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Shaun Wilson was schooling his horse on the cross-country course during an open day at the Red House Estate, Moor Monkton, when the accident happened.

He came off at one of the fences and was crushed twice as his horse tried to get back on his feet. The incident was witnessed by Shaun’s shocked Mum Alison and twin brother Ben.

“They made a mistake at the fence and the horse had tipped over backwards onto Shaun and then, as it tried to get back on his feet, slipped back again, hitting Shaun twice,” said Alison from Birstwith.

“Both Ben and I ran towards him. I was trying to grab the horse and Ben grabbed his brother by his body protector and pulled him out.

“Ben was absolutely brilliant and so was Shaun. He was so calm with the medics when they arrived whereas I was just in pieces.”

Shaun was stabilized at the scene and airlifted by Yorkshire Air Ambulance to hospital where scans revealed he had shattered one of his vertebrae. Surgeons at Leeds General Infirmary fitted titanium rods in his back and the 16-year-old was in a back brace for several months.

But that didn’t stop the Rossett School pupil, who wants to be a doctor, from getting excellent GCSE results and he is now also back in the saddle.

Alison added: “Thankfully Shaun is absolutely fine now and I am so grateful to the air ambulance service. They were brilliant, letting me fly with Shaun to hospital.”

Shaun’s accident features in Monday night’s episode of Helicopter ER, the UKTV show, which follows the life-saving work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The episode – which can be seen on Really at 9pm – also features a car that careers into a bus queue killing a pensioner and badly injuring her friend out celebrating her 90th birthday and a Mum who is feared to have serious spinal injuries after a rope swing prank goes wrong.

Helicopter ER is made by York-based Air Television, which recently 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 1,250 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.

Rebecca Beaver was on a family walk in woodland near her home in Queensbury with her sister, nieces and ten-year-old son Lewis when they came across a make-shift rope swing across a beck.

“Everyone had a go, but when it was my turn the thing snapped and I just came crashing down onto my back.,” said Rebecca, 32.

“At first, I could not feel my legs which was quite scary, and then it was really very painful. When the paramedics and air ambulance arrived you do worry what you’ve done.”

Rebecca’s rescue from the remote spot features in this week’s episode of Helicopter ER, the UKTV series which follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Mountain rescue volunteers were drafted in to help get Rebecca to the aircraft which flew her in minutes to trauma specialists at Leeds General Infirmary.

Fortunately, Rebecca only suffered a snapped a disc in her pelvis and after a period on crutches, the grateful Mum-of-two has now fully recovered. But she won’t be having a go on any more rope swings.

“We all do this kind of thing when we’re kids but perhaps not now. I was very, very lucky. It could have ended very differently.”

Rebecca’s rescue can be seen on Helicopter ER at 9pm on Monday, September 4, on Really.

The episode also features the tragic case of a car that careered into a bus queue killing a pensioner and seriously injuring her friend, and a young showjumper crushed by his horse after a fall.

Helicopter ER is made by York-based Air Television, which recently 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 1,250 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.

The dramatic rescue of a cyclist after an horrific high-speed crash features in the new series of the award-winning reality TV programme, Helicopter ER.

The UKTV show, which follows the life-saving work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, starts its second series at 9pm on Monday, August 28, on real life channel Really.

Experienced triathlete, cyclist and endurance runner Tom Phillips was on a 130-mile cycle ride through the Yorkshire Dales when he lost control on the steep Buttertubs Pass descent and smashed into a drystone wall.

The impact caused multiple injuries including a broken neck, spine, sternum, several ribs and a collarbone fractured in three places.

“Buttertubs Pass is a very steep descent and I just wasn’t concentrating. I remember this corner coming up and thinking why I am going this fast,” said Tom, from Arnside in the South Lakes.

“I threw the bike into a speedway-style slide but both wheels hit a kerb at the same time which catapulted me off the bike like a pole vault and I did a Superman impression straight into a stone wall.

“The next thing I was lying by the wall struggling to breathe. Everything after that is a bit like being in a dream world.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance paramedics stabilized Tom at the remote scene before airlifting him to James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, in just 20 minutes. The journey by road ambulance would have taken a grueling hour-and-a-half.

