General

The showcase shopping complex, which brings together Victoria Quarter and the recently developed Victoria Gate, is holding a major event on Saturday, April 28, to mark Yellow Yorkshire Day.

Retailers throughout Victoria Leeds have donated raffle prizes and are doing their own in-store fundraising for the rapid response emergency charity. Shoppers of all ages will be able to take part in a range of events, including trying on special headsets to get a 360-degree virtual reality insight into the work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Nicola Hanson, Deputy Centre Manager for Victoria Leeds, said: “We are really excited and proud to be supporting the brilliant work carried out by Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“Yellow Yorkshire Day is a great way to engage our retailers and customers with this iconic charity. Victoria Leeds is a place for the whole community and a lot of people who work and shop here have experience of, or know people who have benefited from, the air ambulance service.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance is encouraging schools, businesses, community groups and individuals to get together to hold yellow-themed fundraising events for Yellow Yorkshire Day 2018.

The charity, which serves five million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,300 missions every year, needs to raise £12,000 every day to continue its life-saving work.

Regional Fundraising Manager Kerry Garner said: “We are so grateful to Victoria Leeds management and stores for getting behind Yellow Yorkshire in such an enthusiastic and committed way.

“Our supporters, including mascots Pilot Percy and Paramedic Polly, will be out in force on the day and we will have lots of fun activities for people to get involved with including a static bike and treasure hunt.”

Yellow Yorkshire Day is Friday, April 27, and if you would like to get involved please register your details at www.yaa.org.uk to get a fundraising pack. You can also donate by contacting Yorkshire Air Ambulance or going to https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/yaac/yellowyorkshire2018

Weatherman Jon Mitchell was in attendance at a fundraiser held at the Wetherby Whaler in Guiseley, which included musical entertainment from performer Luke Murgatroyd, as well as a quiz for guests.

Following the latest donation, the Fish & Chip Group has raised in excess of £28,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, since 2011.

Tracy Speight, Restaurant Manager at Wetherby Whaler Guiseley, has been instrumental in the Whaler’s support of the charity, organising a number of events, including bake sales, raffles and family fun days, which have contributed to the total raised over the last three years.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an independent charity providing a life saving rapid response emergency service to 5 million people across the whole of Yorkshire. The service is operational seven days a week, 365 days a year.

To keep both of Yorkshire’s Air Ambulances maintained and in the air, the YAA needs to raise £12,000 every single day, which is the equivalent of £4.4m a year. The generosity that they receive really is the life blood of the Charity.

YAA Director of Fundraising, Garry Wilkinson said: “As an independent charity we are so grateful for the fantastic support we receive from businesses such as the Wetherby Whaler and the wonderful people of Yorkshire.  Wetherby Whaler have continued to support the Charity over the years and have raised a fantastic amount which will go directly towards helping to save lives across the region. We’d like to thank the staff and customers for their support and making their charity night such a huge success!”

Caroline Murphy, Director of Wetherby Whaler, said: “The Yorkshire Air Ambulance provides vital and lifesaving services throughout the region, and we are delighted to continue our backing of such a fantastic cause.

“Our staff and customers have done a fantastic job in organising and supporting fundraising events over the course of the last seven years and we have managed to raise a significant amount of money in that time. We are grateful to Jon and Luke for attending and providing the evening’s entertainment, and are looking forward to continuing our support of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.”

Wetherby Whaler operates five restaurants and takeaways in Yorkshire, in Guiseley, Pudsey, Wakefield, Wetherby and York.

The rapid response emergency charity was chosen by staff from the discount retailer’s 14 Bargains stores across West Yorkshire as their charity of the year for 2016/17.

B&M Area Manager, James McCluskey, said: “As part of our national Community Fund initiative colleagues in each area are asked to nominate local charities to support and in West Yorkshire we chose the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“We look for local causes which will make a real difference to our customers, our environment and to the communities in which our stores are based. The YAA is based in our area and we all know just what a vital service it provides every single day of the year.

“Anyone of any age and at any time could benefit from their life-saving work, and it has been a pleasure to do what we can to support them.”

B&M was formed in 1978 and is now one of the leading variety retailers in the UK with over 570 stores nationwide and more than 28,000 staff.

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.

Director of Fundraising, Garry Wilkinson said: “We are so grateful to B&M, to its staff and their customers for supporting us in this way.”

Photo caption: L to R: Yorkshire Air Ambulance Pilot Elaine Hunter, Paramedic Darren James with B&M Area Manager James McCluskey, staff from the B&M Wakefield store and YAA Doctor Tim Moll.

SICL, is an award-winning technology company specialising in IT services and solutions; on premise, in the cloud and hybrid.  They have been looking after the YAA’s IT systems for over ten years now and are one of our longest standing corporate supporters.

