The Great North Air Ambulance Service

Analysis

The Great North Air Ambulance Service is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Cleveland. It was registered in May 2002, 24 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training and the advancement of health or saving of lives, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 04436859). It says it provides services and sponsors or undertakes research.

In the financial year ending March 2026, The Great North Air Ambulance Service reported income of £11.5m and spending of £12.2m, spending 106% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2022 to March 2026, income grew from £8.4m to £11.5m (+36%), an average of +8.0% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2023, when income rose by 29%. Over the whole period it spent 96% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, The Great North Air Ambulance Service sits at the 98th percentile: it is larger than about 98% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 99th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Heart of Kent Hospice (£11.4m), Cumbria Community Foundation (£11.5m) and Willen Hospice (£11.4m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 65%, trading 27%, charitable activities 4.9% and investments 2.4%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £3.1m. Charitable activities took 74% of spending and raising funds 26%. Reserves of £10.7m would cover about 10 months of spending at that rate. It employed 109 people.