FOREST of Dean residents are being called upon to volunteer with Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC), to help grow the team.

The local air ambulance service, which provides critical care to people across Gloucestershire, is hoping to hear from local people who want to make a real difference in their community.

GWAAC said you don’t need to be an expert and you don’t need lots of spare time. It is looking for those in Lydney, Newent, Lydbrook, Coleford, Cinderford, Woolaston, Drybrook, Mitcheldean, and the wider Forest of Dean, particularly for those who can volunteer with events and fundraising, public speaking and collection tin servicing.

Daniel Hanley-Shearing, Volunteer Coordinator, Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, said: “Volunteering with Great Western Air Ambulance Charity is a fantastic way to give something back, meet people and make a real difference in your local community. Our crews regularly respond to patients across the Forest of Dean, and our volunteers play a vital role in helping us continue to be there when local people need critical care most.”

GWAAC provides critical care and an air ambulance service for 2.1 million people across areas including the Forest of Dean. It extends to Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire, Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, and parts of Wiltshire.

From January 1 to June 30 this year, the GWAAC crew was called to help 1,122 patients in need of urgent critical care, and 28 per cent of those were for people in Gloucestershire. The county was GWAAC's busiest region in the first half of 2026.

Its Critical Care Team consists of highly trained and experienced Critical Care Doctors, Advanced Practitioners and Specialist Paramedics.

You can find out more on volunteering opportunities via GWAAC’s website or email [email protected]