St Ives-based Natalie Church has been nominated for a national award in recognition of her dedication to Magpas Air Ambulance.

Having joined the charity 17 years ago, Natalie has played a leading role in the evolution of Magpas, orchestrating many large and significant projects and ultimately shaping the charity into the organisation it has become today.

To celebrate this, Natalie has been nominated for the Charity Member of the Year award at the Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence and has since been confirmed as a finalist.

She said: “Finding out I was shortlisted for this award was an unexpected and wonderful surprise. I started working at Magpas Air Ambulance over 17 years ago as an administration assistant.

“I’ve worked hard over the years to develop myself and have since become the director of operations. I’ve been fortunate enough to support the medical and operational team in the introduction of key developments over the years; ensuring we deliver the best pre-hospital emergency medicine service and that we reach our patients as quickly and as safely as possible.

“When I first started, we didn’t have a dedicated doctor-paramedic team, we didn’t have our own helicopter and we weren’t providing the 24/7 service we are today. The changes I’ve seen in the charity over the years have been incredible and I am so proud of our achievements.”

Natalie has juggled the demands of her job with being a mother to two young children. Her role includes managing a team of operations staff and working closely with a team of more than 50 doctors, paramedics, pilots and co-pilots, ensuring the provision of the service runs smoothly and being an on-call manager for the medics around the clock.

Natalie is also focusing on some of Magpas’ current strategic projects such as bringing a new £1.5million helicopter to the region.

A spokesman for Magpas said: “Simply put, the charity wouldn’t be where it is today without Natalie’s tireless support. Her dedication and passion for Magpas Air Ambulance is infectious.”

Natalie added: “Working for this lifesaving charity is a huge part of my life and Magpas Air Ambulance genuinely feels like an extended part of my family - not many people get to say that about their job.”

The winner will be revealed at the awards ceremony held on November 12 at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel, in London.