Help us make a difference by:

Saving lives in your community

The money you raise could mean the difference between life or death, by funding community defibrillators. This equipment increases the chances of survival for someone having a cardiac arrest. Our charity also funds additional medical or training equipment to help our staff and volunteers provide the very best care.

Supporting ambulance service staff and volunteers

The money you raise helps to support our staff, allowing them to be at their best to help people at their time of need. This includes creating a special space to take a well-earned break and initiatives to boost mental and physical health, it all makes a difference.

The only way we can continue to support these initiatives is through the generous donations made by you, our supporters.

Supporting our communities

With your support, we can continue to fund:

• Vital lifesaving defibrillators for our communities
• School and community education programmes
• Additional medical equipment and clinical training aids over and above those already provided by NHS budgets, to help our staff provide the best possible care

You can read about one of our community projects here.

Supporting our staff and volunteers

Here are some examples of projects we have been able to fund in recent years thanks to your generous support:

• Brand new indoor and outdoor furniture, and other much-needed enhancements, for ambulance stations and other sites across the North West. These help to create a better space to relax before and after shifts, during breaks, or for debriefing after challenging or stressful incidents.
• A resilience programme to support managers during the recovery phase of the COVID pandemic.
• A coaching programme to improve resilience, performance and recovery of staff working under pressure.
• Training equipment and other support for our network of volunteer Community First Responders.
• Welfare vehicles to provide ambulance staff with refreshments and wellbeing support while they wait to handover patients at busy hospital emergency departments.
• A staff gym at some of our sites.
• A hardship fund to provide small grants to staff members experiencing financial difficulties during the cost of living crisis.

Below is an example of some of the enhancements we have made to one of our sites:

111 Wellbeing Room at our Middlebrook site

We were delighted to provide an enhancement grant to our NWAS colleagues in 111 at our Middlebrook site recently, to convert a previously underused space to create an area suitable for relaxation, and in which to hold debriefing sessions following particularly distressing calls or incidents. One of our aims as an NHS charity is to support the health & wellbeing of our staff and we work closely with colleagues across sites, including 111 Champion Vicky Blackburn, who help us identify areas in need of any extra support and enhancements which could benefit their health and wellbeing.

111 Champion, Vicky Blackburn said: “Colleagues at Middlebrook had highlighted the need for a dedicated wellbeing space in which staff could utilise as and when they needed to. The 111 champions suggested we decorate two rooms to make them more inviting and to have cosy space to relax in. Funding was requested and approved via the NWAS charity wellbeing fund for some homely goods. The champions put together the rooms and since, staff feedback has been very positive. Lots of staff use the room to relax in on their break which is important due to the stressful nature of the role. It allows them to recharge ready for the next tasks. Managers use the rooms for 1-1s and feedback, and staff are much more relaxed in the new environment which helps get the best from people.”