General

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance held their annual Recognition Awards at Oulton Hall in Leeds on the 17^th October, celebrating the Yorkshire Businesses and Fundraisers from across the region who have dedicated their time to raise money for the charity.

A judging panel handpicked the finalists from the volunteers, businesses and fundraisers who have worked tirelessly for the charity, and Jon Mitchell and Gaynor Barnes from ITV Calendar, and who are also Patrons of the charity, compered and hosted the awards.

Founder of the Card Factory and former Huddersfield Town Chairman Dean Hoyle and his family took home the prestigious Chairman’s Award for their ten year dedication to the Charity and to recognise their Pedal for Pounds success through the football club.

Pedal for Pounds was the brainchild of Dean Hoyle and his family, and now in its tenth year, the annual cycling event has reached an incredible £2.2million fundraising milestone.

Dean and Janet Hoyle collected the award on the evening, presented to them by Yorkshire Air Ambulance chairman, Peter Sunderland.

Peter Sunderland, said: “Dean, Janet and the boys have been truly inspirational in helping to raise a phenomenal amount of money for our charity over the last decade, and helped raise the profile of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance through the highly successful Pedal for Pounds campaign and their work with HTAFC.  Just last week we were delighted to announce that the campaign hit the £2 million mark raised. It was my absolute pleasure therefore to be able to recognise all their hard work with this year’s YAA Chairman’s award.

It is the continued support and generosity from people like the Hoyle’s, which enables us to keep saving lives across not only across Huddersfield but the wider Yorkshire area and we’re proud to have them as part of our Yorkshire Air Ambulance family. ”

A passenger of a serious road traffic collision that took place in December last year has defied doctor’s odds thanks to the rapid response of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and their night vision technology.

Connor Lond, 23, and his friend were driving from Grimsby to Leeds on a night out, when the front wheel of the car slid on gravel on the M18, causing it to spin. As the car spun out of control, it was hit by oncoming vehicle.

“I can remember the wet weather and approaching Brigg, but a lot of the incident is a blur”, said Connor.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance were dispatched immediately to scene and due to the incident being late at night, the mission was flown using Night Vision technology.

Pilots and navigational crew on board of Yorkshire’s Air Ambulance wear Night Vision goggles to enable them to identify hazards and obstacles late at night when approaching landing sites.

Night Vision status was granted to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance back in September 2017 and has enabled the lifesaving rapid response service the ability to extend their operational hours into darkness.

When the Critical Care Team assessed Connor, he was showing signs of a serious head injury and a decision was made to put him into an induced coma and fly him to the nearest major trauma centre.

Connor was carried down an embankment to the helicopter and was flown to Leeds General Infirmary, a 30 mile flight which took only 15 minutes by air but would have been 45 minutes by road.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Connor had fractured six ribs, his clavicle and his pelvis and he had a bleed on brain. His family were told that he had a 20% survival rate.

Connor spent two weeks in hospital and despite his serious injuries, he has made a remarkable recovery.

“It was difficult learning to walk again, but to go from feeling broken emotionally and physically to become someone who is stronger, healthier and able to walk, lift weights and to graduate, means the world to me”, said Connor.

Last year, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance attended 197 incidents and airlifted 37 patients to hospital using Night Vision technology.

Connor’s episode of Helicopter ER will air on Monday 11^th November on Really at 9PM. The episode also features a cyclist who came off his bike on a Pennine road, a woman with symptoms of a heart attack in a remote market town and the crew are called out to a patient with a life threatening health condition.

Helicopter ER is made by York-based Air Television who have won five Royal Television Society awards for their work on the compelling series. You can catch up with any episodes you miss on UKTV Play.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,800 missions every year. The charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

12^th September 2019

Near miss with drone on 11.09.19

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) can confirm that last night (11.09.19), en route back to their Nostell Air Support Unit from completing a mission the crew of HM98 (G-YAAC) were subject to a near miss with a drone.

The incident happened around 6.50pm as the helicopter was returning to base, flying at around 1,300ft

Steve Waudby, Chief Pilot commented “We cannot stress enough the seriousness of what happened last night to the crew of HM98.  It was only due to the vigilance of our front seat paramedic spotting the drone, and the rapid reaction of our Pilot that the crew avoided a direct collision.  It is estimated that they missed the drone by less than 3 meters in the end.  The consequences don’t bare thinking about if a direct strike had occurred.  We’d be telling a very different story today if it had.”

