Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance has £44 million in reserves, but is still asking for donations. Is its second helicopter appeal really necessary?
The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) has launched a public fundraising appeal to raise £1 million – the final piece of funding, it says, needed to acquire and equip a second helicopter to meet growing demand.
The new aircraft would be based at Henstridge airfield, joining the charity’s existing Leonardo AW169 helicopter, ‘Peggy’, which responded to more than 3,000 incidents in the last year alone.
According to DSAA’s chief executive, Charles Hackett, the goal is to improve service resilience and move toward a full 24/7 emergency response. The second helicopter, he says, will help ensure uninterrupted coverage during downtime and maintenance – and allow them to extend operations from the current 7am to 2am. It’s a compelling case … until you look at the accounts.
An investigation by Somerset Confidential has done just that, and their findings, published this week, were revealing.
£44 million in reserves
According to DSAA’s annual report, published just ten days before the appeal, the charity holds nearly £44 million in reserves – with £9.5 million already earmarked for a second helicopter.
And yet, the charity is now asking for £1 million more.
That’s raised more than a few eyebrows.
‘Urging donors to dig as deep as possible, Hackett chose not to explain that the charity already had the money it needed to buy and equip a second helicopter,’ noted Somerset Confidential (SC), whose investigation first highlighted the inconsistency. ‘Donors to the fund would be giving the charity money it already has banked – potentially depriving other charities in greater need of financial support.’
So why is DSAA asking for public donations to cover a cost it’s already budgeted for?
DSAA says it anticipated a
£1 million shortfall in 2024–25, but last-minute legacy donations wiped it out. The appeal went ahead anyway, and that explanation hasn’t convinced everyone: ‘They forecast a £1 million shortfall in 2024–25 but did better, and didn’t have one,’ a former air ambulance charity chief executive told SC.
‘They’ve known for the last six months that they didn’t have a shortfall. The last accounts show their income was £11 million – up from £9.4 million the previous year. In the three years before that, they made surpluses of more than £2 million each year.’
24/7 ambition at what price?
The charity is open about its longer-term ambition to move toward 24/7 operations – a goal that has prompted some to question whether it is necessary or financially sustainable. ‘It’s not just a second helicopter – they will need more pilots, paramedics, doctors, fuel, aircraft maintenance … Why not be transparent about that?’ says the former chief executive. He also questioned the clinical case for flying at night: ‘Most of the country sees few serious incidents between 3am and 6am – and at that hour, it’s often quicker to drive than fly.’
He points to Thames Valley Air Ambulance, which recently scrapped night flights in favour of rapid-response cars – a model it believes delivers faster patient care. East Anglian Air Ambulance operates two aircraft 24/7 at a cost of £17.8m annually – £7m more than DSAA’s current budget. ‘To match that model, DSAA would need at least an extra £5 million every year. Do the trustees really think that’s realistic? And can the people of Dorset and Somerset afford it?’
In response, a DSAA spokesperson re-affirmed that all funds raised in support of the 2nd Heli Appeal will be spent solely on the new aircraft and its medical fit-out.
There’s no doubt that DSAA is a vital and rightly much-loved service, nor that its ambition comes from a desire to do more, not less.
But at a time when household budgets are under pressure and smaller charities are fighting for survival, it’s reasonable to question whether this particular appeal is necessary – and whether the trustees’ long-term vision is realistic.
Read more – This article is based on original reporting by James Garrett for Somerset Confidential. To read the full investigation – including the detailed financials, operational breakdown, and expert commentary – click here to view the full story on Somerset Confidential
*The former chief executive, who stills works in the aviation industry, has requested anonymity.