Shirley Firth, Managing Director at SICL commented; “We are happy to support YAA by providing the bike for Neale and look forward to following his progress. Adding to their fundraising efforts by auctioning the bike following the race should make those 282 miles worth it. Good luck Neale and the rest of the P4P9 cyclists, we’ll be supporting you at every stage.”

Neale is due to participate in the annual ‘Pedal for Pounds’ bike ride, run every year jointly by the YAA and Huddersfield Town Football Club, to raise money for the ‘Keep It Up’ campaign.  Now in its 9th year, the P4P9 bike ride will see 180 riders cycle ‘The Last Goal Post’ tour with cyclists being challenged to cycle back from France, via Belgium.  The journey also includes visiting the memorials of 6 HTAFC players who were killed during service in WW1 on its 100th year anniversary.

Neale added; “I’m really chuffed with my bike and would like to sincerely thank Ashley, Shirley and all at SICL for their generosity and support.  The bike is everything I need to help with my training and the long slog back from France in May.  It’s a daunting prospect thinking how far I’ve to ride over the four days, but I’m really looking forward to it!”

Following the ride, which takes place between the 9th and 12th May, SICL will then be auctioning off Neale’s bike to help raise even more money for the YAA!  Watch this space for further details!

Yorkshire Air Ambulance is flying high after staff in the Sheffield office of international law firm CMS chose the rapid response emergency service as its charity of the year.

The office, which has 15 partners, 128 lawyers and 111 business services and support staff, advises major businesses across many sectors including healthcare, financial services, infrastructure, real estate and advanced manufacturing.

Its charity committee chose Yorkshire Air Ambulance to support during 2018 and fundraising events planned include the annual charity ball in May which is hoped will generate around £10,000.

CMS Sheffield Employment Partner Tracey Marsden also heads the office’s charity committee. She said: “We know just what a vital service the Yorkshire Air Ambulance provide, a service that anyone of us could need at any time, but it was a real eye opener that the charity receives no Government funding.

“We are encouraging everyone to get involved with fundraising and also volunteering their time to support the life-saving work of the air ambulance here in South Yorkshire.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves five million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 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.

During 2016/17, the YAA flew 208 missions in South Yorkshire treating 172 patients at the scene and airlifting 68 people with life-threatening injuries or medical conditions to a major trauma centre.

With a purpose-designed helipad at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital and the recent introduction of extended flying hours, the number of South Yorkshire patients benefiting from the service is expected to continue to rise.

YAA Regional Fundraising Manager Kerry Garner said: “We fly an average of three missions a week in South Yorkshire with currently around 14 per cent of all patients airlifted are flown to either the Northern General Hospital or Sheffield Children’s Hospital for specialist care.

“We know these figures will rise as we fly more missions and so the need for support from amazing organisations like CMS in South Yorkshire is even more important.

“It is why we are so grateful to all the staff in Sheffield for choosing us as their charity of the year and we very much look forward to working with them.”

CMS in Sheffield provides banking, clinical and professional risk, corporate, construction, employment, environment, health and safety, pensions, planning, disputes and real estate legal advice.

Photo: (L to R) CMS Partner Tracey Marsden, trainee solicitor Beckie Wrend with Yorkshire Air Ambulance Regional Fundraising Manager Kerry Garner.

The award-winning charity is believed to be one of the first air ambulance services in the country to use fully immersive, 360-degree virtual reality (VR) as a fundraising and awareness-raising tool.

Using special VR headsets, viewers can become a paramedic setting off on a mission, a patient being transferred from the helicopter to hospital, and see what it’s like to be sat in the aircraft cockpit as you approach the landing pad of one of the region’s Major Trauma Centres.

There will also be an immersive tour of Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s air support unit at Nostell, near Wakefield, and more sequences are planned.

Director of Marketing and Communications Abby Barmby said: “By embracing this innovative technology we can engage with existing and potential supporters in a very different way, to give them a better understanding of the life-saving work we do, and how their money is spent.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance have worked with innovative York-based Air Television, which makes the popular UKTV series Helicopter ER, that follows the life-saving work of the rapid response emergency charity.

Matt Richards, is Series Producer at Air Television which recently won two Royal Television Society awards for their work on the compelling series.

He said: “Descending into the heart of Leeds in VR is almost as dramatic as doing it for real. Viewers can turn their heads to see tower cranes and high-rise blocks sliding past, see pedestrians staring up, or watch and listen as the Pilot talks us through the touchdown on the Leeds General Infirmary’s rooftop helipad.

“This is really exciting technology and we are delighted to be breaking new ground with Yorkshire Air Ambulance in this innovative way.

