NORTH WEST AIR AMBULANCE

Registered charity 1075641 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The North West Air Ambulance Charity helicopters and HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) response vehicles operate 365 days a year, with doctors and HEMS paramedics on board providing enhanced pre-hospital care and hospital transfers to patients across the entire North West. The charity is dedicated to the conservation and preservation of life, through services of an air ambulance.

Causes: The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£15.6m

Latest spending

£16.1m

Registered

1999

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the Charity Group reported a consolidated deficit for the year of £272,992, contrasting with a surplus in the prior year, driven by a 13% increase in expenditure against stable total income. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted reserves stood at £20.5m, though the general free reserve of £6.8m was £7.6m short of the stated policy target of £14.4m. The trustees confirmed the entity remains a going concern with no material uncertainties identified.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £160,001 - £170,000 — above the median for charities its size (£130k)

“£160,001 – £170,000 1”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £6.8m)

“This general reserve balance of £6.8m is £7.6m short of the target of £14.4m.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: North West Air Ambulance Promotions Limited, Friends of the North West Air Ambulance Lottery Community Interest Company

“The Charity is supported by North West Air Ambulance Promotions Limited, a trading company (primarily shops) and the Friends of the North West Air Ambulance Lottery Community Interest Company (CIC), which runs the Charity’s lottery. Both companies are subsidiaries of the Charity.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Champion Accountants LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

Lancashire farming community raise thousands for North West Air Ambulance lancasterguardian.co.uk · 17/10/2025

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 03752544
Trading subsidiary: NORTH WEST AIR AMBULANCE PROMOTIONS LIMITED Companies House 03752582

NORTH WEST AIR AMBULANCE PROMOTIONS LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts

Amounts owed to group undertakings: £685,945 (2025) / £777,143 (2024). Amounts owed by group undertakings: £26,776 (2025) / £44,778 (2024).

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — North West Air Ambulance (matched by registered charity number).

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

FISHER, Kevin Graham Albert — director, appointed 09/07/2026on trustee list
MUKHERJEE, Rajarshi, Dr — director, appointed 09/07/2026on trustee list
MERCER, Simon Jude, Dr — director, appointed 06/10/2021on trustee list
HEAD, Daniel Robert — director, appointed 09/05/2018on trustee list

Official officers record.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income

£15.6m

Total spending

£16.1m

Cost of raising funds

£6.2m

Reserves (reported)

£20.5m

Employees

106

Reported reserves equal ~15.2 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 39.4% of total income — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median 3.8%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (12/02/2026) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Received assets from another charity (17/11/2025) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Received assets from another charity (24/03/2023) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Received assets from another charity (25/10/2022) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Received assets from another charity (03/12/2021) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

KIM SPENCERchair
Daniel Head
Dr Rajarshi Mukherjee
Dr Simon Jude Mercer
Kevin Graham Albert Fisher
STEWART MEEHAN

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Throughout England

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£15.6m	£16.1m
31/03/2024	£15.7m	£14.3m
31/03/2023	£14.2m	£12.7m
31/03/2022	£11.2m	£11.6m
31/03/2021	£10.4m	£9.4m

Common questions

Is NORTH WEST AIR AMBULANCE financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the Charity Group reported a consolidated deficit for the year of £272,992, contrasting with a surplus in the prior year, driven by a 13% increase in expenditure against stable total income. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted reserves stood at £20.5m, though the general free reserve of £6.8m was £7.6m short of the stated policy target of £14.4m. The trustees confirmed the entity remains a going concern with no material uncertainties identified. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Champion Accountants LLP.

What does the highest-paid employee of NORTH WEST AIR AMBULANCE earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £160,001 - £170,000 band.

Who funds NORTH WEST AIR AMBULANCE?

Funders whose own accounts filings name NORTH WEST AIR AMBULANCE as a grant recipient include THE GRAND LODGE OF MARK MASTER MASONS' FUND OF BENEVOLENCE, KESWICK TO BARROW WALK, BAIN CHARITABLE TRUST, PILKINGTON CHARITIES FUND, THE BEAVERBROOKS CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE GRAND LODGE OF MARK MASTER MASONS' FUND OF BENEVOLENCE	FY2024	£53k
KESWICK TO BARROW WALK	FY2025	£16k
BAIN CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£9k
PILKINGTON CHARITIES FUND	FY2024	£6k
THE BEAVERBROOKS CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2026	£5k
DUCHY OF LANCASTER BENEVOLENT FUND	FY2024	£5k	Community help
DUCHY OF LANCASTER BENEVOLENT FUND	FY2022	£5k	Community help
The Trevor Hemmings Foundation	FY2022	£5k
The Patricia Routledge Foundation	FY2024	£3k
The Patricia Routledge Foundation	FY2025	£2k
THE HEMBY CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£2k
THE HEMBY CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£2k
DUCHY OF LANCASTER BENEVOLENT FUND	FY2025	£2k
The Patricia Routledge Foundation	FY2022	£2k
THE RAINFORD TRUST	FY2024	£1k	Welfare
THE URSULA KEYES TRUST	FY2021	£1k
THE FARRER FAMILY TRUST	FY2024	£750
THE FARRER FAMILY TRUST	FY2025	£750
The Squire Patton Boggs Charitable Trust	FY2022	£500	The Advancement of Health or Saving of Lives
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARY WITH HOLY TRINITY ULVERSTON	FY2023	£410	Wedding and Funeral Collections
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARY WITH HOLY TRINITY ULVERSTON	FY2021	£0	Wedding and Funeral Collections

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Community Fund	02/05/2019	£10k	Volunteer inclusion & recognition events

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
THE HOBSON CHARITY LIMITED	5	£44k
THE ASTOR FOUNDATION	3	£13k
COUNTY AIR AMBULANCE TRUST	2	£818k
THE ORR MACKINTOSH FOUNDATION LIMITED	2	£20k
EXTRA MILE CHALLENGES	2	£17k
MILLS AND REEVE CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£4k
GOWLING WLG (UK) CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£3k
THE CATHERINE COOKSON CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£900

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with ESSEX & HERTS AIR AMBULANCE TRUST.

ESSEX & HERTS AIR AMBULANCE TRUST income £16.9m
THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE income £11.5m
EAST ANGLIAN AIR AMBULANCE income £18.8m
LONDON'S AIR AMBULANCE LIMITED income £26.0m
WELSH AIR AMBULANCE CHARITABLE TRUST income £17.0m
ASSOCIATION OF AIR AMBULANCES (CHARITY) LTD income £2.0m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
NORTH WEST AIR AMBULANCE	£15.6m	£160,001 - £170,000	—	below	—	no doubt
ESSEX & HERTS AIR AMBULANCE TRUST FY2025	£16.9m	£130,001 - £140,000	10	unclear	—	no doubt
THE GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE FY2026	£11.5m	—	—	above	—	no doubt
EAST ANGLIAN AIR AMBULANCE FY2025	£18.8m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
LONDON'S AIR AMBULANCE LIMITED FY2025	£26.0m	£200,000 - £210,000	—	above	—	no doubt
WELSH AIR AMBULANCE CHARITABLE TRUST FY2025	£17.0m	—	—	within	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.