The best UK air ambulance and emergency charities
Behind every life saved at the roadside, on the water or at a crowded event is someone ready to go: the crews, paramedics, first aiders and volunteers who get there first. It's brave, steady work, and much of it runs on donations.
Four charities, each brilliant at a different part of the job.
Rather than a ranked list, we've picked a range of charities, so together they cover more than any one could alone.
St John Ambulance
- First Aid Training
- Event First Aid
- NHS Partnership
St John Ambulance has been at the heart of community first aid in England for almost 150 years, rooted in the historic values of the Order of St John. Its volunteers and ambulance crews care for people at events, in communities and as a trusted partner to the NHS. It teaches first aid for free in communities, so more people can save a life. Its Badgers and Cadets grow the next generation of lifesavers, which is the kind of long game we admire.
Key stats
- People taught first aid for free
- 180,381
- Patients supported at events
- 29,735
- Active volunteers
- 19,000+
- Transfers of newborn babies between hospitals
- 6,620
Why we've included them
St John Ambulance teaches first aid for free in communities, so more people can save a life. Its volunteers care for people at events and in communities, alongside the crews in the air and at sea.
Registered Charity: 1077265
Visit St John Ambulance
London's Air Ambulance
- Advanced Trauma Care
- Rapid Response
- Research
London's Air Ambulance was set up in 1989, after a Royal College of Surgeons report found that seriously injured people were dying because care reached them too late. It brings an advanced trauma team, a doctor and a paramedic, to the patient by helicopter or rapid response car. It performed the world's first successful open heart surgery at the roadside, and was the first UK air ambulance to carry blood. It brings hope across London, and that pioneering streak is something to cheer.
Key stats
- Seriously injured patients treated
- 1,996
- To reach anywhere inside the M25
- 11 min
- Research projects it's part of
- 24
- Young people reached in schools
- 16,500+
Why we've included them
When someone in London is seriously injured, London's Air Ambulance brings a doctor and paramedic to them by helicopter or rapid response car. It focuses that advanced care on London, while Air Ambulances UK backs crews nationwide.
Registered Charity: 801013
Visit London's Air Ambulance
Air Ambulances UK
- National Fundraising
- Advocacy
- Patient Aftercare
Air Ambulances UK is the national charity supporting the UK's air ambulance charities, whose crews attend an average of 137 missions a day. Those charities are not part of the NHS, and each mission is funded almost entirely by donations. Air Ambulances UK raises national funds for them, runs Air Ambulance Week and speaks up on the issues that matter across the sector. It also funds support for patients and families after a mission, and we love that it doesn't stop when the helicopter lands.
Key stats
- Air ambulance charities it supports
- 21
- People know someone an air ambulance helped
- 1 in 4
- Patients in the SWiFT blood trial
- 900+
- Parliamentarians backing Air Ambulance Week
- 53
Why we've included them
Air Ambulances UK gives the line-up its national reach, backing air ambulance charities right across the UK, whose missions are funded almost entirely by donations. It also funds support for patients and families after a mission.
Registered Charity: 1161153
Visit Air Ambulances UK
RNLI
- Lifeboat Rescue
- Beach Lifeguards
- Water Safety
Sir William Hillary founded the RNLI in 1824, and its crews and lifeguards have saved more than 147,000 lives since. Its volunteer lifeboat crews are ready to launch around the clock across the UK and Ireland, and its lifeguards watch over busy beaches. As a charity independent of government, it relies on donations to keep every station running. It also teaches people how to stay safe by the water, so the help starts long before a launch.
Key stats
- Lives saved in 2025
- 389
- Lifeboat launches
- 9,058
- People aided by its lifeguards
- 36,213
- Lifeboat stations
- 238
Why we've included them
Out at sea, the RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crews are ready to launch around the clock, and its lifeguards watch over busy beaches. It also teaches water safety, while the other three work on land and in the air.
Registered Charity: 209603
Visit RNLI
Four amazing lifesaving charities. Why choose just one?
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