Magpas

Magpas Air Ambulance

Formation	1 January 1971 (1971-01-01)
Type	Charitable organisation
Legal status	Registered Charity 1119279
Headquarters	Alconbury Weald, Cambridgeshire, England
Coordinates	52.3320°N 0.0631°W / 52.3320; -0.0631
Region served	East of England
Aircraft operated	Leonardo AW109SP
CEO	Daryl Brown
Revenue	£6.3 million (2024)
Staff	78 (2024)
Volunteers	90 (2024)
Award	Queens Award for Voluntary Service
Website	magpas.org.uk

G-HMDX, MD902 Explorer, seen in 2016 with dual 'magpas' and 'Helimedix' logos, (since retired)

Magpas Air Ambulance is a registered charity that operates a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) in the East of England.

Founded in 1971, the charity operates a helicopter and four rapid response vehicles from its base in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. As of 2026, their staff consists of 80 employees and 100 volunteers. They are dispatched by both the East of England Ambulance Service and the East Midlands Ambulance Service.

History

20th century

Magpas Air Ambulance was founded in 1971 by doctors Neville Silverston and Derek Cracknell as the Mid Anglia General Practitioner Accident Service (MAGPAS). Its name derives from its close historical and geographical association with the Cambridgeshire Constabulary, then known as the Mid-Anglia Constabulary. The service was originally offered by general practitioners from across Cambridgeshire to provide quick medical care to victims of road accidents. The organisation became a registered charity in 1972.

In 1977, Magpas Air Ambulance contributed to the founding of the British Association for Immediate Care, of which the charity remains a member. In 1997, the charity entered a partnership with the Cambridgeshire Constabulary to use the police helicopter from RAF Wyton, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. In 1999, the charity became the first service in the region to provide a night-time helicopter emergency medical service.

21st century

In 2007, the East Anglian Air Ambulance agreed to provide a helicopter, dubbed Anglia Two, to be operate from RAF Wyton for daytime missions. Although this was withdrawn in 2010, Magpas Air Ambulance continued to provide the service in conjunction with the police.

Between 2000 and 2010, the charity developed a network of community first responder schemes across Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. These local volunteers were trained by Magpas to respond to medical emergencies in their local area and treat the patient until the ambulance service arrived. In 2010, the Magpas first responders were joined alongside other schemes under the leadership of the East of England Ambulance Trust, though the charity's volunteers were stood down in the same year.

In 2012, Magpas Air Ambulance began flying with its own helicopter, MD902 Explorer registration G-HMDX. This was replaced in December 2018 by AgustaWestland AW169 G-MGPS.. Magpas Air Ambulance has operated the AgustaWestland AW109SP helicopter registered as 'G-MPAS', since 2024..

Magpas Air Ambulance was registered with the Healthcare Commission, and was inspected by the Care Quality Commission in March 2014. This looks at the charity's governance and care quality to ensure it meets national standards. In 2015, Magpas Air Ambulance announced that they would extend their hours of operation to 24/7 in 2016.

HRH The Princess Royal became Magpas Air Ambulance’s Patron after she visited the charity’s operations base in February 2020.. On Tuesday, 12th September 2023, she opened the charity's new airbase and headquarters.

Magpas Air Ambulance featured in Rescue 999: Seconds to Save a Life, a six-part series produced by BBC Studios Factual Entertainment and first broadcast in August 2024. The series follows emotionally charged, real-life emergencies from across the UK, exploring the events and decisions involved in rescuing people from some of the most challenging and life-threatening situations. Using body-camera footage, the programme provides viewers with behind-the-scenes access to Magpas Air Ambulance, following its air ambulance doctors, critical care paramedics and pilots as they respond to real-life emergencies across the East of England. The series also showcases the vital work of multiple emergency and rescue services operating across the UK.

In October 2024, Magpas Air Ambulance acquired AgustaWestland 109SP G-MPAS. This was because their helicopter operator was sold and their AW169 was removed from service.. The AW109SP G-MPAS aircraft can be airborne within 3 minutes and flies at speeds of 170-200 miles an hour, landing in places not always accessible by land ambulance.. Our air ambulance can fit up to four people in the cabin—including a patient on a stretcher—and is flown by a Magpas Air Ambulance pilot and technical crew member sitting in the cockpit..

