General

Chris Cundall was called to a farm close to his Scarborough practice to look at a bull that was lame. The 63-year-old went to examine the animal which first crushed him against one wall before spinning around and pounding him again into the back wall of the enclosure.

Chris, a vet with 40 years’ experience, suffered a spinal fracture which impinged on his spinal cord leaving him partially paralysed from the waist down.

“I don’t really remember the accident itself but, as I was on the ground waiting for the bull to come at me again, I do remember thinking well, this is probably it,” said Chris.

“I wasn’t frightened. I’ve had a very good life, but the animal never came at me again. At that time my ribs hurt more than my back but when I could not feel my legs I knew I was buggered.”

Chris was airlifted to the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, by Yorkshire Air Ambulance and his accident features in the first episode of a new series of Helicopter ER, the award-winning UKTV programme which follows the life-saving work of the rapid response emergency charity.

The accident, which happened a year ago, has left the popular vet in a wheelchair with an ‘incomplete’ paralysis.

Chris, whose wife Jill runs a livery yard at West Ayton, has ridden horses all his life and is a veteran point-to-point and amateur National Hunt rider having competed for 43 seasons. He attends the state-of-the-art rehabilitation unit at Jack Berry House, run by the Injured Jockey Fund, twice a week, and is determined to walk again.

“I do a lot of exercise and I can move my legs a little now and weight bear with just a little support,” added Chris, who has had to move out of the family’s Sherburn farm into a wheelchair accessible house.

“I try to read complete chapters of books standing up and, I don’t know whether I will improve any more, but my goal is to be able to walk properly with a Zimmer frame.

“It is obviously incredibly hard on me and my family but there are people who are much worse off than me and I’m definitely a glass half full kind of person.”

With a lot of true Yorkshire grit and determination Chris is planning to do a sponsored walk on a Zimmer frame – either at different racecourses or between the penultimate and last fence of one course to raise money for both Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the IJF.

He added: “The Injured Jockey Fund have been brilliant and having Jack Berry House just a few miles away has made such a difference.

“There is a definite time window for this kind of injury which is where the air ambulance comes into their own. Living where we do and being such keen riders we already knew just how important Yorkshire Air Ambulance is. It is a fantastic charity.”

The third series of Helicopter ER starts on Monday (July 23) at 9pm on UKTV’s real life channel Really. The first episode also features a young girl who suffers major facial injuries in a road accident and a helicopter landing on the 18^th hole of a golf course to treat a player who suffers a heart attack.

Helicopter ER is made by York-based Air Television who have won two Royal Television Society awards for their work on the compelling series.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,300 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.

A young Harrogate woman is rebuilding her life after suffering major face injury in a road accident.

Georgia Meyer, 20, was the front seat passenger in a car which left the A61 near Ripon last June and crashed into a telegraph pole. The impact caused a deep wound across the right side of her face which only narrowly missed her eye.

An off-duty paramedic bandaged Georgia’s face before Yorkshire Air Ambulance paramedics arrived. The medical team struggled to stem the bleeding and she was airlifted to specialists at Leeds General Infirmary where she underwent major maxillofacial surgery.

“I don’t really remember the crash and at first I did not feel the pain as I had sliced through lots of nerves in my face, but when they were trying to stop the bleeding it was agony,” said the former pupil of St John Fisher School, Harrogate.

“The air ambulance paramedics were really great at the scene and then checked up on me after I had had the operation to make sure I was Ok which was lovely. In fact, all of the NHS doctors and nurses were just amazing.”

It’s been a long road to recovery for Georgia coping with both the physical and mental scars of the accident, with many hospital visits and counselling.

But brave Georgia, who had previously dropped out of university, has been determined to turn her life around and has just completed the first year of a Criminology with Psychology degree courses at Leeds Beckett University.

She added: “It has taken me a full year to properly recover. I used to get really bad panic attacks and stress out, especially when people touched my face, but counselling has helped and I try not to let the scars get me down.

“I’ve got a great family and friends and going back to university was the best decision I could have made. I would really like to work either in prisons on rehabilitation programmes or do youth counselling.