“The charity is fabulous to work with and have been very keen to explore with us what can be achieved using this evolving immersive technology. The possibilities are really exciting.”

The 360-degree footage can be watched on a smart phone or tablet, but the special VR headsets – which have been donated by a charity supporter – take the experience to another level. Viewers are totally immersed with every turn of the head giving them a different perspective.

Abby added: “We hope initially that the headsets will be taken to events and presentations to give people a powerful and novel insight into the life-saving work we do.  Although we have some initial kit to get us started, we are looking for other companies who would be willing to support this project with either donations of VR equipment or sponsorship towards it, so we had more sets available for use.  If anyone is interested, please do get in touch with us for a chat.

“We are not currently aware of any other air ambulance charity that is doing this and, looking forward, we are exploring other potential uses, such as training and education, which is very exciting.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 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.

Organised and hosted by Lindsay and Will Hitchen at their St George’s Court B&B, based at Old Home Farm, High Grantley, Ripon, with support from friends and several members of Farm Stay UK, more than 200 breakfasts were served up across three days and six sittings.

The 2018 farmhouse feast attracted multiple sponsors, both financially and with product donations. Keynote supporters were Ripon accountants Eura Audit, Barclays Bank’s agricultural division and Craven Cattle Marts in Skipton.

The proceeds will be split between two main beneficiaries, national farming charity, Addington Fund, and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Over the years, Yorkshire members of Farm Stay UK, the country’s largest network of on-farm accommodation providers, have raised close on £40,000 for the two charities.

Addington’s operations manager Sue English said: “No one seems to do breakfasts to the extent that Yorkshire can do them, with over £17,000 being raised for Addington since 2014. This is an incredible amount of money, which will make a real difference to the farming families we help. Thank you again to all the people and organisations involved who continue to donate their time and energy to making this happen.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance North Yorkshire fundraising manager Helen Callear said: “It may surprise people to know that we are an independent charity and rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations to help save lives across the region.

“Lindsey Hitchen and members of Farm Stay UK have been supporting the YAA for a number of years and have raised a magnificent amount of money. We’d like to thank everyone involved in making the Big Breakfast bonanza such a huge success and for their continued support.”

The 2018 hosts were Lindsey and Will Hitchen, of St George’s Court B&B, based at Old Home Farm, High Grantley, near Ripon, and the three-day event raised almost £7,000 for national farming charity, the Addington Fund, and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

This also included the proceeds of a standalone two-course hot supper for another 60 guests, where entertainment was provided by local singer, guitarist; writer, journalist, TV presenter and producer Chris Berry.

It was the second Big Breakfast bonanza staged by the couple. The first in 2011 netted over £3,000 for the same two charities, with the latest event boosting the St George’s Court kitty to around £10,000.

Multiple sponsors stepped forward to support the event, both financially and with product donations. Keynote sponsors were Ripon accountants Eura Audit, Barclays Bank’s agricultural division, who again sent two of their senior personnel every day to work with the ladies, and Craven Cattle Marts in Skipton. 

Over the years, other regional members of Farm Stay UK, the country’s largest network of farm-based accommodation providers, have laid on charity Big Breakfasts, which have netted many thousands of pounds, primarily for Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the Addington Fund, which offers a vital lifeline and safety net to farmers in desperate need of housing or emergency funds.

“Once again, both sponsors and Big Breakfasters gave us fantastic support. We cannot thank them enough,” said Mrs Hitchen.        

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The life-saving charity maintains and operates two helicopters with full medical crews covering the whole of Yorkshire. It replaces Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice which raised a staggering £128,000 during its two-year partnership with the Centre.​

To mark the start of the new fund-raising relationship, one of YAA’s Air Ambulances will be flying into Meadowhall on Wednesday, January 24th. The helicopter* is due to land on the Upper Red car park at 10 am and will be greeted by Meadowhall staff and retailers, as well as local schoolchildren from the nearby Tinsley Meadows Primary School. YAA Chairman Peter Sunderland will also be attending.

Meadowhall Centre Director Darren Pearce said: “It is always a very difficult decision choosing a new Charity of the Year, but the Yorkshire Air Ambulance does a fantastic job of saving lives across the region and need to raise £12,000 every single day to maintain and keep their helicopters in the air.”

Last year 1543 people were assisted across the county – an area covering 11,900km and a population of over 5.2million. Since the first YAA helicopter was launched in October 2000, 7,467 patients have been rescued thanks to their highly skilled crews and their two Airbus H145 helicopters which operate seven days per week, 365 days per year.

Darren added: “It has been a fantastic two years working with Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice and there have been some great initiatives to look back on, such as The SuperCar experiences and the more recent Kate Rusby Charity Christmas CD. We are now looking forward to many new fund-raising initiatives with YAA who have some fantastic ideas and plans for the next two years.”