The superfit 53-year-old underwent seven hours of surgery to repair his back and collarbone, with metal rods inserted on either side of his spine.

Despite his injuries and significant nerve and muscle damage, Tom was back on a bike within three months and has since raised £3,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Just a month before his accident Tom witnessed an air ambulance in action when he was first on the scene of a nasty cliff fall in Cornwall.

“Within an hour of coming off my bike I was in hospital. That quick transfer made the difference between being in hospital a few days or being in a couple of months.,” added Tom, a website designer and organizer of walking, cycling and running holidays in Spain.

“I remember being really impressed seeing the air ambulance in action in Cornwall and now I know at first hand just how vital they are, and what a difference they can make to peoples’ lives.”

Tom’s rescue appears in the first episode of the new series of Helicopter ER which also features an elderly dairy farmer attacked by one of his own herd and a bizarre crash on the A1 after a car careers over a bridge and bursts into flames on the motorway below, trapping the driver.

Helicopter ER is made by York-based Air Television, which recently 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 1,250 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.

Photo caption: Cyclist Tom Phillips being treated at the scene of his accident and back on his feet just 10 weeks after the crash.

A team of four from Yorkshire-based leading integrated communications agency, CreativeRace, is taking part in the Prudential Ride London–Surrey 100 event on Sunday 30th July, with their goal being to complete the 100-mile route in six hours.

CreativeRace’s Repro Manager, John Lee, Senior Artworker, Damian Holt, Senior Designer, Simon Newsome and Account Executive, Joe Dowson will be joining 30,000 other cyclists to complete the route from London to Surrey to raise money for CreativeRace’s chosen charity of the year, Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Evans Cycles, who appointed CreativeRace to handle all integrated marketing campaigns in March this year, is an official partner of the RideLondon cycling festival.

The Prudential RideLondon–Surrey 100 starts at 05:45am, with the cyclists beginning the route at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and finishing on The Mall in Central London. The route follows closed roads through central London, which lead the riders into Surrey’s countryside.

You can sponsor the CreativeRace team, and raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, by donating at the following link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/creativerace-2017

PHOTO CAPTION (L – R): Damian Holt, Simon Newsome, John Lee, Joe Dowson.

Nearly 200 tractors have taken part in the 15th Beadlam Charity Tractor Run helping to drive the total raised for Yorkshire Air Ambulance to more than £100,000.

The event – now one of the biggest annual tractor runs in the country – was launched in 2003 by retired local builder Bernard Simpson.

Just 35 tractors took part in the first run, raising £1,700 for the fledging Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity. The following year the number of vehicles and the amount raised more than doubled.

Bernard, 88, and his family now organise what is a major annual event that attracts around 200 tractors. The run takes them on a 50-mile route through 19 North Yorkshire villages, with some off-road highlights, and a hearty lunch provided by Bernard’s wife Olive and a team of caterers and volunteers.

This year’s event raised just over £10,000 bringing the total donated to Yorkshire Air Ambulance to more than £100,000.

Bernard’s son, Malcolm, an estate worker from Kirbymoorside, said: “I do a lot of the organising now, but this is still very much my Dad’s event.

“We get people coming from all over the place – including Scotland, Liverpool and Nottinghamshire – and get fantastic support from a team of local volunteers.

“Most of the money we raise comes from street collections in the local villages and it’s fantastic that we have got to the £100,000 mark for our local air ambulance charity.”

The tractor run starts each year from Beadlam Grange Farm, owned by the Rooke family, who themselves have twice needed Yorkshire Air Ambulance after separate horse riding and roof fall accidents.

The rapid response emergency charity serves 5 million people and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. It needs to raise £12,000 every day and has just replaced its two, ageing aircraft with brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

Bob Smailes at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance said: “The Beadlam Tractor Run is now a firm fixture in the Yorkshire Air Ambulance events calendar. The support we receive on the route is wonderful.

“Bernard is a true ambassador for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and I cannot thank him enough for his support and dedication over the years, and of course Olive for her wonderful catering, which is always a real treat!  Having Malcolm on board now is great and the Beadlam Tractor Run continues to go from strength to strength.”