Steve continues “The most ironic thing about all of this is that we spent most of yesterday working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) over at Nostell to help them create a new ‘Drone Awareness’ short film to help highlight the dangers & issues of operating drones, and to make users more aware of aircraft operators like us and the Police.”

“Whoever was operating this drone was doing so at an illegal height – the maximum height it should have been operating at was 120m or 400ft, so as you can see, this drone was flying over 3 times the height it should have been at.  Whether the operator is aware or not, they have put the lives of our crew in extreme danger. I would appeal to the operator to please come forward and identify themselves – we have a very clear description of what the drone looked like and it was very, very distinctive.  The police have been made aware, as well as the CAA and the AAIB have also been notified.  Again, I cannot stress the seriousness of what has happened.”

Peter Sunderland, Chairman of the YAA added “Firstly I would like to pay tribute to our Pilot – his prompt and professional actions avoided the most unthinkable disaster.  We are proud to have a team of highly skilled, ex-military Pilots as part of our team, and last night’s incident just goes to highlight how important these professional Pilots are to the Charity.  Also to the two paramedics and Doctor who were on board – all of their intense training over the years came to fruition last night and I am proud of how they handled this incident.  The crew are obviously shaken from what happened and we will be supporting them in any way we can.”

A CAA spokesperson said: “It is against the law to fly a drone above 400ft (120m) or close to airports without permission and anyone flouting the rules can face severe penalties including up to five years in prison. Anyone operating a drone must do so responsibly and observe all relevant rules and regulations. The rules for flying drones are designed to keep all airspace users safe.   The CAA’s Dronecode provides advice on how to fly your drone safely and follow the rules. You can access it at www.dronesafe.uk “

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,500 missions every year. The charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.  The Charity are currently featuring in the television documentary series Helicopter ER, which airs on channel Really every Monday night at 9pm.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is urging people across the Yorkshire to download the what3words app to help save lives.

what3words is being used by a growing number of emergency services and rescue teams across the world and it is now being used by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to help save lives across the region.

Developers behind the app have divided the world into 57 trillion squares and given each square a unique 3 word address that can be found using GPS. When a caller is unable to identify where they are, they can simply pass the three words generated by the app to emergency services and they will be able to track their location within a 3 metre square radius.

The what3words app is compatible with other apps such as Google Maps, Apple Maps and Waze and can also connect to Satnavs. It can also be speech-activated and because the app is GPS and algorithm-based, it can be used with no internet connection.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance began using the app two months ago and it has already been used successfully in incidents such as road traffic accidents and walkers in remote areas.

Matt Syrat, Clinical Operations Manager for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “There’s a lot of rural areas and less identifiable roads in Yorkshire and if a person cannot distinguish where they are, it can delay the time it takes for emergency services to reach the incident.  This new system enables us to pinpoint a nearly exact location of the casualty using the three words given to us by the call taker and we can dispatch immediately. The what3words app will be invaluable to saving lives, especially in remote areas of Yorkshire.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,500 missions every year. The charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

Amanda, 44,  is best known for her appearance in the ITV series The Dales, the Channel 5 series Our Yorkshire Farm and for being author to three bestselling books as well as being a busy mother of 9, was the face of one of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s popular Christmas cards last year, aptly named ‘The Yorkshire Shepherdess’.

She lives with her husband Clive and their family at Ravenseat in Upper Swaledale, North Yorkshire – one of the highest, most remote hill farms in England.

Amanda has always been a supporter of the work of the YAA, given the remote area they live in and nature of the work the Charity undertake, however it was an introduction through Harrogate based artist Anita Bowerman that brought Amanda and the Charity closer together.

Amanda explains “I was contacted by Anita last year to ask if I’d be happy to collaborate with her and the YAA by painting me and my sheep as a scene for one of the YAA’s Christmas cards.  Obviously it was a real honour for me to accept, and the card went onto be the Charity’s bestselling Christmas card ever!  I hear they were sending them out all around the world, and as far away as Canada!  We have then kept in contact since and when I was asked to be an Ambassador I was absolutely delighted – I genuinely couldn’t think of a better organisation to be involved with.  I was very emotional when they first asked me.”

