It’s Always a Normal Day. Until It Isn’t.
September 24, 2025
The annual Air Ambulances UK Awards of Excellence is just around the corner, and we’ve recently learned that our nominations have been shortlisted in five categories:
- Breaking Barriers
- Young Person of the Year
- Charity Volunteer of the Year
- Innovation of the Year
- Supplier of the Year
This is a wonderful tribute to the hard work and dedication shown by Great Western Air Ambulance Charity's (GWAAC) staff, crew and supporters for the lifesaving service that we provide. Air Ambulances UK has confirmed that the awards judging panel deliberated long and hard over some difficult decisions due to the excellent quality of nominations.
We’re very proud of our shortlisted nominees; find out why below.
About the awards
The Awards of Excellence celebrates and recognises the specialist lifesaving critical care skills and commitment of those working tirelessly within and in support of the air ambulance community.
The 2025 awards ceremony will take place at the Telford International Centre on 3 December.
Last year we celebrated as Ethan Ross-Smith won Young Person of the Year and our Great Western Hearts programme won the Breaking Barriers Award. Both awards that we are shortlisted for again this year!
Lindsay Boswell, Interim CEO of Air Ambulances UK, said: “Congratulations to everyone shortlisted for the Air Ambulances UK Awards of Excellence 2025. Every day, air ambulance charities provide extraordinary critical care to people in need, and these awards shine a spotlight on the individuals, teams, and supporters who make this possible. The calibre of nominees this year is exceptional, and we are proud to recognise their remarkable contributions. I would also like to thank our judging panel for their thoughtful consideration, and our headline sponsor Babcock International Group for their generous support in helping us celebrate excellence across the sector.”
Ethan Ross-Smith and members of our Great Western Hearts Team pose with their awards following the 2024 ceremony
GWAAC's finalists
PHEM Trainee Dr Celestine Weegenaar takes part in a simulation
Breaking Barriers Award – Access to PHEM
Access to PHEM (Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine) is a programme ran by GWAAC Critical Care Doctors Nicky Moore, Mark Winstanley and PHEM Trainee Dr Celestine Weegenaar. It was initiated by Medical Director Dr Andy Lockyer in 2023.
The programme runs four sessions a year for doctors in training in the Severn Deanery (a postgraduate medical education region in southwest England). There is a focus on education, mentorship and interview preparation to address barriers in transitioning from hospital practice to pre-hospital care, especially for underrepresented groups such as female doctors.
Dr Celestine and Dr Mark coordinated and delivered PHEM Application workshops with the support of Dr Olivia Cheetham, a PHEM Trainee at Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. 11 participants attended in August and September 2024. The participants then submitted their applications to various air ambulances and five of them, including four women, were shortlisted. They went on to attend a mock interview workshop and successfully secured competitive PHEM positions in air ambulance services across the county including GWAAC.
We're proud to have won the Breaking Barriers Award twice before, with Advanced Clinical Practitioner in Critical Care Vicki winning the award in 2022 and our Great Western Hearts Programme winning the award last year.
Young Person of the Year Award – Sophie Pascoe
Ever since our crew rushed to her late grandfather in 2024, Sophie has been tirelessly fundraising for her local air ambulance. In that time, she has incredibly raised over £6,000 and counting.
This has largely been done by swimming challenges that see her swim lengths of her local pool. The first challenge saw Sophie swim 21 miles, which is the equivalent of swimming across the English Channel, raising £3,161 in the process.
Her second challenge, which is now approaching it's final stages, has seen her swim 40 miles, which is the equivalent distance of climbing Mount Everest. With just a few miles left to conquer, Sophie has raised over £2,800.
Sophie has not only raised extraordinary amounts of money, she has also help raise vital awareness of our work through her school, her freinds and family and even through regional television. In the summer, ITV West County came to Hutton Moor Leisure Centre to talk to Sophie about her challenges and why she is supporting GWAAC.
Last year, Ethan Ross-Smith won this very award for his dedication and efforts to support GWAAC.