“Although the scars are a bit of a reminder I try not to let it get me down and I know there are options such as laser treatment if I want a little later on.”

Georgia’s accident features in the first episode of a new series of Helicopter ER, the award-winning UKTV programme which follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The third series starts on Monday (July 23) at 9pm on UKTV’s Really channel. The episode also features a vet left paralysed after being attacked by a bull he was treating and a landing on the 18^th hole of a golf course to treat a player who suffers a heart attack.

Helicopter ER is made by York-based Air Television who have won two 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 1,300 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.

Super Mum Barbara Gardner is knitting her thanks to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance crew that helped save her son’s life after a freak accident.

The 65-year-old from Kirk Ella, Hull, has sold hundreds of knitted baby clothes and soft toys to reach the £1,000 mark of her £4,000 fund raising target for the rapid response emergency charity.

Her son Steven Turner’s arm was badly crushed when his articulated lorry was blown over in strong winds on the A64 by the Bramham Park roundabout, near Leeds, in November, 2015.

“I was taking a full, 43-and-a-half ton wagon from Durham to Leeds and was just coming off the A1 to join the A64 at Bramham Roundabout when a strong gust of wind hit the curtains on the side which created a sail effect,” said Steven from Burstwick, East Yorkshire.

“It took about eight seconds to blow the lorry over with my cab the last to go. We landed on the central reservation and my head hit the driver’s door window which broke and my arm went out and got trapped under the wagon.”

The 42-year-old experienced driver suffered major blood loss and multiple trauma injuries and emergency services on the scene fighting to free him and get him to hospital had little hope that Steven’s life – let alone his arm – could be saved.

However, he and his grateful Mum firmly believe the actions of Yorkshire Air Ambulance paramedic Matt Syrat made all the difference.

“I told Matt I had had some pins and needles in my arm and so he did everything he could to save it. He got a tourniquet round the top of my arm and shoulder to control the bleeding,” added Steven.

With worsening winds making it incredibly difficult to fly Steven to the major trauma centre at Leeds General Hospital, Matt went with him by land ambulance where surgeons battled to save his shattered arm in a 12-hour operation.

“I had 300 stitches and it looked like I had a Wolverine hand as everything had just exploded,” added Steven who has had a total of 28 hours of surgery and many hours of physiotherapy over two years to rebuild his arm and create a fully functioning hand.

“It’s been hard and I went through some dark phases but I’ve got a very strong team around me and I’ve managed to get myself fit again and back working driving oil tankers.”

Barbara, a retired IT lecturer and trainer, said: “Yorkshire Air Ambulance is not a service you ever thing you will need but thank God it is there. If the paramedics had not got there as quickly as they did, and took the actions they did, it would have been a very different story.

“When your son has been that near to death and the air ambulance service that saved him relies solely on donations then I felt I had to raise the £4,000 cost of the call-out.

“I love knitting and sell mainly baby clothes and soft toys – many under £5 – but it’s just my way of showing my appreciation and is the least I can do.”

Barbara has sold hundreds knitted items mainly through craft fairs and customers ordering items from the wool section of the local Post Office in Anlaby, where she works part-time.

The 65-year-old is hoping to sell many more, and get donations for the YAA, during the two-day British Wool Show in York next month where she has been given a stall.

Barbara and Steven visited Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s air support unit at Nostell to hand over a cheque for £1,000 and meet their paramedic hero Matt.

Steven added: “He did not know I had survived and it was just really good to be able to look him the eye and say thank-you.”

Matt Syrat, Aircrew Paramedic added “It was a pleasure to meet Steven and Barbara again after such a significant accident.  I remember Steven’s incident vividly and glad myself and my colleagues on the helicopter that day were able to do all we could to help save Steven’s arm.

“It’s great to see how well he is doing now.  And we are so grateful to Barbara for her amazing fundraising efforts – all that knitting must keep her very busy!”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,300 missions every year. The charity needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep its two, state-of-the-art helicopters flying.

Pilot Ian Mousette has retired from Yorkshire Air Ambulance after a 39-year flying career which began and ended at RAF Topcliffe, near Thirsk.

