Royal Preston Hospital reopens helipad after £720,000 refurbishment funded by charitable donation
Royal Preston Hospital has reopened following a major refurbishment funded by a £720,000 charitable donation.
The upgraded landing facility at Royal Preston Hospital has been completed with funding from the HELP Appeal, which describes itself as the country’s only charity dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads. The charity funded five such projects during 2025.
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The donation is the largest single charitable contribution in the hospital trust’s history and has enabled a full replacement and modernisation of the site’s helipad infrastructure to meet current safety and legislative standards.
The refurbishment was delivered by the trust’s estates department, led by Mark Bishop, working alongside FWP Architects and main contractor Carefoot. The work includes a new landing pad, upgraded helicopter lighting, new safety fencing and barriers, improved signage, updated aviation control systems, improved drainage and the installation of a live on-site weather station.
Hospital officials say the upgrades are designed to improve safety, reliability and efficiency for air ambulance transfers. New safety barriers on internal hospital roads and enhanced fencing around the helipad aim to keep vehicles and pedestrians at a safe distance during helicopter movements and reduce the risk of disruption or delays.
During the refurbishment, which lasted almost three months, a temporary landing site at Fulwood Barracks was used to allow emergency air ambulance operations to continue. Clinical teams worked with estates staff to maintain patient safety and ensure trauma patients retained rapid access to specialist care.
Mark Bishop and estates colleague Louise Testa led an 18-month planning and negotiation process with the HELP Appeal to secure funding for the project.
Speaking after the work was completed, 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.”
The latest donation brings the charity’s total contributions to helipad facilities at Royal Preston Hospital to £875,000 since it was established in 2009.
Previous funding included £20,000 for advanced lighting installed in 2014 to meet major trauma centre standards. In 2019, the charity funded safety upgrades costing £135,000, including a system allowing air ambulance pilots to activate lighting remotely, improving night-time access and response times for life-threatening emergencies.
HELP Appeal chief executive Robert Bertram said: “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 across the UK, including four in the North West. Other sites include Manchester Royal Infirmary, Salford Royal and Aintree University Hospital.