April 8, 2021 4.26 pm This story is over 35 months old

Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance gets keys to new HQ next to RAF Waddington

The crew will move in soon
The crew and helicopter will move to the new HQ on the A15 Sleaford Road next to RAF Waddington by the end of April. 

The Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance (LNAA) now has the keys to its new HQ on the A15 Sleaford Road next to RAF Waddington.

The new purpose-built headquarters is not operational at the moment, but the crew, which is still operating from RAF Waddington, and helicopter will aim to move into the new HQ and airbase by the end of April.

Staff will hope to join them in their new offices once government restrictions have been lifted in at the end of June.

The new HQ will enable staff, crew, helicopter and Critical Care Cars to all be under one roof for the very first time.

A brand-new helipad situated at the site of the new headquarters has been funded from the HELP Appeal. It covered the entire £316,152.55 cost of building the new helipad.

It features state-of-the-art lighting to help Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance to operate around the clock as the charity carries out more missions through the night.

A brand-new helipad is situated at the site.

The donation also funded a helicopter manoeuvring area to ensure the aircraft is ready for take-off before its next mission.

The HELP Appeal is the only charity in the country dedicated to funding helipads at NHS Hospitals, as well as at AA bases. This latest helipad is the ninth to be funded at an air ambulance air base and 42nd across the entire country.

Both LNAA and the HELP Appeal rely solely on charitable donations and do not receive any direct government funding or money from the National Lottery for day-to-day operations.

The new headquarters of the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) is located on the A15 Sleaford Road next to RAF Waddington.

Karen Jobling, Chief Executive Officer for Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance.

Karen Jobling, Chief Executive Officer for Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, received the keys from builders Lindum Construction.

She said: “I am absolutely delighted to have received the keys for our new headquarters. Years of planning has gone into our new, future-proof headquarters; our new facility will be fundamental to our success for a rapidly advancing operation.

“With our day-to-day operations solely funded by donations, we were delighted when we secured a capital funding grant for this new build. It was a real boost and at a time when we needed it and has allowed our dream of a new headquarters to become a reality.

“Our crew and charity staff are looking forward to moving into their new home and we cannot wait to welcome visitors when restrictions allow.”

The new HQ will enable staff, crew, helicopter and Critical Care Cars to all be under one roof for the very first time.

Llewis Ingamells, Chief Pilot at Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance.

Llewis Ingamells, Chief Pilot at Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, said: “We’d like to extend a huge thank you to the HELP Appeal for their very generous donation towards our new bespoke helipad.

“There is an awful lot of design and technology that goes into a helipad for latest generation helicopter operations like ours, such as specialised reinforced concrete without the use of metals, infrared landing lights for use through night vision goggles & composite radar friendly fencing. Their generosity has allowed us to design exactly what we need.”