Hull-born Ian always wanted to be in the army and joined the Junior Leaders Regiment at 16 with his sights firmly set on becoming a ground soldier.

But all that changed when he watched a recruitment film for the Army Air Corps. “I had never even considered flying before,” said Ian. “But I saw this film on how you could become a pilot in three years and that was it, I was hooked.”

There then followed a 24-year military career that saw Ian serve throughout the world – from the Falklands to Fiji, from Australia to Armagh.

He added: “At the age of 42 I had pretty much achieved everything I wanted to do in flying terms with the military, so I decided to complete my commercial licences and start a new chapter in my working life.”

Ian left the army in 1999 and, after working initially as a corporate pilot “flying rich and famous people about” spent eight years as a pilot for Police Aviation Services working with several police forces including Essex and South Yorkshire.

The 60-year-old became a Helicopter Emergency Medical Services pilot initially for the Lincolnshire and Notts Air Ambulance, before transferring to Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) in 2012.

“I have been very, very fortunate that I’ve ended my flying career at Yorkshire Air Ambulance,” said the father-of-two. “It’s one of the most satisfying jobs in the world, although someone has got to be having a very bad day for me to get to do the thing I enjoy most.

“I have worked with some amazing people at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and it’s been really rewarding to be part of an organisation that is always looking to provide the very best service for the people we serve.

“During my time I’ve been fortunate to have had the chance to fly the very latest aircraft – with the arrival of two, brand new Airbus H145s – which has been a really good challenge and enhanced the service’s night flying capabilities too.”

Over the last six years Ian has flown hundreds of times from the YAA’s northern air support unit at RAF Topcliffe, landing everywhere from isolated moorland to city streets, picking up patients of all ages with a wide range of serious injuries and medical problems.

“It never ceased to amaze me how much support the Air Ambulance gets from the people of Yorkshire,” added Ian, who is an aviation safety manager and NEBOSH qualified health and safety consultant.

“People regularly came up to me and offered to make donations. It was a real pleasure to go to work flying over the amazing landscapes of my home county every day and being part of a great team helping to save lives.

“I cherish the memory of a lady who, struggling to walk, came up to myself and a paramedic after we had landed at a job to thank us for previously airlifting her mother to hospital in bad weather.”

Captain Andy Lister, Director of Aviation at the YAA added “On behalf of everyone here, I’d like to wish Ian and his family all the very best for the future. Ian has been a much-valued member of our team for the last six years, and it was a privilege to fly and work with him.”

Caravan and motorhome insurance specialists Caravan Guard and Leisuredays have once again raised thousands of pounds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The Halifax-based company runs an ongoing initiative for the charity – donating money for every Gadget and Leisure and Home Emergency policy it sells. This year, the company took the opportunity to boost their annual fundraising total further when staff got involved in some serious fun for Yellow Yorkshire Day.

Teams dressed up in a variety of yellow costumes and had a yellow-themed bake off competition and other crazy games. Through the generosity of the company and staff, they were able to write Yorkshire Air Ambulance a cheque for a whopping £3,170.80. 

Caravan Guard Director Laura Wilby said they were proud to have once again been able to donate lots of money to the life-saving charity.

Last year, the kind-hearted company helped to pay for a set of specialist helmets for the air crew, which allowed them to attach their new night vision goggles, and fly in the sky for longer.

“We’re delighted to be able to continue to support Yorkshire Air Ambulance to enable them to save lives across our vast county,” said Laura. “One of our company values is care completely, demonstrating our commitment to proactively supporting others.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep its two helicopters flying. The charity serves 5 million people across Yorkshire, attending on average, more than 1,000 incidents a year.

Kerry Garner, West & South Yorkshire Regional Fundraising Manager for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be working with an organisation that shares the same values as the Charity. We’d like to thank the staff at Caravan Guard for really getting behind all the fundraising initiatives they organise for the YAA and making them such a huge success. It’s organisations such as this that enable us to continue saving lives across the region.”

Caravan Guard has a strong commitment of supporting a number of local and national charities and last year donated more than £120,000 to a range of community causes.