Bernard was recently recognised by the YAA for his fundraising efforts when he and Olive were presented with a special Supporter’s Award at the charity’s annual recognition awards ceremony.

A grateful cyclist has swapped pedals for walking poles to thank Yorkshire Air Ambulance a year to the day after a life-changing accident.

Mike Hudson suffered a spinal crush injury when he crashed into the back of a van less than a mile from his Harrogate home, after a day’s cycling in the Yorkshire Dales.

“I don’t really remember anything about the accident, but understand I basically head butted the back of the van which crushed my spinal cord,” said the 55-year-old.

“I came around about 10 or 15 minutes later and was surrounded by medics, police and my family. I was just laid on the ground and couldn’t move, which was pretty scary, and when I heard the air ambulance land I knew I’d done some serious damage.”

Mike, a surveyor with the National Grid in Leeds, was airlifted in minutes to specialists at Leeds General Infirmary for treatment.

The experienced cyclist and time triallist has recovered well, although has been left with muscle weakness. He added: “I know I’ve been very lucky. I was only doing about 10mph and I was also able to get the medical attention I needed very quickly thanks to the air ambulance. It could have been a lot worse.”

To mark the one year anniversary of his accident Mike joined a group of family and friends to climb the 950m Lake District mountain Helvellyn, the third highest peak in England.

The mountain challenge is set to raise around £2,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, the rapid response emergency charity that serves 5million people across the region, flying over 1,250 missions every year.

Mike, a father of three, added: “It was quite a challenge because I can trip over things more readily now as my feet don’t pick up, but it was a great day.

“When I realised how much the air ambulance need to raise each year to keep on providing what is a vital service in Yorkshire, I wanted to do something to help pay my fare!

“When you talk to people it is surprising to find just how many have either been helped by Yorkshire Air Ambulance or know someone who has benefitted. It is a brilliant service and charity.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep flying and has just replaced its two, ageing aircraft with brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

The Leeds office of business advisory firm Deloitte has raised £31,00 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The money was collected through a range of fundraising activities as part of a two-year partnership between Deloitte and the charity, whose two helicopters serve more than five million people across the county and attend more than 1,000 incidents a year.

Almost £8,000 came from Deloitte employees donating an hour’s salary, while a raffle at the firm’s Summer Ball produced nearly £3,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Other events organised by the Deloitte fundraising team included a Halloween lunch, a 14-mile canoeing challenge and a Tax team tuck shop.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance was chosen as the firm’s charity partner after a vote among all 480 employees in the Leeds office.

Kerry Garner, West & South Yorkshire Regional Fundraising Manager for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “It has been a pleasure working with the Deloitte team in Leeds over past two years, and we are hugely grateful for their amazing fundraising efforts.”

Helen Kaye, partner at Deloitte added: “Organising so many events has been extremely rewarding for us. Everyone knows about the fantastic, life-saving work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, but without the fundraising efforts of individuals and organisations it wouldn’t be able to keep its helicopters in the air.”

He should have been at the show with his stock of Ayrshires. Instead, they presented a trophy in his memory. Michael Spink was in New Zealand – living the dream, his friends said – when a vehicle hit him from behind as he walked along a state highway. He was 24.

In March, two months after the accident, his fellow members of Knaresborough Young Farmers organised a 120-strong tractor run which raised £8,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Yesterday, some of them watched as the Yorkshire Agricultural Society presented the Michael Spink Memorial Perpetual Trophy for the first time. It went to Richard Baynes from Hexham, Northumberland, who was with a team of 11 showing Ayrshires and dairy Shorthorns, including the champion Ayrshire heifer, Marleycote Lily. “It’s a particular honour in the circumstances,” he said, after the presentation by the ring steward and a friend of the Spink family, Michael Warren. Michael’s parents, his brother and two sisters watched with mixed emotions as the silver cup was handed over. “He would have been here today but he wouldn’t have been showing in the ring, said his father, Graham. “He was shy that way.” His son had bought some Ayrshire calves before he went to New Zealand, which would have formed the core of his own herd when he returned.