Abby Barmby, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Charity added “Amanda is a truly inspirational women and one we are proud to have as an Ambassador for the YAA.  She is the true epitome of Yorkshire, which is something we as a Charity also embrace and are extremely proud of.  We are very excited to be working with Amanda going forward and already have some great ideas in the pipeline.”

Amanda added “I am very much aware that living as remotely as we do the YAA is a vital service that can make the difference between life and death. We have had our fair share of medical emergencies, though are fortunate to have never yet ourselves required the services of the YAA.”

Given the success of last years ‘The Yorkshire Shepherdess’ Christmas card, Anita Bowerman will paint a new scene depicting Amanda as part of this years collection.  However the design remains a closely guarded secret for now!

Copies of last years card are still available to buy now through the YAA website: www.yaa.org.uk/shop .

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,500 missions every year. The charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.  The Charity are currently featuring in the television documentary series Helicopter ER, which airs on channel Really every Monday night at 9pm.

ENDS

For more information please contact Yorkshire Air Ambulance Director of Marketing & Communications, Abby Barmby on a.barmby@yaa.org.uk  or 01422 237900/ 07825 458 600

Notes to Editors

• YAA is an independent charity needing to raise £12,000 per day to keep both of Yorkshire’s air ambulances in the air and maintained.  This is equivalent to £4.4 million each year.
• The YAA provides a life-saving rapid response emergency service 365 days a year to 5 million people across 4 million acres of Yorkshire.
• We operate two helicopters, G-YAAC and G-YOAA. They operate from Nostell Priory near Wakefield and RAF Topcliffe, near Thirsk.
• Patients are transferred to the nearest major trauma centres, flying at speeds of up to 160mph.
• YAA paramedics and dispatchers are seconded to us by Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
• We currently attend over 1,500 missions a year, an average of five incidents every single day.
• To date, over 7,900 patients have been carried to relevant treatment centres.

“The Charity have been absolutely overwhelmed by the expressions of support since the incident in Shipley on Thursday evening.

As well as being inundated with messages of support, we have received many donations to contribute towards funding the replacement of the damaged helmet.  These also include some pledges to fund the full replacement cost of the helmet, as well as a generous offer from a supplier to replace the helmet for us.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made a donation and offered their support.  Any monies donated to the YAA will contribute towards the £12,000 we need to raise every day to keep our helicopters in the air and helping to save lives across Yorkshire.

We genuinely are blessed to have the most kind and generous supporters – thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.”

Abby Barmby, Director of Marketing & Communications

Abby Barmby, Director of Marketing & Communications:

“We were appalled to hear that one of our valuable flight helmets was stolen from the back of our helicopter whilst our crew were responding to an emergency 999 call last night in Shipley.

We understand that a group of youths were involved, and cannot comprehend why they felt it necessary to take such a vital piece of our equipment.

Our flight helmets are specialist and vital pieces of equipment all our crews wear in flight.  Not only are they worn for protection and safety purposes, they are also worn so the crews can communicate with each other in flight.  Each helmet is bespoke to our crew members and cost in the region of £2,700.

Unfortunately it looks like there has been too much damage done to this helmet and it will now need replacing.  As an independent Charity who relies on charitable donations to help fund our vital work, having to replace costly items of equipment that have been unnecessarily damaged for no justifiable reason is extremely disheartening.

We would however like to thank the kind people in Shipley that managed to locate the helmet and return it to the crew, and also to West Yorkshire Police who have been of great assistance.”

Jean Dixon, 83, has been running businesses from Scarborough market for over 57 years and in 2004, shortly after her retirement, she decided to take on an empty stall and raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance as a volunteer.  She started off in the original market hall with one small stall, and over the years expanded to being a considerable part of the old market hall.  Then after the market hall refurbishment in 2017, Jean and her team relocated downstairs to the market vaults where they’ve been since.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance shop now consists of two ground floor vaults on the lower ground of Scarborough market, with a dedicated clothing shop selling high-quality fashion donated by dress agencies. Over the last 13 years with help from her dedicated volunteer team through attending various other events, as well as being a public speaker for the Charity, Jean has now raised over £750,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Speaking of her fundraising achievement, Jean said: “When I first joined the Yorkshire Air Ambulance as a volunteer, I set out to raise £1 million and I’m so pleased to have reached the three quarters of a million pound mark.

