Meera Naran MBE joins HELP Appeal as eighth anniversary of son Dev’s death approaches

A Walsall-based organisation that supports air ambulance charities has appointed road safety campaigner Meera Naran MBE as a new Trustee.

The County Air Ambulance Trust’s HELP Appeal is the only charity in the UK dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads. 

The appointment comes ahead of the eighth anniversary of the death of Meera’s son, Dev, on May 31.

A campaigner’s journey

Dev was eight years old when he died in a smart motorway collision. His mother’s subsequent campaigning earned her an MBE for services to road safety in 2021, and helped secure a £900 million Government funding commitment, 18 national policy changes and crucial revisions to the Highway Code. 

In January 2026, the Government’s Road Safety Strategy included a consultation on Dev’s Law, proposing the mandatory introduction of 18 new vehicle safety technologies.

Meera is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy at De Montfort University in Leicester, where the HELP Appeal funded a new helipad at Glenfield Hospital, which opened in 2025. After visiting the site, she was invited to join the charity’s board.

A shared mission

Michael Henriques MBE, Chairman of the HELP Appeal, said of Meera: “Her insight and passion align perfectly with our mission and we very much look forward to working with her.”

Meera said it was “an honour to work with a charity that is strengthening critical care infrastructure across the UK.” 

She added that increasing access to NHS hospital helipads “reduces transfer times and improves patient outcomes when it matters most.”

Since its founding in 2009, the HELP Appeal has funded 32 brand new helipads, with more than 34,500 helicopter landings recorded. A further 40 new helipads and upgrades are currently planned.