Red Funnel Raises More Than £50,000 For Hampshire And Isle Of Wight Air Ambulance

Red Funnel has raised more than £50,000 for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance as part of its 2025 Charity of the Year partnership.

The ferry operator handed over a final total of £50,578 to the lifesaving charity – a sum raised thanks to donations from customers and a range of fundraising efforts by staff.

The milestone was marked with a ceremonial cheque presentation attended by representatives from both organisations at the Air Ambulance’s new base, which is currently under construction.

The charity is aiming to raise £3.6million towards the new facility to better support communities across the region.

Keith Wilson, Director of Income and Engagement at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, said the organisation was extremely grateful for the support.

He said working with Red Funnel had been a pleasure, helping to raise vital funds for the service while also creating opportunities to engage with staff and passengers.

Customers contributed to the fundraising effort by making donations when booking ferry trips and by placing spare change in collection boxes at terminals and onboard vessels.

Red Funnel colleagues also organised a number of fundraising activities.

Six members of staff took on the National Three Peaks Challenge, climbing more than 3,000 metres across the UK’s highest mountains within 24 hours and raising more than £3,000.

Staff – including Red Funnel Chief Executive Fran Collins – also took part in the ‘Dash in the Dark’ 5km fun run at the Royal Isle of Wight County Showground in October.

The event raised £25,000, enough to fund seven future lifesaving missions for the Air Ambulance.

Fran Collins said the annual charity cheque handover is always a proud but emotional moment for the company, as staff and customers invest so much effort into supporting the chosen cause.

She added that reflecting on the total raised highlights the impact of everyone’s contributions and motivates the team to do even more for future charity partners.

Red Funnel has now announced that Newport-based charity Friends of the Animals will be its Charity of the Year for 2026, with fundraising efforts set to focus on supporting animals across the Isle of Wight.