General

Karen Brooke was a keen cyclist before the devastating accident two years ago when she slipped on ice outside her Elland home, near Huddersfield.

The former Youth Team leader was leading her horse who, startled at her fall, kicked out hitting Karen on the side of her head causing life-changing injuries.

But the life-long Huddersfield Town supporter has signed up to take part in the eighth annual Pedal for Pounds charity ride – a 260-mile ride between May 2 and 6 from Dortmund, Germany, to Huddersfield called the ‘Wagner Way’, which is being sponsored by Made by Cooper.

Karen, who can currently only walk short distances with a stick, is hoping she will be able to complete between 10 and 20 miles of the route each day on a tandem provided by the Streetbikes community cycling project, who are also providing co-riders for Karen throughout the journey.

She is now training hard for what will be a huge challenge – going on her home static bike every day, training with StreetBikes every week at Spenborough Running Track, as well as regular physiotherapy and swimming sessions.

“Before the accident I did a couple of the previous Pedal for Pound events and my brother did it last year,” said Karen. “I wanted to take part to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance through the ‘Keep It Up’ campaign, and to give myself a challenge. It is very hard but I will do it.”

The Pedal for Pounds ‘Wagner Way’, sponsored by Made By Cooper, is part of the ‘Keep It Up’ campaign between Huddersfield Town Football Club and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.  Since its launch in 2009, the partnership has raised more than £1.4m for both HTAFC’s Academy at the rapid-response emergency services Charity, with 50% of the monies raised being equally split between the two organisations.

Following her accident, Karen was airlifted in minutes by Yorkshire Air Ambulance to specialists at Leeds General Infirmary. The 51-year-old suffered two skull fractures and severe bruising and bleeding on the brain.

“I was lucky to survive,” said Karen. “I had only a slight pulse when Yorkshire Air Ambulance landed and I don’t think I would have made it without them. They saved my life.”

Karen was in a coma for two months and initially suffered personality changes as well as paralysis down her right side. She was transferred to Dewsbury Hospital where she spent a further four months in rehabilitation learning how to walk, talk, read and write again.

Karen was discharged to her specially adapted home next door to parents Kath and David. “When I came home I had carers four times a day, getting me up, cooking and putting me to bed.

“But I am very determined and, with lots of support from my family I have made myself get better so I can do things myself.”

Although the main ‘Wagner Way’ bike ride has now sold out, supporters and avid cycling fans are being invited to join the last leg of the bike ride from Hull back to Huddersfield.  The 80 mile ‘Hull to Home ride will see entrants meeting up with the P4P8 riders making their way back to Huddersfield on Saturday 6th  May.  Anyone interested in participating can find out more information and access the application form through HTAFC’s website www.htafc.com

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people across Yorkshire 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.

Katie Collinson, Partnerships Manager from Yorkshire Air Ambulance said: “We are really looking forward to having Karen back on the Pedal for Pounds bike ride this year.  Karen has been through so much over the last few years and she’s a real inspiration to us all with her grit and determination to not only learn to walk and talk again, but now to join in this epic bike ride!”

Caravan and motorhome insurance specialists Caravan Guard and Leisuredays raised £6,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance last year which has been used to buy three specialist helmets designed to fit the charity’s new night vision goggles.

The YAA recently bought two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters which have night flying capability. The rapid response emergency service aims to introduce longer flying times, initially from its air support base at Nostell, near Wakefield, this Summer.

Halifax-based Caravan Guard and Leisure Days donate £2 to YAA for every new Gadget and Leisure and Home Emergency policy they sell. A team of 10 staff also ran Leeds 10k last year to further boost their fundraising

Director Laura Wilby said: “We’re thrilled to play our part in helping the charity with its life-saving service across Yorkshire. We know the helmets will make a real difference to their medical team, local people and visitors to Yorkshire.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep its helicopters flying. The charity serves five million people across Yorkshire, attending on average, more than 1,300 incidents a year.

Kerry Garner, YAA regional fundraising manager, said: “Caravan Guard and Leisuredays have been great supporters for a number of years now and we are very grateful.

“The helmets are an extremely vital piece of kit that our Paramedics and Pilots wear on every mission and this generous donation has helped provide these new versions.”

To donate to Yorkshire Air Ambulance visit www.yaa.org.uk/donate/

Caption: Yorkshire Air Ambulance Paramedic Paul Holmes with one of the new specialist helmets bought by donations from Caravan Guard and Leisure Days.

