Hampshire Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) named charity partner for Hampshire Business Awards

The Hampshire Business Awards return for a second year in November, this time joined by a new charity partner – Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

Hosted by The Business Magazine with support from Hampshire County Council and headline sponsor Farnborough Airport, the awards are a chance to celebrate successful businesses throughout the county.

But they’re also an opportunity for the local business community to come together and rally behind a good cause.

Since its first flight in 2007, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance has been providing enhanced critical care to the most critically ill and seriously injured patients across the region.

Their highly trained team of doctors, dispatchers, pilots and paramedics respond to an average of five callouts a day, seven days a week, at a cost of around £3,500 per mission.

As a charity, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance relies entirely on the generosity from the public to keep its team flying and saving lives – from corporate partnerships to mass participation events, like the charity’s Dash in the Dark nighttime 5k fun run on Southampton Common.

“We need to raise in the region of £10 million a year”, said Keith Wilson, director of income and engagement at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

“The dedication from our supporters ensures we can bring the hospital to the patient, giving them the best chance of survival and recovery.

“We’re incredibly excited to be involved with the Hampshire Business Awards”, Keith added.

“One thing we’ve found about Hampshire’s business community is that not only is it thriving and successful, but it looks to and does what it can for its community.

“We’re all incredibly excited to be involved with the Hampshire Business Awards and meet many brilliant, high-performing Hampshire businesses and tell them about our service and how they can make a difference.

“We cannot wait to tell our story.”

Last year’s event welcomed almost 500 attendees, from entrepreneurs and business leaders to investors and policymakers.

As before, The Business Magazine has been working closely with Hampshire County Council in the run-up to the awards, and both agreed that Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance would be the perfect partner.

“The air ambulance provides a service that covers the whole region and touches everybody that lives in Hampshire”, said Richard Thompson, CEO of The Business Magazine.

“This is a great way to support a charity that I think really needs it.

“We’ll be working together on the night and throughout the awards to ensure that we raise as much as we can.

“We’re very much looking forward to the event. It’s a chance for businesses to celebrate, come together and really support the whole community and the amazing things they’re doing.”