Sophie takes a break from swimming to pose with SPCC Pete and Dr Mark
Friends and Family of Luke Allen gather outside our Keynsham Shop to celebrate what would have been his 30th birthday
Luke Allen
Charity Volunteer of the Year Award – Holly Sheehan and the friends and family of Luke Allen
On 3 May 2025, Luke Allen should have been turning 30. Instead, his family and friends marked the day in a different way — by celebrating the incredible legacy he’s left behind. Since losing Luke in 2018, his loved ones set out with a heartfelt goal: to raise £30,000 in time for what would have been his 30th birthday. But thanks to years of determination, generosity, and unwavering community support, they haven’t just met that goal — they’ve smashed it, raising over £40,000 for GWAAC.
Leading much of the fundraising has been Luke’s sister Holly, who has shown incredible resilience and drive in the face of such profound loss. From Facebook fundraisers for birthdays and Christmas, to raffles, auctions, and large-scale events, Holly and the Allen family have put their hearts into helping others. One of the most memorable events was a black-tie charity ball held on the first anniversary of Luke’s passing. With a three-course meal, speeches, dancing, and a packed raffle and auction, the evening raised over £5,000.
Earlier this year, Aaron, Robbie and Joel, a group of Luke's friends ran 150 miles from London to Keynsham, raising over £14,000 for GWAAC in Luke's memory.
We're proud to have won the Breaking Barriers Award twice before, with Advanced Clinical Practitioner in Critical Care Vicki winning the award in 2022 and our Great Western Hearts Programme winning the award last year.
Innovation of the Year Award – Junior Hearts
Still in it's trial phase, Junior Hearts is a unique and accessible innovation designed to inspire the next generation of lifesavers. It is a scalable and low-cost education programme that aims to address the unfortunate reality that around 72% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the home.
By introducing the skills of CPR and defibrillation as early as possible, it empowers 10 and 11-year-olds with the confidence to act if they witness a cardiac arrest.
Junior Hearts aims to build on the success of our award-winning Great Western Hearts CPR & AED programme. By introducing the basics of CPR it provides a foundation for the main provision in Key Stage Three. Partnering with National Highways through their Social Values Fund, GWAAC has been able to create high-quality educational content with the power to engage schools in the programme.
An innovative feature of the Junior Hearts package is its flexibility and scalability. The programme is designed to be remote and flat-packed, meaning it can be easily delivered to the maximum number of schools across the region, regardless of their size or resources.
To engage younger audiences the programme has been presented in an interactive and fun way. We created a colourful animated video with a strong visual identity that teachers can use to deliver the training. Each school is sent a letterbox sized pack containing pillowcases with eye-catching graphics that help to simplify CPR and defibrillation — making the procedures less clinical and much more accessible.
Bristol design agency, Hook Studio, display the Junior Hearts material alongside SPCC Mark as well as Joe and Kate from the Great Western Hearts team
Supplier of the Year Award - FLT Group
When we need something, FLT Group are straight on it. When something breaks, FLT Group fix it. Over the past year, they’ve quietly become an essential part of keeping our Great Western Air Ambulance Charity airbase running, and in turn, a vital cog in our lifesaving operations.
FLT Group are a facilities management company with over 30 years of experience, supporting organisations across the UK with everything from maintenance and compliance to electrics and groundskeeping. We’ve worked with them for three years, during which time they’ve gone from being a supplier to a genuinely trusted extension of our team.
Over the past 12 months especially, they’ve delivered critical maintenance, supported key projects, and helped us take on more than we could have managed alone — all while going the extra mile. In a year of tighter budgets and rising pressure for our charity, they’ve made a real difference, stepping up for everything from day-to-day jobs to last-minute emergencies.
Their support goes well beyond expectations; their contributions over the last year prove it. When we asked for funding for a defib, they sorted it. When we needed a van to move stock, they didn’t just find one, they gave it to us. These aren’t contractual obligations — they’re examples of a true partnership.
Good luck to all!
GWAAC would like to wish all those who have been shortlisted for an award the very best of luck. You are all amazing!