Ken Horner, 84 from Follifoot near Harrogate, has been volunteering for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance for over 15 years now.  The retired joiner and wheelwright has now raised in excess of £50,000 for his favourite Charity since he started fundraising in back in the early 2000’s.

His dedication and fundraising efforts were recognised by both the Charity and the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire, John Furness, at a presentation at the YAA’s Northern Airbase at RAF Topcliffe near Thirsk last week.  Ken was presented with an award, along with a cheque for £250 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and £100 for himself.

The High Sheriff commented “I have known Ken for a number of years, whether at Point to Points or Horse Shows, selling his country items and walking sticks but had never realised what a huge amount that he had raised over the years for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. I am delighted to give him a ‘High Sheriff Award in recognition of the great and valuable services to the community’. I still have a Shepherd’s Crook that I bought from Ken some considerable time ago. It is a faithful companion when out walking in the countryside”

Ken has raised money over the years by different farming related fundraising initiatives.  The majority his monies raised have come from the hand-made walking sticks and Shepherds crooks he carves himself using materials he collects.  He also hosts an annual fundraising dinner each October and has been involved with farming auctions over the years also.

Ken commented “I have known the High Sheriff for many years through the local agricultural community.  I thought I had been invited to Topcliffe to see the new helicopter so I was totally surprised and overwhelmed when John presented me with my award.  I love helping the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and don’t do it for the credit.  I do it knowing that I am helping others who might need the services of the helicopter and its crew.  It was a brilliant day and I was so pleased with my award.  It means so much to me.”

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 and needs to raise £12,000 every day. The Charity currently attend over 1,000 missions a year, an average of 3 incidents every single day.   They have recently taken delivery of two brand-new state of the art Airbus H145 helicopters to enhance the service they provide to the people of Yorkshire.

Helen Callear, Regional Fundraising Manager for the YAA also added “It was such a pleasure and delight being able to watch Ken receiving this very special award from the High Sheriff.  Ken is such a well-respected man in our area and a real credit as a volunteer to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.  We are so grateful to him for raising such a huge amount of money for us over the years.  He is a very special man indeed and fully deserves to receive this award.”

Being a volunteer is a really great way to get out and about in your local area and meet people. Volunteers can do as little or as much as they want, to fit in with their lifestyle.  The Charity is always on the look out for new volunteers in the North Yorkshire area.

As part of the partnership, YAA representatives will be present at all of the Oliver’s Mount meetings throughout 2017 with collection buckets and their stall, spreading information about the rapid-response emergency service.

Peter Hillerby from Oliver’s Mount said “We are delighted to be able to support the YAA throughout 2017 and hope our spectators will get behind us help us raise as much money as we can for the Charity.”

One of the main events in the 2017 calendar will be the famous ‘Scarborough Festival of Speed’ which will take place over the May bank holiday weekend. A car and bike hill climb is due to take place on the Saturday and Sunday, and a Classic Car Rally will take place on the Bank Holiday Monday.

Peter added “We are hoping to attract a great number of spectators to these events, as their attendance will not only support Auto 66, but the Yorkshire Air Ambulance too, as this is where all of our gate money will be donated.

This weekend will be made even more memorable, as we plan to officially open the Mount’s brand new helipad, something which has been a work in progress for some time now. Although we admire the great work carried out by the team at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, we hope that we will not require them to attend any of our meetings in the future. However, we are all aware of the dangers that come with road racing, particularly around the beast that we call Oliver’s Mount, therefore the helipad will provide a safe landing place should we ever need it.”

Bob Smailes, Area Fundraising Manager from the Yorkshire Air Ambulance also added “Oliver’s Mount have been great supporters of the YAA over the years and we are extremely grateful to them for continuing to support us through the 2017 racing season.  We are looking forward to attending all their race meetings, and also meeting their spectators along the way.  We really cannot thank Oliver’s Mount enough for their ongoing support.”

Christine Bradley from Silsden, near Keighley, completed the epic swim in just under 19 hours raising over £1,650 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“Swimming the English Channel has always been a dream of mine,” said Christine. “My Dad brought home a tattered old book from the library called ‘It’s Cold in the Channel’ which he used to read to me and I told him one day I would do it.”

Christine loved swimming as a child but that all came to an end at the age of 12 when she was hit by an articulated lorry on her way home from school.