In February 2026, HRH The Princess Royal, reaffirmed her support for the charity.. In a recent letter to the charity, Princess Anne writes: “I am delighted to continue my support of Magpas Air Ambulance and commend the vital work it undertakes in the region. “

Research

In partnership with the University Hospital of Leicester, Magpas runs the Cambridge Trauma and Audit Research Project (CTARP). This project looks to identify lessons from all cases of traumatic injury occurring in Cambridgeshire. This can then be used to improve the quality of care and examine ways to prevent incidents in the first place.

Awards and nominations

In 2005, Magpas was given the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

Magpas Air Ambulance signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2021, and in 2023 went on to become the first air ambulance charity in the UK to receive the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme for its support of armed forces personnel.. In June 2026, this collaboration went to new heights, as Magpas Air Ambulance successfully delivered a pioneering training programme for six Defence Medical Command (DMC) paramedics, drawn from across the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.

In 2022, clinicians from Magpas and the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) won the 999 Hero category in The Sun "Who Cares Wins" awards.

In March 2025, Daryl Brown MBE DL, Chief Executive Officer of Magpas Air Ambulance, received the Exceptional Excellence Performance Award at the BQF UK Excellence Awards. The award recognises outstanding achievement in performance and excellence and was presented by the British Quality Foundation (BQF) Patron, HRH The Princess Royal.

In December 2025, Magpas Air Ambulance’s Community Training and Engagement Lead, Nicola Cooper, was awarded the Breaking Barriers Award at the national Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence. The award recognises outstanding work in widening access, inclusion and innovation in training or outreach..Nicola has led the charity’s CPR and defibrillator training programme, championing equality and ensuring that lifesaving education is accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. In 2025 alone, Nicola trained more than 6,000 people aged between 8 and 99, helping to equip communities with the skills and confidence to respond in a cardiac emergency.

In 2026, Magpas Air Ambulance’s Executive Medical Director, Dr Simon Lewis, and former Medical Director, Dr Rod Mackenzie, have both been awarded an MBE in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours list 2026, for services to emergency care.. Dr Simon Lewis has been a guiding force in pre-hospital emergency medicine (PHEM) for more than 20 years. He co-created the first structured PHEM training course, developed the 10 themes that underpin today’s national curriculum, and helped secure GMC recognition for the specialty.

Facts and figures

Magpas Air Ambulance’s advanced team of doctors and critical care paramedics responded to 197 emergency calls across 9 counties in May 2026, making it their busiest month on record. With the charity being based in the county, 53% of its activations took place in Cambridgeshire and, as the busiest air ambulance service in Bedfordshire. The day which saw the highest demand for Magpas Air Ambulance’s vital service was Saturday, 2nd May 2026—the first bank holiday weekend—when the charity’s medical team was activated 11 times in 24 hours .

Magpas Air Ambulance, saw its busiest year on record in 2025, as the publicly funded emergency service was activated 1,948 times. The service responded to incidents in 12 counties in and around the East of England last year, treating anyone in the community in life-threatening emergencies; from newborn babies to 99-year-olds.

In the year ending June 2025, the charity reported an income of £5.6 million. Expenditure was £6M, of which £3.9M (70%) was spent on operating the air ambulance service.

In 2025, the charity employed 71 people, four of whom earned more than £70,000, and had 85 volunteers.

Major Incidents

Huntingdon Train Attack - In response to the major incident at Huntingdon Train Station in November 2025, Magpas Air Ambulance's double Advanced Paramedic team was the first medical resource to arrive, providing triage and immediate care to the injured whilst also playing a key role in scene coordination.

Bedfordshire train crash - On Friday, 19 June 2026, Magpas Air Ambulance was dispatched by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) to a train collision in Bedfordshire. Working alongside colleagues from other emergency service partners, Magpas Air Ambulance clinicians provided advanced critical care to those who were seriously injured. After the initial call came through to EAST of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) at 17:15, our helicopter was immediately dispatched with our first crew at 17:19, placing the team among the first medical resources on scene and the first air ambulance service to arrive on site. Due to our close proximity to the scene from our airbase in Alconbury Weald, we also dispatched two additional crews in rapid response vehicles to further support patient assessment, treatment and critical care interventions. A total of nine Magpas Air Ambulance clinicians attended the scene in total, triaging and treating 30 of the most seriously injured patients in their time of need..

See also

• Air ambulances in the United Kingdom

External links

• Official website
• "Magpas, registered charity no. 1119279". Charity Commission for England and Wales.