30/05/2026
East Anglian Air Ambulance is offering free CPR and defibrillator training to the public between the end of May and mid-June outside Ely Cathedral - coinciding with The Knife Angel monument’s stay in the city; and two of the first people to take up the offer over the Bank Holiday were Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and Jonathan James, Chairman of Soham Town Rangers.
The charity will be on Palace Green on the following dates - between 10:00am and 4:00pm - helping to create more lifesavers in the local community!
᯽ 25th May and 29th May
᯽ 1st June, 2nd June and 5th June
᯽ 8th June, 9th June and 14th June
᯽ 15th June and 16th June
Alongside practical training, local people will be able to take part in other activities on offer in the East Anglian Air Ambulance gazebo and speak to volunteers and charity representatives about the Cambridge Air Base Appeal, which launched in April.
Ely is one of the locations often attended by the charity’s Anglia Two (Cambridge) crew - but the team’s home in the county is in jeopardy with the closure of Cambridge Airport. To protect the lifesaving care it delivers across the region, East Anglian Air Ambulance must raise £8.2 million to relocate to a new air base, which it has planning permission to build out the outskirts of Fulbourn.
Two mums spoke candidly about the importance of East Anglian Air Ambulance’s work, at the unveiling of the Knife Angel monument. Emma Dix, from the Joe Dix Foundation, and Bernice Jaggard lost their sons Joe and Harley in separate knife incidents in the region. Both young men were attended by East Anglian Air Ambulance - but despite the best efforts of the crews, did not survive.
The Knife Angel is a 27-foot-tall monument designed to raise awareness of knife crime and its impact on individuals, families and communities. Its visit to Ely, organised by Soham Town Football Club, aims to spark conversations, educate communities about the consequences of carrying knives, and reinforce the message that violence can be prevented through collective action.
As a charity, East Anglian Air Ambulance brings the hospital to the patient’s side in the fastest time possible for the most seriously ill and injured people in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. With no regular government funding, every mission is made possible by public support.
To give to the East Anglian Air Ambulance Cambridge Air Base Appeal, please go to: www.eaaa.org.uk/base.