He had owned Ayrshires since he was eight, when his dad bought him some for the family farm at Scotton. “He would have loved to see his name on an Ayrshire trophy,” said his mother, Jane. “This is something really positive for us and we are so honoured to have a trophy dedicated to him.” Mr. Warren paid his own tribute in the judging ring. “He was a very good stock judge,” he said.

Courageous Charlotte Leighton is taking her fundraising for Yorkshire Air Ambulance to new heights!

The 21-year-old, who suffered serious head and facial injuries in a childhood road accident, will be skydiving from 15,000ft later this month to support the charity she loves.

Charlotte and her family have already raised over £100,000 for the rapid response emergency service since she was knocked down near her Tollerton home in March 2006.

The impact caused devastating head and facial injuries and her life was only saved thanks to treatment at the scene by Air Ambulance medics and the speed she was airlifted to specialists at Leeds General Infirmary.

“If Yorkshire Air Ambulance had not been there I would not be here. It’s as simple as that,” said Charlotte, who along with Mum Sue, is a registered volunteer for the charity.

“They are a massive part of my life and we all, as a family, try to do as much as we can to raise money but also to raise awareness of the work the air ambulance does.”

Charlotte suffered multiple fractures to her forehead, eye sockets, jaw and leg and underwent pioneering facial reconstruction surgery following the accident.

She is still undergoing treatment, recently having surgery which involved breaking her upper jaw and fitting a titanium plate. She is now awaiting further bone grafts and implants.

“It is hard. You have one operation and recover and get back to how you are and then you’re down again with the next one. It does wear you out a bit but hopefully I can now see some light at the end of the tunnel.”

Despite her many operations, Charlotte has lived life to the full becoming a talented equestrian rider, competing with her younger sister Serena for York and Ainsty South Pony Club and at British Show Jumping events throughout the country.

Earlier this month she beat off the challenge from 90 other riders to win individual and team novice prizes at a coveted area event.

But next month Charlotte, Serena and Dad Colin will be taking on a different challenge – the UK’s highest skydive. The trio will tandem jump from 15,000ft above Lincolnshire and hope to raise a sky-high sum for the YAA.

Charlotte added: “It is something we’ve really wanted to do for a long time and so, at the moment, we are all really excited about it and hope to raise a lot of money.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. It needs to raise £12,000 every day and has just replaced its two, ageing aircraft with brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

If you would like to support Charlotte, Serena and their Dad go to their Just Giving Page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/leightonsskydive

Masham-based I’Anson has pledged to donate £60,000 over three years to the air ambulance charity, to support its vital, lifesaving work throughout the county. The company will fund the donation out of the savings it is set to make from replacing its old style conventional lighting with state of the art LEDs.

The changes are set to be implemented in the firm’s mill, the hub of the 7.5 acre site where feed for beef and dairy cattle, sheep, lambs, horses as well as for a range of other farm animals are manufactured, along with ingredients for pet foods. The new £35,000 lighting system will see 320 modern LED bulbs replace over 800 conventional fluorescent fittings in a move which will reduce CO2 emissions while also saving both energy and money.

Calculations performed by the installer have shown that the older lighting system used 260,000 Kilowatt hours (kWh) per annum, while the new system will only use 80,000 kWh a year – a saving of 70 per cent. The 180,000 kWh saving is equivalent to around £20,000 in energy costs. The reduction in energy usage will reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 98.5 tonnes.

The new lighting system will also lead to greatly reduced physical waste, as the average LED light has a lifespan of 50,000 hours, compared to the 8,000 hours offered by fluorescent bulbs.

Along with supporting general running costs, some of the donation will go towards the provision of night vision goggles for air ambulance pilots, allowing the helicopter to safely operate in hours of darkness.

Chris I’Anson, Managing Director of I’Anson, said: “We’re a Yorkshire company through and through and we believe in putting something back into the local community. In a large county like this, where much of the countryside operates as an open air factory, a fully functional air ambulance is a real necessity.  Some of the more remote areas are very difficult to access by road and in an emergency the air ambulance can literally mean the difference between life and death for a casualty.