“My injuries were pretty gruesome and very nearly caused me to lose my leg,” said 50-year-old Christine. “With massive scars behind my knee I couldn’t face the embarrassment of going back in the pool or wearing shorts”.

“This psychological block stayed with me for a further 36 years until my Dad got me into jogging and I started taking part in a range of running events and going to the gym – provided I could keep my legs covered.”

That changed in 2012 when Mum-of-two Christine was introduced to the sport of triathlon and plucked up the courage to start swimming again.

She soon rediscovered her childhood love of being in the water – so much so that she packed in her job as an IT Service Desk manager to become a fitness instructor and swimming and triathlon coach.

Getting back in the water also rekindled that childhood dream of swimming the Channel. In 2015 Christine and three triathlon friends completed the Channel Relay – “not a pleasant experience with a rough crossing and everyone suffering from sickness” – and three months ago she finally completed a solo crossing.

In temperatures ranging from 16-18 degrees, Christine set off from Dover at 3am and did not get out of the water again for another 18 hours and 56 minutes.

 “My Dad got me into jogging and I started taking part in a range of running events and going to the gym – provided I could keep my legs covered. Although the Channel is 21 miles across her swim was nearly 40 miles because of the tides and she completed a whopping 66,120 arm strokes”.

“Training in Ilkley Lido, which is always freezing, did acclimatise me a bit but I did feel really cold at times,” added Christine.

“I will never be the fastest swimmer or runner in the world but I am very determined and will always get there in the end. Half the battle is in your head with endurance sports.

“You have a support boat but you can’t have physical contact with it or any support crew, so feeds were passed to me by a fishing line. At my lowest points I was so tired I worried about falling asleep while swimming but I just kept going and I now I can say I am a solo Channel swimmer which is just amazing”

Indeed Christine, who has been nominated for the 2016 Yorkshire Choice Sporting Achievement Award, is part of a very elite group. More people have climbed Mount Everest than have swum the English Channel.

Her remarkable achievement has also raised nearly £1,700 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and over £1,200 for Pancreatic Cancer Research.

She added: “I am very lucky to be here, to have full mobility and to be able to take on these physical challenges so I wanted to give a little back”.

“My Mum died of pancreatic cancer and I also wanted to support a local charity that is there to help anyone at any time which is what the Yorkshire Air Ambulance does. It is particularly vital to people living in rural communities like ours.”

Big thanks to Christine from the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, for your endurance, determination and commitment, well done!

The £6m Airbus H145 aircraft is now fully operational following the completion of crew training and a full medical fit-out.

It is based at Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s northern air base at RAF Topcliffe, near Thirsk, and completes the replacement of the rapid response emergency service’s two, ageing MD902 Explorer aircraft.

Last September the first H145 went into service, flying from the charity’s air support unit at Nostell, near Wakefield.

The new helicopters offer exceptional flight performance and will have significantly lower operational and maintenance costs. The H145 is night capable, enabling longer flying hours, and offers a much larger cabin area to treat patients in flight.

The region’s air ambulance doctors and paramedics have been involved from the start in the fit out of the H145s which will also carry the latest medical equipment.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance has planned the replacement of its increasingly costly, ageing aircraft for several years. The £12m cost has been met through planned savings, grants, careful budgeting and the amazing generosity of the people of Yorkshire.

YAA Chairman Peter Sunderland said: “To see the second helicopter in operation is hugely exciting and a very proud day for us as a charity and for the people of Yorkshire.

“These helicopters belong to the people of Yorkshire and will do so for the next 10 to 20 years. I am very proud to say we now have a level of service which is probably the best of any air ambulance charity in the UK.”

North Yorkshire welcomed its new air ambulance with a special reception at the Devonshire Arms Hotel, Bolton Abbey, attended by many of the regions local dignitaries, Mayors and long standing supporters of the Charity from the Northern part of the region.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance are also currently working with The Devonshire Arms as they are the hotels adopted Charity of the Year.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance still needs to raise £12,000 every single day to keep its helicopters flying. The charity serves 5million people across Yorkshire, attending on average, more than 1,200 incidents a year.

Robert Wood was doing maintenance work on the 106-year-old bells at Middleham Parish Church, in Wensleydale, when he slipped and fell several feet onto part of the mechanism, impaling his chin on a metal peg.

The impact smashed Robert’s jaw and narrowly missed the major blood vessels in his neck. