Helen Pannack is one of our newest trustees and she shares her experience this Trustees Week.
This Trustees’ Week, we are proud to be celebrating the dedicated volunteers who help steer the charity and ensure that we can continue to make a difference in saving lives across Devon.
Trustees are instrumental in guiding the charity’s strategic direction, offering oversight and ensuring that every decision contributes to achieving the best outcomes for the communities we support. We spoke to one of our Trustees, Helen, to hear about her experience in the role.
What inspired you to become a trustee?
What is there not to be inspired by? Such an amazing organisation with strong purpose where we really do change lives.
How did you first hear about the role?
When I was 8 I entered a competition with my local school to design a CD cover for Devon Air Ambulance. The prize was to go to a studio and sing a song to go onto the CD. My group at school won and we got to sing a Christmas song for the Devon Air Ambulance CD, which they then sold in their shops. I still have a copy of that CD and it has pride of place in my home even at the age of 42!
What does Devon Air Ambulance’s mission mean to you?
Being involved in an organisation where speed and medical excellence can literally make the difference between life and death is just incredible. It always humbles me whenever I hear our Founder, Anne’s, personal story and the reasons why she fought so hard for the first Devon Air Ambulance. Knowing that the organisation’s mission still achieves what Anne set out to aspire to achieve for thousands of families every year is truly inspiring
What skills or experiences do you bring to the board?
I’ve worked in large, complex organisations, so I hope you bring my experiences in delivering business strategy and change to Devon Air Ambulance. My passion is people and helping organisations to realise that their workforce is their biggest asset. I am a trained HR professional who has worked in HR for 15 years. In this time, I have worked on aligning an organisations’ people and culture priorities with business priorities, managed a number of complex change programmes and led on a number of mergers and acquisitions.
Epic! Seriously, it’s one of the most fulfilling things I have the privilege of being involved with
Ellie on the experience of being a trustee
Please share a moment that has made you proud
Having only been with Devon Air Ambulance for 6 months (at the time of writing – November 2025), my proudest moment so far has been attending the trustee away day in the summer. It was incredible to be surrounded by so many volunteers and to listen to all their stories of why they support the charity. It was great to hear some of the stories from people whose lives have been saved and to have a surprise visit from the helicopter on site. It was just a fantastic day to get to meet some of the great people who work and support the charity.
Why do you think trustees are so important?
Running any organisation is challenging, especially in the current climate. Trustees bring experience and knowledge from different environments to help broaden the leadership team’s thinking. They offer challenge and advice from different perspectives about key decisions being made by the leadership team and ultimately help to ensure the charity remains a viable organisation that can continue to deliver such critical services.
What advice would you give to a would-be trustee?
Immerse yourself as much as you can in the organisation you are looking to become a trustee for. It’s hard to give advice and critique when you do not understand the challenges within that organisation.
