2025 Supporters Ball raises nearly £7,500
March 7, 2025
Starting 2025 in style
Continuing our momentum in retail from 2024, Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) proudly launches three new charity shops in less than three months to kick off 2025. Brockworth opened its doors in February, followed by Whiteladies Road (Bristol) in March and the upcoming Portishead opening is on Tuesday 8 April.
Our newest shops are not only great places to grab a bargain but also vital hubs that help fund our lifesaving missions within the communities we serve. Here’s why these new shop openings mark an exciting milestone!
Brockworth: Fifth Shop in Gloucestershire
Our new Brockworth shop is our fifth shop in Gloucestershire and our tenth shop overall. Less than a 15-minute drive from our Gloucester and Cheltenham shops, this new location brings us even closer to the Gloucestershire community.
The opening day on Tuesday 25 February saw a former patient, Steve Tedford, officially open the shop by cutting the ribbon and giving a short speech.
Steve was thrown from his scooter in 2022 and needed GWAAC to provide immediate critical care for his injuries and severely broken leg. With the risk of infection and of Steve losing his leg, GWAAC flew him to the nearest Major Trauma Centre. Steve had his leg amputated in hospital and said afterward, “The speed of care and quality of care I got from GWAAC, saved my life.”
At the shop opening, Steve said: 'Without Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, I seriously wouldn’t be here today to be able to do this. It gives me great pleasure to declare this shop open.'
In 2024, 621 people in Gloucestershire needed the help of GWAAC’s Critical Care Team, making up 27% of GWAAC’s total missions across its whole region. This new shop provides even more opportunities for our community to support our cause, especially with 2024 being our busiest operational year on record.
Whiteladies Road: Back to GWAAC’s roots
The Whiteladies Road shop is our eleventh charity shop to open and our third in Bristol. It’s not far from where our retail journey began with our very first shop in Westbury-on-Trym. Nearly five years on, we’re continuing to broaden our reach and raise vital funds through our growing network of shops.
The opening on Tuesday 4 March was a day filled with excitement, gratitude, and a fantastic ribbon-cutting ceremony. Former patient Norma had the honour of cutting the ribbon to officially open the shop.
In November 2022, Norma suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Fishponds, Bristol. Since her recovery, she has remained closely connected with the charity. She says, “I'm eternally grateful, I always will be and I intend to live every day like it's my last.”
In 2024, 656 people in Bristol needed GWAAC’s help, making up 29% of GWAAC’s total missions. With patient numbers rising year on year, money raised by the Whiteladies Road shop will help keep Bristol’s critical care and air ambulance service operational.
Portishead: First shop in North Somerset
Having shops in all the counties we serve is vital because they act as community hubs where locals can come together to support our lifesaving work and learn more about GWAAC’s impact in their area.
That’s why on Tuesday 8 April we will be opening the doors to our first shop within North Somerset in the heart of Portishead. Our Portishead shop will provide a vibrant new hub for the local community to engage with us and support our mission.
We’re inviting local shoppers to visit the shop, meet the team and grab a bargain. You will find us at the former Freemans Television shop, at 47 High Street, Portishead, Bristol BS20 6AA.
In 2024, 277 people in North Somerset needed GWAAC’s help, making up 12% of GWAAC’s total missions. Overall, people in North Somerset needed an air ambulance crew 331 times. The crew of GWAAC responded to 84% of these call-outs, with the remainder serviced by neighbouring air ambulance crews.
I'm thrilled to be opening our Brockworth shop. The community's warm welcome and generous donations have been fantastic already. We're excited to be part of this vibrant community and look forward to many more successful days ahead.
Trainee Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care, James Leavor, browsing the new Brockworth shop
We’re so happy to have opened Whiteladies shop in Bristol and we’ve already had such a wholesome reception from the community. Whether you’re looking to volunteer, donate, or browse the shop, come and visit us and say hello!
Fomer patient, Norma, opening the new Whiteladies Shop
Our new shop offers local people a full range of pre-loved items from gifts to clothes to bric-a-brac. And it sits right in the heart of a community that sees the value in buying second-hand goods, reusing and recycling.”
Every purchase helps save a life
These shop openings mark the start of an exciting year for GWAAC in retail. As we continue to expand and fundraise, our commitment to saving lives remains at the heart of everything we do.
When you purchase from a GWAAC shop, you are directly supporting our mission to save lives in the communities we serve. To do so, we rely on your generous donations to stock our shops. If you have pre-loved items to donate—such as clothes, books, or household items—please consider supporting us. Every donated item helps fuel our mission.
Additionally, if you’d like to make an even greater impact, we’re always looking for volunteers. Join the GWAAC team by visiting our volunteer page or reaching out to our Retail Volunteer Officer, Katie, at Katie.Goolden@gwaac.com.
By shopping at our new Brockworth, Whiteladies, and Portishead shops, you’re playing a key role in keeping our critical care team operational and ready to respond to emergencies. Thank you.
