From airlifting people bitten by snakes to delivering vaccines to remote parts of the globe, many aircrew who dedicate their lives to humanitarian aid have their training organised from University of Staffordshire’s Stafford Business Village.

Mission Aviation Fellowship, which has around 130 aircraft in some of the most remote parts of the world, coordinates its technical training from Staffordshire.

It is from here that Peter Fryatt, the organisation’s technical training manager, plans the training that leads to people being sent out on missions to places such as Kenya, Uganda, Liberia and Guinea.

A Christian charity, Mission Aviation Fellowship’s aim is to reach remote communities through aviation.

It’s life changing work including enabling cleft palate operations for babies, cataract treatment for the elderly, swift treatment for burns victims and hospital intervention for complicated births.

“I manage the training process here at Stafford, including developing courses and apprenticeship schemes” said Peter. “The current training programme started in 2021. We have four people currently on the course, two who have just finished the theory part of training and two who are coming up to finishing the practical part of the training.

“I get the pleasure of going on the journey with the trainees, seeing them have a sense of calling and purpose, and then seeing them go into the field and have the fulfilment that this sort of work gives.

“It’s hugely rewarding, not just for them but for the programmes they will go on to work on around the world. A lot of the work they will go on to do is literally lifesaving.”

Peter has entered Mission Aviation Fellowship UK into the Skills For The Future and Business in the Community categories of the University of Staffordshire Business Awards.