“To be able to make this donation as a direct result of taking action to reduce our carbon footprint and our energy consumption is particularly pleasing. The drivers in our transport fleet criss-cross the region every day and often see the distinctive air ambulance in the skies so , as a company, we have a real pride in knowing that we are making a contribution to keeping the service operating. I’ve known Paul Gowland and Helen Callear from Yorkshire Air Ambulance for a while now and my thanks go to them for helping make this donation possible.”

In 2016, Yorkshire’s two air ambulances flew 1,390 missions, equating to almost four a day, and treated 855 patients. The helicopters are based at airbases which allow them to access any part of Yorkshire within 20 minutes flying time.

Agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous industries in the UK, with 27 people suffering fatal injuries during the course of their work in 2016.

Paul Gowland, Director of Fundraising at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said:

“This is a very generous and much appreciated gesture by I’Anson that will help us to continue providing our much needed service. It’s particularly appropriate that one of Yorkshire’s best known and longest established rural businesses should be helping an operation that does much of its work in some of the county’s most remote corners. We are very proud that our principal supporters are local, family-owned companies and I’Anson is a perfect match and we welcome them to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance family.”

Following the donation, I’Anson has rebranded its already distinctive fleet of delivery vehicles with new Yorkshire Air Ambulance livery.

Now one of the UK’s most successful specialist suppliers of farm feeds, micronized ingredients and horse feeds, with customers in over 30 countries worldwide, I’Anson is an independent, fourth generation, family-owned and managed company. For more information visit www.ianson.co.uk.

Yummy Fest, which takes place on the 15th & 16th of July, has seen over 20,000 visitors flock to site since its inaugural year in 2015 and 2017 promises to be even better. 2017 sees Yorkshire Air Ambulance return as the festivals named charity partner, with a helicopter landing scheduled for the Sunday the 16th of July 2017, subject to operational requirements.

Yummy Yorkshire will also welcome Wakefield Grammar School Foundation on site as the main sponsor.

Yummy Fest pays homage to the ice cream company’s farming heritage with a display of vintage tractors but that forms only a small part of this family friendly event. Visitors will be able to enjoy FREE entertainment across the course of the weekend, with plenty to keep the littlies and grown-ups busy, including:

·         hands on craft and chocolate workshops,

·         interactive dance sessions with StarMovers,

·         pizza cooking demonstrations with DeliVita Ltd,

·         Wakefield Grammar School Foundation, Yummy Fest’s main sponsor, will also be on site encouraging visitors to take part in a little healthy competition in the shape of a swing ball contest (or two),

·         a dedicated kids zone with children’s fairground rides, a small steam train ride and of course the Yummy Yorkshire Ice Cream trailer,

·         a variety of live music and entertainment from local bands and artists.

In keeping with Yummy Yorkshire’s culinary passion, there will be an abundance of street food producers on site selling their amazing produce along with a Stancill Brewery Bar in the main event tent.  Add to this a Made and Found Market showcasing some of the best local artisan producers and Yummy Fest offers something for all the family to enjoy!

Visitors are also invited to carry on the fun as Ordinary Men ROCK the Saturday evening party at Yummy Fest 2017! Adult entrance tickets cost £7.50 and are available from The Parlour or online at www.yummyyorkshire.co.uk/shop.

Yummy Yorkshire’s owner Jeremy Holmes commented:

“We’re very excited about Yummy Fest 2017, last year’s event was really well received and we hope to build upon its success offering visitors a relaxed festival feel that has something to offer all the family”.

“We are delighted to be able to support Yorkshire Air Ambulance again this year, the work they do is invaluable, especially in the rural community in which we live”.

“We’re gearing up for a festival atmosphere with lots of family fun, think excellent acoustic music sets, craft and chocolate making workshops, cooking demonstrations and may be even some raw milk sampling, there really will be something for everyone to enjoy.  Gate entry into the event is FREE, visitors will simply be asked to make a minimum donation of £2 for parking with proceeds being donated to Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Camping will be available onsite and we welcome Ordinary Men who promise to rock our Saturday evening party!”

“We really look forward to welcoming visitors on site for this family festival!”

Anybody interested in showing a vehicle should contact Yummy Yorkshire direct or visit our site to download a registration form; www.yummyyorkshire.co.uk/tractor-fest.