Her Majesty The Queen
Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust is extremely proud to have Her Majesty The Queen as its Patron.
The Queen began her role as the first official Patron of the charity in 2011, as The Duchess of Cornwall, and lends her support to fundraising activities.
During a three day tour of Cornwall in July 2012, Camilla officially opened the charity’s new operations facility and charity headquarters. During her visit she met with aircrew, volunteers, charity staff, trustees and local dignitaries.
Her Majesty also met airlifted patients Catherine Gardner, who was rescued from Crooklets beach after a riding accident, and 13 year old Harriet Eastwood, who was also airlifted from a beach after being caught in a rip current.
Camilla visited Cornwall Air Ambulance on 22nd July 2015 when she cut the turf for the new fundraising and volunteering centre, and again in 2020 for the official naming ceremony of the charity’s AW169 helicopter, which is proudly named The Duchess of Cornwall.
In June 2022 she visited the Cornwall Air Ambulance stand at the Royal Cornwall Show where she met aircrew, staff and volunteers.
Paying tribute to the work of the Cornwall Air Ambulance, Camilla said: “I just want to congratulate you all on this wonderful job with the new building. I have spoken to so many people who have been saved by the air ambulance and I don’t know what this community and others would do in Britain without the air ambulance. I want to say thank you to everybody for the service they provide and the lives they save.”
The support of Her Majesty is a brilliant endorsement for a local charity that has served the Cornish community since 1987.
Our Ambassadors
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan
Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust Ambassadors
Both Richard and Judy share a love for Cornwall and as advocates for Cornwall Air Ambulance, they help shine a spotlight on the charity to help raise funds for this lifesaving service.
“We are delighted to have been asked to be ambassadors for Cornwall Air Ambulance, this is an incredibly important charity that directly saves lives and is one of the most important organisations in the county. Any one of us could need the help of Cornwall Air Ambulance at any time, so we are giving our support to the charity.
The charity has a huge impact on communities across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Its next generation helicopter allows Cornwall Air Ambulance to reach more people in urgent need of lifesaving help more quickly, but also provides its crew of paramedics and doctors with the equipment they need to deliver an exceptional level of pre-hospital care.
We would urge everyone to give their support to Cornwall Air Ambulance to help save more lives.”
Dr Karen J Dickens
Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust Ambassador
Despite spending the last 40 years living and travelling to different places around the UK and internationally, Cornwall is and will always be, home. My parents, family and close friends still live in Cornwall and it’s definitely where my heart is – there is nowhere as special and I’m honoured to have been asked to be an Ambassador for the Cornwall Air Ambulance.
Having grown up in Cornwall, I know that there are also challenges, none more important than the long distances to hospitals, the difficult roads and traffic congestion. That’s why the Cornwall Air Ambulance is so important. My mum was airlifted to Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro and it was a big relief to my dad and myself to know that she was in such good hands – they not only make a difference to patients but to families too.
I’ve got to know the whole Cornwall Air Ambulance team and I’m in awe of the paramedics, the pilots and the teams who support them. I was delighted to be able to raise over £95,000 to buy the pilot’s seat in the new heli last year with help from my company, Comitti Boats UK & Caribbean and favourite partners, including Clarendon Fine Art, Maranello Ferrari, Bollinger, Rick Stein, Sheree Valentine Daines and Stephanie Millward MBE.
Comitti Boats UK & Caribbean have also just sponsored the new pilots’ uniforms and I’m committed to supporting Cornwall Air Ambulance, both through personal donations as well as leveraging my partners and teams to deliver exciting fundraising initiatives, including The Twelve Days of Christmas Challenge which has just launched.
Together we can keep the Cornwall Air Ambulance flying – saving lives and keeping families together.
Rob Harris MBE
Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust Ambassador
Rob was a loyal and generous supporter of Cornwall Air Ambulance for many years. Not only did he sponsor the helicopter with his company Ann’s Cottage Surf Shops, but also played an active role as an ambassador for the New Heli Appeal fundraising campaign. He will be greatly missed. We would like to offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Jackie Stanley D.L.
Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust Ambassador
Jackie is a successful and well-known businesswoman within Cornwall. Jackie has personally contributed to the appeal and was the inspiration behind the charities first London Gala Dinner, which took place in January. This wonderful event raised £130,000 and showcased the charity to our London supporter base who were joined by Cornwall donors for this spectacular evening.
Jackie continues to support the charity as a member of the newly formed Philanthropy Forum.
Paul and Emma Ainsworth
Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust Ambassadors
Padstow chef and restaurateur Paul Ainsworth and his wife Emma became charity ambassadors in 2018. The couple own five hospitality businesses in Cornwall including Michelin-star restaurant Paul Ainsworth at No6, Ci Ci’s Bar, Caffe Rojano, Padstow Townhouse, and The Mariners public house.
Proud supporters of this lifesaving charity, Paul and Emma said: “We are delighted to be ambassadors for Cornwall Air Ambulance. Being based in Cornwall we know how vital the emergency medical treatment provided by the Air Ambulance is to our community. The Cornwall Air Ambulance benefits locals and visitors to Cornwall alike, and we cannot think of a better cause to support. We were proud to help raise money for the first Heli Appeal and are absolutely delighted to continue our support with the Heli2 Appeal, with the goal of raising £2.85 million. We’ll be supporting events organised by the Cornwall Air Ambulance team wherever we can and would encourage others to join us to help raise funds for this really important, life-saving service which is entirely supported by charity donations.
Gordon and Tana Ramsay & Family
Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust Ambassadors
The world famous Michelin-starred chef and TV presenter, supported by his wife Tana and all of the family, has joined forces with the charity to help promote the lifesaving work it carries out across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
The Ramsay family spend a lot of their time in Cornwall and have become aware of the importance of the air ambulance to the county and the challenges the charity is facing to deal with the impact of Covid-19 lockdown on its fundraising. The family visited the charity airbase in Newquay during August 2020 to meet the duty crew and officially launch their roles as ambassadors.
Gordon Ramsay said: “Cornwall has been our family home now for 5 years and we have always been totally in awe of the lifesaving work we see the Cornwall Air Ambulance do every day. We are so immensely proud and honoured to become Ambassadors and join the team in helping continue to raise awareness and promote the fantastic service they selflessly carry out for the people of Cornwall.”
Jonathan McCulloch
Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust Ambassador
Jonathan works for Cornwall Council. He is also a volunteer fundraiser for several Cornish charities and organisations; having raised over £200,000 in total. Jonathan has been a keen advocate for the Cornwall Air Ambulance for many years and as a Board Member of the New Heli Appeal helped raise nearly £100,000 towards the AW169 helicopter. Jonathan is also Chairman of St Allen Parish Council and a Justice of the Peace. Jonathan was chair of the Philanthropy Forum during 2021/2022.