Giving Back: How Harrogate Convention Centre helps Yorkshire Air Ambulance save lives

Harrogate Convention Centre is more than a venue — it’s a partner in social impact. As part of our ESG commitment, we support life-saving charities like Yorkshire Air Ambulance through event-based fundraising.

Here’s how your next event can help save lives.

Today’s event organisers are prioritising venues that align with their values. At Harrogate Convention Centre (HCC), we support ESG through sustainable operations and community partnerships. Hosting your event here means making a difference — locally and beyond.

In 2022 HCC entered a partnership with Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA). With the support of clients, ie. event organisers including Harrogate Theatre and the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association, we have been able to facilitate YAA’s bucket collections at selected events held at HCC and Royal Hall.

As YAA celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year, we are delighted to report that more than £8,200 has been raised via bucket collections at our venue—thanks to the kindness and generosity of our event attendees—which will have potentially saved two lives, and saved their families and friends from living with a loss.

Recently we visited YAA’s Nostell airbase to learn more about their work and the impact of donations on the people of Yorkshire.

Five missions on an average day

“It’s very rare when I go to shows or events where there’s not at least one person who comes up and says ‘I’ve been lifted’, or ‘I know someone who has’. Everybody seems to know somebody (who has used our service),” says Clare Deacon, North Yorkshire Regional Fundraiser at YAA.

Unfortunately, being caught in an emergency and rescued by a team of medics descending from the sky is more common than most of us might think. YAA attends to five incidents a day on average, which include everything from climbing incidents in inaccessible terrain to gardening accidents in areas that would take longer for a regular ambulance to reach. Over the years, YAA has provided life-saving care to tens of thousands of patients across Yorkshire, serving a population of more than 5 million people.

Flying A&E to the patient

YAA serves five million residents across Yorkshire, reaching 90 per cent of the region within a 20-minute flight from one of its two air bases at Nostell, near Wakefield, and RAF Topcliffe, near Thirsk.

“It’s not just about the speed at which we get there; it’s flying A&E to the patient—we have a consultant-level doctor on the crew so when we fly we can do so much more,” says Clare.

Indeed, speed aside, YAA’s two helicopter crews are equipped to do more on site than a regular ambulance. Each of them consists of a highly trained pilot and one to two critical care paramedics; one of them also has a critical care consultant-level doctor with experience in Accident & Emergency and an anaesthesia specialism, which most regular ambulance crews don’t.

“For instance, if there is a head injury where it would take a 20-minute drive to the hospital, in that 20 minutes a brain injury could get progressively worse, so being able to bring the care there makes a difference,” says William Newton, Technical Crew Member.

YAA is the first air ambulance in the UK to have its own dispatch desk, which ensures swift dispatch as well as crew safety and effectiveness. Requests come via the Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) NHS Trust when a patient in the region requires time-critical care, and an experience dedicated dispatcher at YAA’s Nostell Airbase who constantly monitors 999 calls makes the decision taking into account local weather conditions.

A life-saving operation funded solely by donations

In the 12 months from April 2024 to March 2025, YAA treated 1,302 patients—that is potentially thousands of families saved from losing a loved one or the aftermath of a serious injury.

Operating at this capacity with a highly skilled team and three helicopters that require regular maintenance, it is easy to see how costly this emergency service is.

What may come as a surprise to many is that YAA is a 100% independent charity that receives no government funding. It is a service that relies solely on the generosity of individuals and organisations. Bucket collections by its team of 250 volunteers at various events across the region, such as entertainment shows at HCC and the Royal Hall, contribute to its life-saving efforts.

Looking for a Yorkshire venue with social impact?

Partner with HCC to support Yorkshire Air Ambulance or your chosen charity. Contact our team to learn more.