Royal Preston Hospital has officially reopened its fully refurbished helipad following the completion of a major upgrade programme made possible by a £720,000 donation from the HELP Appeal - the country’s only charity dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads, which funded five in 2025 alone.
The grant, the largest single charitable donation in the Trust’s history, has enabled the hospital to replace and modernise its entire helipad infrastructure to meet current safety and legislative standards.
Mark Bishop from the Trust Estates Department, in conjunction with FWP Architects and main contractor Carefoot, has successfully delivered a major refurbishment of the Trust’s landing pad. The project introduces a range of modern upgrades designed to enhance both safety and operational efficiency. Key improvements include a brand-new, state-of-the-art landing pad, upgraded Heli lighting, new safety fencing and barriers, enhanced signage, modernised aviation control systems, improved drainage and the installation of an on-site live weather station.
These enhancements will significantly improve safety, reliability, and efficiency for critical air ambulance transfers.
The new safety barriers on internal hospital roads and enhanced fencing around the helipad will ensure vehicles - and particularly pedestrians - are kept at a safe distance during helicopter arrivals and take-offs, helping to prevent disruption and avoid delays.
During the refurbishment period, which ran for almost three months, a temporary helicopter landing site at Fulwood Barracks ensured that emergency air ambulance operations continued without interruption. Clinical teams worked closely with Estates to maintain patient safety and ensure that major trauma patients continued to receive rapid access to specialist care.
Mark Bishop and Louise Testa from the Estates team led the 18‑month planning and negotiation process with the HELP Appeal to secure the full funding required for the project.
Speaking on the completion of the refurbishment, Mark said: “This investment represents a major step forward for emergency care in our region. We are incredibly grateful to the HELP Appeal for their extraordinary generosity and for helping us provide the safest and most efficient environment for patients arriving by air ambulance.”
With its latest record-breaking donation, the HELP Appeal has now donated £875,000 to the helipad facilities at the Royal Preston Hospital since the charity was set up in 2009.
In 2014, it funded the installation of advanced lighting worth £20,000 to meet the standards required for a helipad at a major trauma centre.
Five years later, the charity provided the entire £135,000 cost of a range of safety upgrades, including a system which allowed air ambulance pilots to remotely activate lighting via a control panel. The change transformed night-time access and the speed of care delivered to patients experiencing life-threatening injuries and conditions after dark.
Robert Bertram, the HELP Appeal’s Chief Executive, said of the charity’s latest donation to the Royal Preston Hospital: “This modern, purpose-built helipad will make a vital difference by allowing patients in the most serious need to be brought straight to the hospital swiftly and safely at any time, day or night. Replacing the hospital’s outdated facility, provides essential support to air ambulance teams and NHS staff, helping them deliver lifesaving care when every second matters.”
The HELP Appeal has funded 57 helipads in total across the country, with four in the North West alone, including Manchester Royal Infirmary, Salford Royal, Aintree University Hospital and now the Royal Preston.
To find out more about the HELP Appeal and to support its work, please visit: helpappeal.org.uk
