The HELP Appeal has provided a total of £2,267,000 non-repayable grants in September to hospitals across the United Kingdom, including £700,000 donated to hospitals in Scotland, to assist with the construction of new and upgraded hospital helipads.
In September they contributed towards the construction of new and upgraded emergency landing pads at eight hospitals throughout the UK, including Liverpool, Luton, Leeds, London and Nottingham.
The HELP Appeal (Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads) is run by the County Air Ambulance Trust, and work to identify where helipads or base infrastructure are needed the most and offer assistance throughout the project, such as feasibility studies. As the only charity in the UK providing hospital helipad funding they rely entirely on individual and organisational donations to provide the funding required.
Golden Hour
After an accident, the first 60 minutes are vital. Known as the ‘Golden Hour’, if a trauma patient receives medical attention in these 60 minutes their chances of survival increase significantly. Helicopter helipads reduce transfer time and ensure critical patients receive the immediate and specialist medical attention they need.
Robert Bertram, CEO of the HELP Appeal, said: “As the only charity in the UK providing funding for hospital helipads, we are delighted to have been able to provide funding to fifteen hospital projects over the past year. It is something we could not have achieved without the kind donations we receive from individuals and organisations.”
“After a serious accident, an air ambulance can often be the difference between life and death for critical patients. Every second is vital, so to be able to land on a helipad instead of requiring a land transfer will potentially save lives.”

NHV is pleased to announce the opening of a new hangar, apron and passenger handling facilities at their operational base at Aberdeen InternationalAirport.

​The construction works commenced in September 2015 and were completed in September 2016. The new double story passenger handling terminal incorporates all the facilities required to process offshore passengers including check in, x-ray, security, safety equipment storage & issue, safety briefing rooms etc. and is fully CAA/DFT compliant.

The heliport facility is located at the North East corner of the Aberdeen Dyce Airport within a short distance to the runways and limited taxi time needed, which provides significant advantages to our clients.
Lesley Philip, Logistics team lead at Chevron Upstream Europe, said: “The new heliport has been well received by our offshore community. The modern, spacious facility supports efficient passenger processing, which is further aided by the ability to exit the briefing room directly onto the tarmac and airside. Many of our offshore personnel have provided positive feedback on the comfort level and leisure facilities on offer, such as pool, Wi-Fi and TVs, prior to departure.”

“Our new facilities in Aberdeen are very important for NHV to enable the company to serve its existing and future customers in one of the most strategic helicopter hubs of the industry. It will also allow us to strengthen our position in the UK market.” says Eric Van Hal, CEO of the NHV Group.

The base already became operational from the 1st of January 2016 where the existing facilities (warehouse and offices) were quickly altered to become a hangar and temporary passenger handling facilities. An official opening reception will be held on October 21st 2016 in the presence of Simon Gray (CEO EEEGR) and Deirdre Michie (CEO Oil & Gas UK).