Princess Anne visits site of new Magpas HQ in Alconbury

The event was due to take place in September last year but was postponed due to the funeral of Her late Majesty The Queen. 

The Princess unveiled the "momentous" cornerstone in front of the new purpose-built base, which is currently under construction, with many civic dignitaries, medics and former patients present.

Princess Anne and Magpas CEO Daryl Brown unveil the cornerstone outside the soon-to-be future-proofed new Magpas HQ. (Image: Newsquest)HRH Princess Anne, who is a patron of Magpas, said at the unveiling: "It is of real encouragement to see it [the base] at this stage; if I had been here in September, none of this would've been here, so I'm hoping you find that as an enormous encouragement that you're nearly there."

Princess Anne became a Royal Patron when she visited the charity’s current operations base in February 2020 and heard about the pressing need for the service to find a new home.

Princess Anne was in good spirits as she greeted civic dignitaries and addressed attendees at the unveiling. (Image: Newsquest)

Alongside Magpas's CEO, Daryl Brown MBE, Princess Anne whipped off the cover to reveal the white cornerstone to mark the base's construction, which was met with rapturous applause.

Mr Brown told The Hunts Post: "We're really pleased that our patron, The Princess Royal, was really keen to come along today to lay this foundation stone.

Her Royal Highness shook the hands of civic dignitaries upon arrival, including the chairman of Huntingdonshire District Council, Cllr Michael Burke. (Image: Newsquest)

READ MORE: Work starts on new Magpas headquarters in Cambridgeshire

"She has been an amazing supporter of Magpas over the years, so this is a real event for her to come along and see the progress on the building."

The cornerstone was originally dated for September but due to the Queen's funeral, Princess Anne was unable to mark construction with an unveiling until February. (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Brown added: "It [the base] is going to be transformative. This new facility will get us to patients quicker, provides rest facilities, training and education facilities for our clinicians, so it really will be life-saving."

The new, purpose-built airbase and headquarters at Alconbury Weald will replace the previous site at RAF Wyton, which was sold for development.

On Friday, Magpas Air Ambulance welcomed HRH The Princess Royal to the site of our new base, to unveil a momentous cornerstone.

The event, sponsored by @LDO_Helicopters & @sas_aviation, marks an exciting milestone as we gear up to build completion in the summer. @RoyalFamily pic.twitter.com/FIQc3gXaEj

— Magpas Air Ambulance (@Magpas_Charity) February 13, 2023

The facility will boast a dedicated state-of-the-art training centre to train the next generation of pre-hospital emergency doctors and paramedics, and be equipped for 24/7 operations.

Magpas vehicles and the new building in Alconbury Weald, mid-way through construction (Image: Newsquest)

The site's location is also closer to the region's major trunk roads, which will reduce vehicle dispatch times by up to 15 minutes.

Founder of Magpas

Attendees were given a tour of the base's interior to see the progress being made before being treated to a helicopter flying in, which landed for Princess Anne to take a closer look.

HRH Princess Anne meets the Magpas Air Ambulance medical team. (Image: Tim George)

Princess Anne shares a chuckle with the Magpas Air Ambulance medical team and flight crew. (Image: Tim George)

Dr Neville Silverstone MBE, 95, who helped found the charity in 1971, was also present and said: "I never expected and never thought it would get to this point. I am fantastically proud because it was just an idea."

Mr Silverstone added that Magpas had started in a nurse's front room with a radio set to the police frequency so that he, and co-founder Dr Derek Cracknell MBE, could help victims of road accidents.

Fast forward 50 years, Magpas has since helped more than 60,000 patients and responded to 1,335 emergency calls last year alone.

Attendees

Many of the attendees shared their excitement at HRH's visit and also enjoyed a speech and reception with HRH.

Mayor of Huntingdon, David Landon Cole, prepares to go on a tour through the inside of the Magpas building to see the progress being made. (Image: Newsquest)

Mayor of Huntingdon, Cllr David Landon Cole, said: "I think it shows how important Magpas and the work they do is that HRH is coming to see the facility, and it brings attention to the town."

Leader of Huntingdonshire District Council, Cllr Sarah Conboy, said: "It is really exciting to have this [the base] here in Huntingdonshire. We feel very privileged for the work Magpas do; It is so important what they do for the community.

HRH The Princess Royal meets the Magpas Air Ambulance medical team and flight crew, and has a closer look at one of the helicopters. (Image: Tim George)

"Days like this make you realise why we volunteer."

Mr Brown said: "It's incredibly exciting to see what has been a plan for a very long time finally come into fruition—especially as the building has now reached the major milestone of being watertight—and we can see the charity's new home really coming together."

Construction on the site is set to finish in May, and Mr Brown hopes the site will be operational from June.

Princess Anne addresses the crowd at Magpas HQ before the unveiling of the cornerstone. (Image: Newsquest)