To donate to Yorkshire Air Ambulance visit www.yorkshireairambulance.org.uk/support-us/donate/

Rising cycling star Harry Tanfield has donated a signed jersey from his history-making Tour de Yorkshire (TDY) race to help raise funds for the region’s air ambulance service.

Harry, 23, became the first Briton to win a stage at the TDY when he crossed the line first on day one of the hugely successful four-day event.

That victory ensured the Yorkshire-born cyclist, who rides for Team Canyon Eisberg, also moved top of the general classification and he has donated a signed, official TDY race leader’s gilet to Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“Being a cyclist, I know just how important the air ambulance service is. They are always there and a lot of cyclists have very good reason to be grateful for that,” said Harry from Great Ayton.

“I’m very happy to help, especially as they were the official charity for this year’s Tour de Yorkshire which is my home race, and was such a great experience for me this year.”

Harry is having a hugely successful 2018, winning a silver medal in the road time trial event at the Commonwealth Games, winning the first stage of the TDY, and last weekend securing the second of two consecutive victories in the Tour Series.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance – who are the Official Charity Partner of the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire – are auctioning Harry’s famous blue gilet to raise vital funds for the Charity, and are inviting all those interested to submit sealed bids before the closing date of 12noon on Friday, June 22.

There is a reserve of £100 on the gilet, and bids above that value are welcome to be submitted either in writing or by contacting Louise Shorrock at the rapid response emergency charity on 01422 237900 or by emailing l.shorrock@yaa.org.uk.

Lin Stead, Community Fundraiser at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “We are so grateful to Harry to donating his gilet to us.  It was so lovely of him to think of us, especially so soon after his victory on the first day of the Tour de Yorkshire.  We have put a reserve of £100 on the gilet as we think it is such a special and worthy item.  The monies raised from the gilet will go towards the daily running of the Charity so Harry knows the money will be put to very good use!  We’d also like to wish Harry the best of luck for the rest of the year.”

Sir Gary Verity, DL, Chief Executive at Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “Harry’s victory on the first stage of this year’s Tour de Yorkshire will go down in history as it was such a brave and gutsy performance. Here’s your chance to own a piece of that historic success whilst also raising money for a hugely worthwhile charity which serves millions of people across our great county.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5 million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,300 missions every year. The charity needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep its two, state-of-the-art helicopters flying.

Photo caption: Harry Tanfield hands over the signed Tour de Yorkshire race leader’s gilet to Linda Stead, Yorkshire Air Ambulance North Yorkshire Community Fundraiser.

From Whitehaven to Sunderland, the team of eight Roads Policing Officers from West Yorkshire Police will cycle circa 130 miles in just 3 days, raising money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a charity solely run by donations, relying on the generosity of the public to help keep both their air ambulances maintained and in the air, which costs £12,000 every day.

Richard Clarke, West Yorkshire Police, Roads Policing Officer said:

“We as a team, among other things attend, help and investigate all the serious and fatal road collisions in West Yorkshire. Our work often includes incidents where the Yorkshire Air Ambulance will be deployed to the scene. We can recall numerous incidents we have dealt with where the helicopter has attended, and lives have clearly been saved by air lifting patients to the hospitals in the golden hour of first aid.”

Compliance365 are sponsoring the West Yorkshire Police on their Coast2Coast cycle, raising money through dress down days in their office and purchasing limited addition Yorkshire Air Ambulance cycling jerseys for the team to wear during their cycle.

The Coast2Coast cycle will take place from the 2nd of October to the 4th of October, with the Road Policing Officers starting straight after their night shift!

Family and friends of a woman accidently knocked down by her Mum when 36 weeks pregnant are taking to the hills to thank the medics that saved her and her unborn child.

Vikki Lane suffered multiple injuries, including badly broken legs and pelvis, in the freak accident at Clifford’s Tower car park, York, two years ago.

Her Mum Alison pressed the accelerator instead of the brake after dropping off her heavily pregnant daughter.

Vikki was airlifted by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary where son Samuel was safely delivered before Vikki underwent the first of 13 major operations to try and repair her shattered bones.

