A donation of almost £8,000 from the Appleby branch of the NFU (National Farmers Union) Mutual insurance agency is set to support North West Air Ambulance Charity (NWAA) in continuing to deliver lifesaving care to patients across Cumbria and the wider North West.
The team at NFU Mutual Appleby has donated £7,899 through the NFU Mutual Agency Giving Fund, recognising the vital role the charity plays in supporting rural communities where access to critical care can be challenging.
Since the beginning of the year, the charity has attended more than 100 incidents in Cumbria, following over 180 incidents across the county in 2025.
Operating across some of the most remote parts of the region, NWAA’s critical care teams bring enhanced pre-hospital care directly to patients when every second counts, delivering hospital-level treatment at the scene of life-threatening incidents.
Jim Cosker Insurance Agent and NFU Group Secretary said: “Appleby is a small rural town, and access to major medical facilities can often be challenging. The North West Air Ambulance Charity provides an essential service to communities like ours, bringing critical care directly to patients when time is of the essence.
“The team at NFU Mutual Appleby chose to support the charity because we recognise the incredible impact its crews have on people across our region. We are proud to donate £7,899 to help support its lifesaving work and ensure this vital service remains available to those who need it most.”
The donation will help NWAA continue providing advanced critical care to patients across Cumbria, where distance and geography can make rapid access to specialist treatment particularly important.
Kelly Stepanuik, Senior Regional Fundraiser at NWAA, said: “We are incredibly grateful to NFU Mutual Appleby for this generous donation. Support from businesses and organisations across our region plays a vital role in helping us continue bringing hospital-level care directly to patients when they need us most. As a charity that receives no government or NHS funding, every donation helps keep our helicopters in the air, our critical care cars on the road and our crew ready to respond.”
North West Air Ambulance Charity serves more than eight million people across Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside. Operating a fleet of helicopters and critical care vehicles, the charity’s highly skilled crews respond to some of the most serious incidents, including cardiac arrests, road traffic collisions, falls and medical emergencies.
Every mission is made possible through charitable donations, with the organisation relying entirely on the generosity of supporters to continue delivering its lifesaving service.