Garry Wilkinson, Director of Fundraising from Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “We are absolutely ecstatic to have been chosen at Meadowhall’s Charity partner for the next two years.  We already have lots of plans a foot for exciting fundraising initiatives and are looking forward to working with and further engaging with the people of South Yorkshire and the visitors to Meadowhall.  As an independent Charity, partnerships such as this with Meadowhall are vitally important to the YAA and we are very much looking forward to working with their team and maximising the opportunity given to us.”

The Foundation is the charitable arm of Gannett Co Inc, owner of Newsquest Media Group, which publishes regional and local newspapers, websites and magazines across the UK, including The Press.

YAA will use the £5,340 to buy new oxygen cylinders that are needed on board its two helicopters. The money will pay for six cylinders.

Caroline Myers, grants and trusts officer at the charity, which relies on donations, said: “We are delighted to receive this support from the Gannett Foundation.

“As a charity, we need to fundraise £12,000 each day to keep both helicopters flying as and when needed. This is only achieved thanks to the kind support given by local people, organisations, and trusts and foundations of Yorkshire each year.

“Thank you for awarding this very generous grant, it will undoubtedly help save lives in Yorkshire.”

The YAA’s critical care teams treat, on average, three patients each day and, of these, two will require vital oxygen therapy at the scene of the incidents.

From April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017, the charity undertook 1,414 missions, its critical care teams treated 1,183 patients at the roadside and the helicopters airlifted more than 580 people to a hospital.

The Riccall Regen Centre, a community centre built, funded and operated by the community, for the community, will use the £2,000 towards its Changing Places project.

It wants to adapt one of its changing rooms at the community centre for the use of older children and adults with disabilities.

The main items needed for the project, which is expected to cost £30,000 altogether, are an electric height adjustable changing table, a ceiling hoist and a height adjustable washbasin.​

Doreen Watson, a trustee of the centre, said: “The project will mean we will be able to make our centre accessible to everyone, not just people with disabilities but their whole families.

“We are delighted the Gannett Foundation is willing to support us.”

The centre holds various events, including meetings, weddings, christenings and parties. Doreen said the Changing Places project will mean people with disabilities will be able to change “with dignity” at the centre.

The Gannett Foundation provides funding to support projects and organisations in areas where Newsquest operates. The funds are managed by the Quartet Community Foundation and, in the last 10 years alone, the Gannett Foundation has made grants in the UK totalling nearly £4 million.​

The rapid response emergency service won the 2017 Air Ambulance Service Award at a glittering event at the Grange Hotel, London.

The Health Business Awards recognise and celebrate the significant contributions made each year by organisations and individuals that work inside and alongside the NHS. They were presented by broadcaster, journalist and physician Dr Phil Hammond.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves five million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

Over the last 12 months, the charity has fully brought into service two, new state-of-the-art Airbus H145

helicopters, which carry the latest generation of medical equipment.

The YAA has also introduced extended night flying hours and started carrying blood on board for the first time enabling critically injured patients to receive transfusions at the scene of accidents or in the air.

Abby Barmby, YAA Director of Marketing and Communications, said: “2017 was a major year for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and we are delighted that our achievements as a service have been recognised with this prestigious award.  ​

“For us, this success reinforces our commitment to providing the best possible Air Ambulance service to the people of Yorkshire and it’s visitors.  We really are very humbled to have been given this award.”

Photo caption: Yorkshire Air Ambulance Director of Marketing and Communications Abby Barmby (centre) and Marketing and Communications Manager Olivia Lees receive the Air Ambulance Service Award at the Health Business Awards from Dr Phil Hammond.

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The Lee Pearsall Memorial Game held every Boxing Day since 2014 is in remembrance of Lee Pearsall, who was a much loved and respected individual in the community.

The event this year was inundated with support from local and national businesses who donated some incredible prizes that included, a break in the Yorkshire Dales, flying experience, tickets from Andrew Lloyd Webbers School of Rock musical and an evening with Alan Shearer, plus many more.

Event organiser Chris Hargrave said “We have been completely blown away by the response and the support we have had this year. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a worthy cause and doing something like this helps remember Lee in a positive way, along with bringing our small community together to remember him.”

The event was held at Denaby United FC’s pitch, Old Road, Conisbrough where they provided changing facilities and clubhouse to the event free of charge. The club then kindly donated a percentage of their takings on the day to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance requires £12,000 per day to operate and relies solely on donations from events like this to remain operational.

Planning is currently underway for next years event and the organisers are currently selecting their chosen charity, if you would like to support or donate to this event please contact Chris Hargrave at E: chrishargrave@live.co.uk or Shaun Woodward at E: swoodward711@yahoo.co.uk