The 36-year-old spent a month in hospital and was wheelchair-bound for six months but despite her injuries went on to have a second son, Joshua, who was born last May.

Despite repeated surgery and more than 1,000 hours of physio, Vikki’s right leg is currently in a frame in a bid to repair bone that has failed to heal and she is also due to have further surgery on her left knee in the Summer.

“It has been really difficult, and there have been setbacks, but I’ve had so much support from my husband, both our Mums, family and friends. And I have my two boys which is just amazing,” said Vikki from Riccall.

Since the accident Vikki’s husband Ray has led the Team Miracle campaign which has so far raised £15,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and further funds for the Day One trauma care charity, based at the LGI.

In 2016, he and 14 family and friends completed the 153-mile Coast to Coast cycle challenge from Whitehaven in Cumbria to Tynemouth on the North East coast.

Last year they organized a charity cricket match and Ray is being joined by 29 Team Miracle trekkers on July 14 to tackle the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to raise more money for the rapid response emergency charity and Day One.

Grateful Vikki, 36, said: “We have people aged from 16 to 60 who have joined Team Miracle this year and, if my recovery goes well, I will be doing something with my Mum next year.

“The plan is to organize an event each year for 10 years to raise as much as we can for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. They do such an amazing job every day and we, as a family, are just so grateful they were there for us.”

If you would like to support Team Miracle’s Three Peak Challenge go their Virgin Money Giving page https://bit.ly/2IqroCn and you can follow their progress on Twitter @TeamMiracle2016 and through the Team Miracle Facebook page.

Abby Barmby from Yorkshire Air Ambulance added: “Vikki is such an inspiration to us all.  Not only has she had to endure hours of operations as a result of her injuries, she’s also been so focused on supporting the YAA and spreading the word about the fantastic work we do – a truly wonderful ambassador for us.  We’d like to thanks Vikki, Ray and all their friends and family for their fundraising efforts and wish them every luck for their upcoming challenge.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,300 missions every year. The charity needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep its two, state-of-the-art helicopters flying.

Family and friends of a woman accidently knocked down by her Mum when 36 weeks pregnant are taking to the hills to thank the medics that saved her and her unborn child.

Vikki Lane suffered multiple injuries, including badly broken legs and pelvis, in the freak accident at Clifford’s Tower car park, York, two years ago.

Her Mum Alison pressed the accelerator instead of the brake after dropping off her heavily pregnant daughter.

Vikki was airlifted by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary where son Samuel was safely delivered before Vikki underwent the first of 13 major operations to try and repair her shattered bones.

The 36-year-old spent a month in hospital and was wheelchair-bound for six months but despite her injuries went on to have a second son, Joshua, who was born last May.

Despite repeated surgery and more than 1,000 hours of physio, Vikki’s right leg is currently in a frame in a bid to repair bone that has failed to heal and she is also due to have further surgery on her left knee in the Summer.

“It has been really difficult, and there have been setbacks, but I’ve had so much support from my husband, both our Mums, family and friends. And I have my two boys which is just amazing,” said Vikki from Riccall.

Since the accident Vikki’s husband Ray has led the Team Miracle campaign which has so far raised £15,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and further funds for the Day One trauma care charity, based at the LGI.

In 2016, he and 14 family and friends completed the 153-mile Coast to Coast cycle challenge from Whitehaven in Cumbria to Tynemouth on the North East coast.

Last year they organized a charity cricket match and Ray is being joined by 29 Team Miracle trekkers on July 14 to tackle the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to raise more money for the rapid response emergency charity and Day One.

Grateful Vikki, 36, said: “We have people aged from 16 to 60 who have joined Team Miracle this year and, if my recovery goes well, I will be doing something with my Mum next year.

“The plan is to organize an event each year for 10 years to raise as much as we can for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. They do such an amazing job every day and we, as a family, are just so grateful they were there for us.”

If you would like to support Team Miracle’s Three Peak Challenge go their Virgin Money Giving page https://bit.ly/2IqroCn and you can follow their progress on Twitter @TeamMiracle2016 and through the Team Miracle Facebook page.

