'I didn't know if I'd walk again': Britians Suffolk rider backs £8.2m air ambulance appeal
Bubby Upton is backing an £8.2 million appeal to secure the future of the air ambulance service that helped her
A British event rider who had to learn to walk again following a serious accident near Newmarket is backing an £8.2 million appeal to secure the future of the air ambulance service that helped her.
Isabelle 'Bubby' Upton, 27, is supporting East Anglian Air Ambulance's campaign to build a replacement Cambridge base after suffering severe spinal injuries during a riding accident in August 2023.
The charity has now raised £5.1 million towards its £8.2 million fundraising target, leaving £3.1 million still to find.
The money is needed because Cambridge Airport, where one of the charity's two emergency response bases is currently located, is due to close.
East Anglian Air Ambulance says the Cambridge operation provides around half its service, supporting patients across Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Bedfordshire.
'I didn't know if I'd walk again'
For Bubby, the importance of the charity is deeply personal.
On 18 August 2023, she was training near her Newmarket home when her horse suddenly reared, throwing her backwards before landing on top of her.
The accident left her with multiple spinal fractures, including a complete burst fracture of her third lumbar vertebra.
Speaking to us, Bubby said she experienced paralysis affecting her right side following the accident.
"I had a bad riding accident at home on the 18th of August, which left me paralysed on my right side," she said.
Immediately afterwards, the future of her riding career was far from her biggest concern.
"For me, straight after the accident, obviously it was a case of whether I will or won't be able to walk again."
East Anglian Air Ambulance's Cambridge-based helicopter reached the scene after a 16-minute flight, with its critical care team arriving at her side two minutes after landing.
The team worked alongside the ambulance service to assess her injuries, administer advanced pain relief and stabilise her spine and pelvis.
Bubby was then taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital by road ambulance, accompanied by the air ambulance crew.
She underwent seven hours of emergency spinal surgery and says she began regaining sensation in her right leg afterwards.
"So then it was a case of rehabilitation and learning to walk again," she recalled.
'The horses were the fuel to my fire'
Despite the severity of her injuries, Bubby says she never questioned whether she wanted to ride again.
Instead, her horses became a source of strength throughout her recovery.
"For me, they gave me so much strength and purpose, the horses, throughout my recovery, and it was never a case of not wanting to get back on," she explained.
"It was always a case of whether I would be allowed, whether it would be safe or not."
After relearning how to walk, Bubby eventually received permission from her surgeon to return to riding.
She described the moment as almost impossible to believe.
"When Dr Timofeeve gave me the green light to get back on, I mean, honestly, it felt like I was waiting to be woken up from a dream.
"It was just the most magical day ever."
Bubby became emotional while describing what returning to the saddle meant after months of uncertainty.
"And the moment I got back on, it's not possible to put into words what that day and that moment was like, but it gave me more strength than I'll ever be able to put into words throughout my recovery."
She added: "I think without the horses, my recovery would have looked very, very different because they were the fuel to my fire throughout it."
Less than nine months after the accident, Bubby was competing at the Badminton Horse Trials.
She was also named as a reserve for the Paris Olympics in 2024, before securing consecutive victories at the Bramham Horse Trials in 2025 and 2026.
Last year, she made her senior championship debut for Great Britain.
However, Bubby says returning to the highest level of her sport means more to her than any individual result.
"I mean, for me, throughout my whole recovery, I was hyper aware that I was one of the lucky ones that got a second chance and that had a road to recover on."
She credited the expertise of the air ambulance crew and her surgeon with helping her return to the life she loved.
"Being back on them competing at the top of my sport is the biggest win for me."
Her ambition now is to represent Great Britain at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
"So the big dream is the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, so I'll be giving it my absolute all to get there."
Why East Anglian Air Ambulance needs a new base
While Bubby's recovery demonstrates the difference specialist emergency care can make, East Anglian Air Ambulance says its ability to continue providing that service depends on securing a replacement Cambridge base.
The charity currently operates from two locations, in Norwich and Cambridge.
However, Cambridge Airport is scheduled to close, meaning its helicopter and critical care crew will need a new home.
Stuart Wyle, Director of Fundraising and Supporters at East Anglian Air Ambulance, told us the Cambridge operation accounts for approximately half of the charity's emergency response service.
"So we have two bases, we have one in Norwich and one in Cambridge and Cambridge is basically delivering half of our service," he said.
"So if that service doesn't exist, then we're going to be looking at a diminished service across the region."
Mr Wyle said the consequences of losing that capacity could be significant for people experiencing serious medical emergencies.
The charity attended 1,845 patients last year, including 151 children, according to figures he provided during the interview.
Its specialist doctors and critical care paramedics respond to emergencies including cardiac arrests, serious road traffic collisions and traumatic injuries.
They can deliver treatments normally associated with hospital emergency departments, including blood transfusions and advanced pain relief, directly at the scene.
For Bubby, having that specialist care brought to her so quickly was an important part of her treatment.
Mr Wyle said maintaining the Cambridge operation would help ensure patients across the region continue to have access to the service.
£3.1 million still needed
East Anglian Air Ambulance launched its Cambridge Air Base Appeal in April 2026, seeking £8.2 million in public donations towards the replacement facility.
The charity has received planning permission for a new base on the outskirts of Fulbourn, near Cambridge.
Mr Wyle said the fundraising response so far had been encouraging.
"We've had donations from people that we know, brand new people that have come to support us across the region and it's been a huge concerted effort to raise, we're currently at 5.1 million pounds."
However, with another £3.1 million needed, the charity is continuing to appeal for public support.
Mr Wyle said further fundraising activities are planned over the festive period and into the new year.
"But we are really confident that we are going to smash that target thanks to the generous support of all the people that have already donated and are going to be donating towards the Cambridge Air Base Appeal in the future."
Alongside the cost of the replacement facility, the charity must also meet the ongoing expense of providing its emergency medical service.
Mr Wyle said East Anglian Air Ambulance needs to raise almost £19 million annually to fund its operations.
"Alongside building the Cambridge Air Base and the fundraising appeal, we do have to raise nearly 19 million pounds every year to fully fund the charity."
He said the organisation relies on public donations rather than Government funding.
Bubby is now helping to raise awareness of the appeal, something Mr Wyle says the charity is grateful for.
"She is basically fronting this campaign and encouraging as many people to donate across Cambridgeshire and beyond, across the region," he said.
'Don't wait until you need their help'
Having experienced the charity's work first-hand, Bubby hopes her story will encourage others to support the appeal.
She admitted she had not fully appreciated the scale of East Anglian Air Ambulance's work until she needed its help herself.
"I think for me I was not aware enough until I needed their help of the incredible life-saving work that they do," she said.
She is encouraging people to consider donating before they find themselves in need of emergency care.
"So I guess I would urge people to not wait until you need their services and you need their help to back them."
For Bubby, whose future was once so uncertain, supporting the appeal is a way of giving something back.
"And without their work, my life would be very, very different, and I wouldn't have been able to carry on fulfilling my dreams."
Reflecting on the past three years, she said her recovery has changed the way she approaches life.
"Looking back over the last three years, what we've been through, my whole family and I, it's a constant reminder of how lucky I am and gives me strength on a daily basis to never take this second chance for granted."
More information about the appeal and how to support it is available on the East Anglian Air Ambulance website.