This January, carry on the festive goodwill by donating your unwanted Christmas gifts and pre-loved items to Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT). Your donations could become someone else’s treasure while directly supporting our life-saving mission.
As the New Year begins, it’s the perfect time to embrace resolutions of giving, fresh starts, and making a difference. EHAAT invites you to turn your generosity into action by donating to one of our nine charity shops across Essex and Hertfordshire, or to our donation centre in Stevenage.
Every donation helps fund critical pre-hospital emergency care for people in need and supports sustainability by reducing waste. With your help, we can spread joy and save lives—one donated item at a time.
Lee Hodgins, EHAAT’s Head of Retail, says:
“Our supporters are truly incredible—whether they’re bringing in donations or shopping with us, they play a vital role in keeping our life-saving service going. Donating to EHAAT is about so much more than clearing out your closet—it’s about making a real difference. Your unwanted gifts and pre-loved items directly support our life-saving work, give items a second life, and help protect the environment.”
But why stop at donations? Make 2025 the year you go the extra mile by becoming an EHAAT volunteer.
Whether it’s lending a hand in one of our shops, helping out at our donation centre, or taking on other exciting roles, volunteering is a brilliant way to make friends, learn new skills, and give back to your community. Whatever your availability or background, there’s a role for you at EHAAT.
To find your nearest EHAAT shop or about volunteering visit: ehaat.org
EHAAT Shop locations:
- Braintree, Essex – 90 High Street, CM7 1JP
- Buntingford, Hertfordshire – 18 High Street, SG9 9AQ
- Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex – 50 Station Road, CM0 8BQ
- Eastwood, Essex – 412 Rayleigh Road, SS9 5PT
- Hitchin, Hertfordshire – Unit 9, Churchgate, SG5 1DN
- Letchworth, Hertfordshire – 17 Eastcheap, SG6 3DA
- Royston, Hertfordshire – 14 Church Lane, SG8 9LG
- Stevenage, Hertfordshire – 14 The Forum, SG1 1EH
- West Mersea, Essex – 35a Barfield Road, CO5 8QX
- Stevenage Donation Centre, Hertfordshire – Unit 2/3 Access Business Park, Gunnels Wood Road, SG1 2GR
About Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT)
- Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) is a Charity that provides a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for the critically ill and injured of Essex, Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas.
- The service is provided free of charge, but the charity receives limited direct funding from the Government and none from the National Lottery. It costs in excess of £1 million every month to keep the service operational and cover all charitable costs. This would not be possible without the goodwill of people in Essex, and Hertfordshire.
- Each of the charity’s HEMS teams consist of two highly skilled pilots, a pre-hospital care doctor and a critical care paramedic.
- These teams attended 2,505 missions in 2024, with each mission costing around £2,800. Breakdown of missions for 2024 were: 526 road traffic collisions, 1,029 medical emergencies, 950 accidental injuries and other trauma incidents. 1,388 missions were delivered by air ambulance, and 1,117 missions were delivered by Rapid Response Vehicles (RRVs).
- During 2024 EHAAT’s critical care teams treated 85 patients with blood products, involved primarily in road traffic collisions, penetrating injuries and falls.
- The fleet consists of two air ambulances, and four RRVs. The RRVs are crewed by a pre-hospital care doctor and a critical care paramedic and carry the same life-saving equipment as the helicopters.
- From 7am until 8.30pm, the critical care team provides the service using helicopters based at Earls Colne and North Weald. RRVs are used when the helicopters are unable to fly because of poor weather or maintenance.
- Overnight from 8.30pm to 7.30am the service is provided using an RRV based at North Weald.