Over the years I have met some fantastic people and I wouldn’t have been able to reach this milestone without their support.”

Speaking of her fundraising goals for the future, Jean said: “I think that it would take me another four years to achieve my dream total of £1 million and I’m going to try my best to get there.”

Bob Smailes, Yorkshire Air Ambulance Regional Fundraising Manager for North East Yorkshire, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you and congratulate Jean and the volunteers at Scarborough Market for raising an impressive £750,000 for the YAA.

Jean Dixon is one of our longest and most valued volunteers and she is a firm part of the YAA family. We are very proud of her fundraising efforts and we’re proud to have her as part of our team.”

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance shop at Scarborough Market Vaults is open 6 days a week between 9.30am and 4.30pm.  Jean and her team are always looking forward to meeting new supporters when they visit.  If anyone has any donations of items for the YAA shop, please contact the team here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/vaultsyaapage

A helicopter enthusiast from Bradford, has had one of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopters tattooed on her back to help raise vital funds for the Charity, and keep the memory of her late father alive.

Ann Watts, 46 from Bradford said: “I love the air ambulance and love I helicopters and I wanted to do something unique to help get donations. Having this tattoo will not only help a worthy cause, but also keep my dad’s memory alive”, said Ann.

Ann’s father was a keen motorcyclist and enjoyed watching helicopters fly over one of the former Yorkshire Air Ambulance airbases, at Leeds Bradford Airport. To celebrate his love of aviation, the family had booked a trip for him to go in a helicopter for his 60^th birthday. However, he sadly passed away before his lifelong dream was fulfilled.

Ann decided to get the tattoo to remind her of the times she spent watching helicopters with her dad, and also to keep raising money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance in his memory.

Tong Tattoos did the tattoo free of charge, providing donations went towards the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The tattoo was completed on Thursday 20^th June and Ann has already raised £80 for the Charity.

Ann said: “I feel like one of my dreams has come true and I am proud to be wearing the Yorkshire Air Ambulance on my back. I love showing off my new tattoo and the pain was worth it. I would like to thank Tong Tattoos for their support.”

Angela Vyas, West Yorkshire Community Fundraiser, said: “We admire Anne’s dedication to the charity and her brave decision to have one of our helicopters tattooed on her back – the finished tattoo looks incredible. The money raised will help us greatly towards the vital funding of our service.”

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance provides a life-saving rapid response emergency service 365 days a year to 5 million people across 4 million acres of Yorkshire. It costs £12,000 a day to keep the helicopters maintained and in the air.

For more information about Ann’s tattoo and to donate to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ann-elizabeth-watts

Yorkshire cricket legend and Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) Patron Geoffrey Boycott OBE, has put his name to a new beer brewed by Leeds Brewery to mark this summer’s Cricket World Cup, and to raise vital funds for the much loved rapid-response Charity.

The 3.6% pale ale, available in casks and bottles, has been created by Leeds Brewery and is brewed using some of the finest ingredients Yorkshire has to offer.  Available for sale now, 25p from every bottle and 25p from every pint sold will be donated to the YAA.

Mr Boycott commented: “The Brewery approached me and asked if I’d be interested in creating a new ale with them for the Cricket World Cup.  I’ve never put my name to anything like this before in all my career, so I said that I’d want them to support the Yorkshire Air Ambulance with proceeds from any sales.  I’m a Patron of the Charity and very proud to support them by helping raise as much money as I can.

I’m absolutely delighted with the results – although I’m not a big beer drinker, I’ve sampled it and it was lovely, very easy to drink!  And the packaging is fantastic, capturing me at my finest and doing what I love.  I hope everyone will get behind the beer and buy it to help us raise lots of money.”

Rob Warriner, Head Brewer from Leeds Brewery explained a little more about the beer: “We wanted to create a refreshing and well balanced session ale using the finest ingredients from Yorkshire, and we’re delighted with the results.  The beer is easy drinking & very pleasant on the palette.  We hope people will enjoy drinking it as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it.”

