Freddie Flintoff backs helipad campaign after Top Gear crash

Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff has backed a campaign to help more hospitals get helipads, calling them a “vital step in giving me a second chance” after his car crash at a Top Gear track.

Flintoff was airlifted to hospital after suffering severe injuries while filming at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey in December 2022.

Backing the campaign by the Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads (Help) appeal, he said: “As every cricket pitch has a wicket, every hospital that needs one should have a helipad.”

The presenter and former England cricketer was taken to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, a major trauma centre which is part of the St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Group.

He said: “When I was airlifted, that helipad wasn’t just a safe spot to land on the hospital roof, it was a vital step in giving me a second chance as I had immediate access to the specialist care which helped saved my life.”

Flintoff, originally from Preston in Lancashire, previously said in a documentary that he thought he had died in the accident, which occurred while filming for Top Gear.

Flintoff also recently visited the NHS staff who cared for him at St George’s Hospital, which has a helipad funded by the appeal.

The charity said there had been 30,000 landings on the 32 NHS hospital helipads it has funded across England.

It said it had also funded 23 major upgrades at other hospital helipads and was aiming to fund 40 new and upgraded ones.

Helipad infrastructure is not nationally commissioned by NHS England.

Financial support for the air ambulances is at the discretion of individual NHS trusts.

The Help Appeal provides grants to NHS trusts to fund the construction of helipads, which can cover either the whole or part of the cost.

Robert Bertram, chief executive of the Help Appeal, said: “We are incredibly grateful to have Freddie’s support, especially knowing that his life was saved thanks, in part, to a Help Appeal-funded helipad.

“His story highlights exactly why the charity’s work is so vital – seconds count in a medical emergency and that helipad made all the difference.

“Freddie’s backing brings invaluable awareness to the importance of rapid access to emergency care for everyone, everywhere.”