Defender Burghley Horse Trials’ official charity for the 2025 event (4-7 September) will be the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA).
Event Director Martyn Johnson said: “We are delighted to be partnering with a vital charity which is so important to the equestrian, farming and wider rural communities, in particular.
“The Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance receives no government or NHS funding and is reliant on donations. LNAA responds to more than four call-outs a day, each costing around £4,000, and needs to raise £13 million per year to continue its daily life-saving operations. Defender Burghley is proud to be helping LNAA to reach that figure in 2025.”
Rachel Wilson, Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance Head of Community Fundraising, said: “Being chosen as Charity of the Year by Defender Burghley Horse Trials is a dream come true for many of us at LNAA. Our crews are often deployed to equestrian-related incidents and have helped many riders who have been involved in accidents in remote, rural areas.
“It’s such an iconic event in Lincolnshire’s calendar and the excitement is already building here as we plan our activities to support the charity and the event itself.”
Three-times Defender Burghley winner Oliver Townend is a national ambassador for Air Ambulances UK. He said: “Air ambulances are such an important resource, not just within our sport, equestrianism in general or the countryside. Everyone faces the possibility of needing the expertise and speed of an air ambulance, whether from a road traffic point of view or as a result of an accident in rural areas, and I look forward to the eventing community supporting the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance this year at Burghley.”
Tickets for Defender Burghley members go on sale on 22 April, while the box office opens for general admission the following day, 23 April. Purchasers will have the option to add a small donation to the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance when they buy their tickets: www.burghley-horse.co.uk.