To support the launch of the beer, an advertising campaign will hit some of the big screens in Leeds over the next few weeks to promote the beer and the partnership.  The ‘Enjoyed slowly, very slowly’ campaign, will be seen on screens in the Trinity Shopping Centre and at other locations in the City.  The concept has been devised by London based creative agency Heavenly Group, with support from Ocean Outdoor who have all given their time and advertising space free of charge,

Initially available for the summer, the culmination of the sales of Boycott’s Best will see a live event at Weetwood Hotel, Leeds on Thursday 24^th October where Geoffrey will host an event including a dinner following by a live Q&A session with him, detailing his career and experiences.

Abby Barmby, Director of Marketing & Communications added: “We’re delighted to be involved with both Geoffrey and Leeds Brewery regarding Boycotts Best – we are grateful to all involved for their generosity towards the YAA.  As an independent Charity, we have to raise £12,000 per day to keep both of our helicopters in the air and helping to save lives.  We rely on the generosity of the people of Yorkshire, like Geoffrey and Leeds Brewery to help us raise these vital monies.  We would love to see the beer in as many outlets as possible!”

Boycott’s Best is available to buy both wholesale and by the general public.  All enquiries about stocking the beer, or the event at Weetwood Hall in October should be directed to rob@leedsbrewery.co.uk

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance provides a life-saving rapid response emergency service 365 days a year to 5 million people across 4 million acres of Yorkshire.  They fly 7 days per week, 365 days per week covering the region with two state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

Leeds Brewery was established in June 2007 and has since become the largest brewery in the city.  They use only the finest possible ingredients, including malted barley sourced entirely from the UK and their unique Yorkshire yeast, meaning their beers are some of the finest available.  Today the brewery produces over 125,000 pints a week with a beer range which encompasses a vast array of styles and flavours which are available in cask, keg and bottles all across the country.

We are happy to announce that the Yorkshire Air Ambulance has partnered up with Jane Tomlinson’s Run for All to become one of their official charities for the 2019 and 2020 York 10K.

This year’s York 10K takes place on August 4^th and the event gives racegoers the chance to run through the heart of the medieval city, passing by iconic landmarks such as the Clifford’s Tour and York Minister.

Ticket holders must be aged 15 or over and if you sign up to the York 10K via our website shop, you will receive discounted tickets and a free official Yorkshire Air Ambulance t-shirt.

For more information about the event please visit: https://www.runforall.com/events/10k/york-10k/race-information/ or contact YAA Corporate and Partnerships Manager Katie Collinson on k.collinson@yaa.org.uk

The Masham based  I’Ansons have set their sights on new fundraising challenge for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, by taking part in this year’s Total Warrior.

I’Anson Brothers Ltd is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of animal feed based in Yorkshire. They are a family run business and have been serving farmers nationwide since 1900.

Over the last three years, the I’Ansons have pledged £60,000 from their energy savings to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to help purchase their vital Night Vision Goggles, enabling the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to extend their flying hours.

The company has also raised money through renting out their distribution yard to television production crews and the Tour de Yorkshire and by taking part in various funding raising activities, such as the Great North Run.

Their extensive fundraising has led the I’Ansons to win one of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Corporate Supporter Awards last October at the annual Yorkshire Air Ambulance Recognition Awards.

Now 21 I’Anson employees have pledged to take part in the 6K Total Warrior obstacle course at Bramham Park on the 22^nd June in Leeds and they have already raised over £400.

Local coach company, Atkinsons of Ripon, have also given their support to the I’Ansons by offering to drive them to and from Bramham Park to help limit travel expenses and ensure as much money as possible goes to the charity.

Ged Hall & Hannah Bowe, I’Anson employees and organisers of the I’Ansons Total Warrior challenge, said: “The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is highly important in the rural areas of North Yorkshire, in particular Masham which is steeped in agriculture and that not easy to access. We’re hoping to raise as much money as we can through this year’s Total Warrior. “

Helen Callear, Yorkshire Air Ambulance Director of Fundraising North and East, said: “We are proud to work with I’Ansons and cannot thank them enough for their continued support and generosity over the last few years.

The money they have raised has helped tremendously towards the vital funding of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and helped us to continue saving more lives across Yorkshire.”

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance provides a life-saving rapid response emergency service 365 days a year to 5 million people across 4 million acres of Yorkshire. They need to raise £12,000 a day to keep both of Yorkshire’s air ambulances in the air and maintained.