel staff and customers are already helping the charity’s expert teams, including doctors, dispatchers, pilots and paramedics, who respond to around seven emergencies every day. In 2024 alone, they were called out nearly 2,500 times, and more than 20,000 times in its 18-year history.
Fran Collins, CEO for Red Funnel, added: “As we begin the final months of our fundraising partnership, I want to say a huge thank you to our colleagues and customers. Every donation and every bit of effort is helping to support the life-saving work of the air ambulance team. It’s a privilege to be part of something that makes such a real difference in our community and I’m immensely proud of our team for going above and beyond to support this incredible cause.”
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance was chosen as Red Funnel’s ‘Charity of the Year’ following a staff and public vote. Since launching its annual programme in 2015, Red Funnel has raised over £400,000 in support of local charitable organisations.