Abby Barmby from Yorkshire Air Ambulance added: “Vikki is such an inspiration to us all.  Not only has she had to endure hours of operations as a result of her injuries, she’s also been so focused on supporting the YAA and spreading the word about the fantastic work we do – a truly wonderful ambassador for us.  We’d like to thanks Vikki, Ray and all their friends and family for their fundraising efforts and wish them every luck for their upcoming challenge.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,300 missions every year. The charity needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep its two, state-of-the-art helicopters flying.

Hull based safety company, Arco, joined forces with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) to supply its volunteers with distinctive and practical uniforms during last week’s Tour de Yorkshire. Having been inspired by the uniforms Arco designed for Hull City of Culture last year, YAA decided it was time to refresh its own volunteer uniforms, with branded, distinctive and functional outfits.

As the official charity partner of this year’s Tour de Yorkshire,  Air Ambulance wanted to ensure its 100 volunteer fundraisers were easily identifiable throughout the event in order for the independent charity to use the opportunity to raise awareness and collect donations to support its work.  Providing life-saving rapid response emergency service to 5 million people across Yorkshire, YAA relies solely on donations in order to keep its two helicopters in the air.

Working with YAA’s distinctive colour pallet featuring red, yellow and grey, Arco’s Product and Procurement Manager Dalvir Sarkaria and Designer Kirby Griffiths created a set of comfortable and distinctive uniforms that incorporated the YAA corporate identity.  The designs included a yellow polo shirt, grey gilet with yellow zips, a yellow waterproof shell jacket that is breathable and windproof, plus a zipped hoodie.

Abby Barmby of Yorkshire Air Ambulance said: “As this year’s official charity of the Tour de Yorkshire, we really felt it was time to rejuvenate the uniforms supplied to our fantastic volunteers and, having worked with the Arco team previously, we knew they were the right people for the job. We’ve had some fantastic feedback from our volunteers including how comfortable they are to wear, which is great to hear. I would like to thank Arco for its hard work as well as all the local support and donations we receive, the generosity from residents really is the life blood of the charity.”

Following the positive feedback and success of the uniforms at the Tour de Yorkshire, YAA is now planning to kit out a further 50 volunteers and the pilot and paramedic crew.

For more information about Arco, please visit www.arco.co.uk

Mike Bevington from Harrogate thought it was a mistake when he got the letter to say he was one of 1,200 members of the public to be invited to the grounds of Windsor Castle on May 19 for the Royal couple’s big day.

The 80-year-old’s name was put forward by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance after requests for deserving nominees were invited by the North Yorkshire Lord Lieutenant’s office.  His nomination recognises more than a decade’s dedicated work as a volunteer for the rapid response emergency Charity.

“I was in such a state of shock when I got the letter I really did think it was a hoax initially,” said Mike who will be taking his wife Cathy to the grounds of Windsor Castle, where they will be able to see the arrival and departure of the bride and groom.

This will be the second time Mike has attended a major Royal event. When he was just 15 years-old he was a member of the Yorkshire Combined Cadet Force contingent which was invited to London to watch the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth.

“About 15 of us went down by train and we stayed in some military barracks where the roof leaked,” said Mike. “We were taken at about 4am to a prime spot on the steps of the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace.

“The atmosphere was incredible. It is something I will never forget, and I feel so honoured to get the chance to see another great Royal occasion. I am surprised and just so grateful, especially as so many other people are just as deserving.”

Mike, who had a long career in sales before his retirement, joined the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) as a volunteer when he fully retired ten years ago.

Barry Dodd, Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire added: “Mike is a real unsung hero. An outstanding volunteer and an inspiration to any retired person who would like to give their time to a charity of their choice’.

Helen Callear, YAA Regional Fundraising Manager North, said: “Mike is just such a great ambassador for the charity. He is so active giving talks, attending events and collecting donation tins throughout the Harrogate, Nidderdale, Wharfedale and Knaresborough area.

“We did not hesitate to nominate Mike to the Lord Lieutenant’s Office and are delighted that he has been invited.”

Charity workers, schoolchildren, Royal household members and Windsor residents are among the 1,200 members of the public invited to the grounds of Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Saturday, May 19.