South Western Ambulance Charity celebrates 30 years of making a difference
Head of charity Zoe Larter reflects on milestones, challenges and community impact
The South Western Ambulance Charity is marking its 30th anniversary this September, celebrating three decades of support for ambulance staff, volunteers and patients across the South West.
The charity began in 1995 as a way for patients and their families to say thank you for care they had received. But in 2017, it changed direction.
“Up until about 2017, the charity was essentially a reactive mechanism,” said Zoe Larter, Head of the South Western Ambulance Charity. “In 2017 our charitable funds committee identified an opportunity for the charity to be a key strategic partner for the ambulance service. We moved from a reactive mechanism to a proactive enabler – a charity that stands out and says, actually, we are going to make a difference.”
Since then, the charity has invested in staff wellbeing, improved facilities at ambulance stations, and supported volunteer Community First Responders. “We’ve been looking after our people, supporting their health and well-being, improving working environments inside and outside, and supporting personal development,” Zoe said.
One of the biggest changes has been providing Community First Responders with response vehicles, allowing volunteers to reach patients more quickly, particularly in rural areas. “Within the first 12 months since launching that initial fleet of seven vehicles, they visited 2,751 incidents,” Zoe explained. “In 86% of cases, the Community First Responder was the first on scene, and in 14% of cases the ambulance was actually stood down.”
Zoe, who became the charity’s first staff member in 2017, said one story stands out from her time in the role. In 2019, the charity gave a bursary to Community First Responder Matt Burrows so he could take the test needed to drive an ambulance. “He did his C1 and became an emergency care assistant, which was absolutely wonderful,” she said. “Fast forward to July 2025, and I was presenting at a student paramedic graduation event – and there was Matt graduating as a newly qualified paramedic. Supporting a charity like ours can make such a massive difference to an individual like Matt, and then he goes on to make an incredible difference to the patients he supports every day.”
The Covid-19 pandemic also brought challenges and unexpected generosity. “The first thing that happened was that I was seconded to support the trust, because it was an all-hands-on-deck situation,” Zoe said. “But then we saw this unprecedented swell of appreciation for the NHS reflected in incredible donations. Beko donated over £40,000 worth of appliances – 419 fridge freezers, microwaves, kettles, toasters and coffee machines – which we distributed to every single ambulance station. We also received 7,500 Easter eggs, which went to every staff member. We’d never seen anything like it.”
As the charity looks to the future, Zoe said the focus is on keeping up the momentum. “We want to do more for patients, we want to absolutely focus on making sure our staff and volunteers are healthy, happy and motivated, and we want them to feel valued,” she said. “All of that reflects in the incredible patient care they already provide.”