Supporters celebrate raising nearly £3 million for the aircraft
More than 4,500 people attended Cornwall Air Ambulance’s blue light festival to see if they could catch a glimpse of the charity’s second helicopter for the first time.
Newly released figures show this year’s Helifest raised an impressive £38,500. The charity explains the funds will go towards ensuring the crew can continue to attend critically ill or injured patients.
The annual summer event is held at Scorrier House near Redruth. This year was particularly special as the charity has just taken arrival of an additional AW169 aircraft.
Following the success of the Heli2 Appeal, to raise the final £2.85million needed for the purchase of the second helicopter, the public were given the chance to see G-CNLL up close and chat with the aircrew.
‘Helifest was the first opportunity for people to see the new helicopter and for us to show it off to the public,’ explains Adam Smith, Cornwall Air Ambulance’s Unit Chief Pilot.
‘We really appreciate everyone who came along and made the effort to attend, and everyone who supported us in getting the new aircraft. We’re now looking forward to bringing it into service.’
The event gave supporters the chance to meet other emergency services and watch live demonstrations. There was also local live music across the day, children’s entertainment and an array of great food!
‘It was great to be at Helifest with the supporters, and to thank the public for helping us get the new helicopter, as well as talk to them more about what we do,’ explains Dr Dan Bawden.
‘Celebrating our fantastic blue lights services’
The charity needs to raise more than £8 million every year to keep its operation running.
‘Helifest was a wonderful community-spirited day, celebrating our fantastic blue lights services along with fantastic music, fun, games, retail, food, and everything that you might want,’ says Tim Bunting, Cornwall Air Ambulance’s Chief Executive.
‘We were blown away by how many people turned out and it was fantastic that the public had the opportunity to see the new aircraft, as they have been part of the process from start to finish.’
‘People were finding their names on the Heli Heroes boards and spoke to the crew to find out how the new aircraft is elevating the level of care we’re able to offer.’
‘Cornwall is a phenomenal community, but we can only carry out our lifesaving work with that support, so for people to come out in their thousands means a huge amount.’
Helifest will next be taking place on Saturday 4th July 2026. Breaktime News has previously reported on the success of the annual event.
