The Trust

The Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust (TVAC) is a registered charity (No. 1084910).

It exists to raise funds to provide an emergency helicopter service for Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, which costs around £1.2m each year.

Our Role

TVAC functions solely to raise funds to keep the helicopter flying. The charity is not involved in tasking the helicopter or in its operation.

The charity works in partnership with two other organisations:

• South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) (link to site)
• Bond Air Services Limited (Bond) (link to site)

The Administration staff

The behind the scenes team help the air ambulance to keep flying. Our team of 14 full and part-time workers look after the day-to-day tasks of generating and receiving the funds donated to the charity to keep this vital emergency service flying. They work in partnership with the two other organisations.

The Trustees

They retain overall control of any decision-making to do with the charity, overseeing direction and performance, providing management and monitoring staff activities.

Funding

No funding is received from central Government or the National Lottery

This means every single penny needed is raised by the community and businesses of Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

History

TVAC was established in 1999 as one of six air ambulance charities sponsored by the AA for a period of three years. The charity itself was incorporated in 2000.

In January 2007, the base for the helicopter was relocated from White Waltham near Maidenhead to RAF Benson near Wallingford in Oxfordshire.

The new EC135 will also be based at RAF Benson and will be liveried in a distinctive red and yellow colour scheme, with a new registration of G-HBOB reflecting the counties it serves.