Bradbury Foundation funds lifesaving air ambulance training hub near Southampton
A £100,000 grant from the Bradbury Foundation is powering a new air ambulance training facility near Southampton Airport, designed to sharpen emergency response skills through hyper-realistic simulations. The Bradbury Training Room will host drills for 15,000+ annual missions, including major incident rehearsals with NHS partners.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) has opened a cutting-edge training room at its new airbase near Southampton Airport, bankrolled by a £100,000 gift from the Bradbury Foundation. The Bradbury Training Room is the nerve center for drills that prepare doctors, dispatchers, pilots, and paramedics for high-stakes missions across the region.
Clinical education lead Dr. Rob Summerhayes said the space will let the team "sweat the small stuff" in controlled, high-pressure environments. "We need every clinician to be razor-sharp when seconds count," Summerhayes said. "This room gives us the tools to run realistic simulations that mirror real emergencies, from multi-vehicle pileups to pediatric cardiac arrests."
Key Points
- ✅ £100,000 grant from the Bradbury Foundation
- ⚡ New training room at Southampton Airport airbase
- 💡 Focus on simulation drills for 15,000+ annual missions
The facility isn’t just for the aircrew. HIOWAA plans to use the space for its free CPR Skills for Life program, which has trained over 2,000 members of the public since 2025. Sessions cover hands-only CPR and defibrillator use, with instructors emphasizing muscle memory to save lives before paramedics arrive.
| Training Focus | Bradbury Training Room | Previous Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Simulation Fidelity | Full-scale mannequins, real-time vital sign monitors | Basic mannequins, limited feedback |
| Emergency Drills | Multi-agency major incident rehearsals | Standalone charity exercises |
| Public Training | Integrated CPR Skills for Life classes | Separate, less frequent sessions |
HIOWAA’s new airbase is nearing completion, with 13,000 supporters raising £3.5 million so far. Only £100,000 remains to finish construction, a milestone the charity expects to hit within weeks. The Bradbury Foundation’s gift ensures the training room is fully equipped from day one, including state-of-the-art audio-visual systems for debriefing sessions.
💡 Pro Tip
Emergency responders stress the importance of practicing with real equipment—even in training. Use the same defibrillator model from your local ambulance service to build familiarity and reduce hesitation in real emergencies.
The charity’s air ambulance responds to over 2,500 emergencies annually, with a 2024 CQC inspection labeling the service "outstanding." The Bradbury Training Room will play a critical role in maintaining that standard, enabling crews to rehearse everything from nighttime winch rescues to mass-casualty triage. Eight new paramedics, selected from 400 applicants, are set to join the team in the coming months, further expanding the airbase’s operational capacity.
📋 By The Numbers
- 2,500+ — Emergencies responded to by HIOWAA in 2024
- 2,000 — Members of the public trained in CPR Skills for Life in 2025
- 400 — Applicants for eight new paramedic positions
With the airbase’s completion imminent, HIOWAA is turning its attention to fundraising for operational costs. The charity’s appeal page remains active, encouraging donors to close the final £100,000 gap and ensure the Bradbury Training Room operates at full capacity from the outset. For communities across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, the investment couldn’t come at a better time—every second counts when lives hang in the balance.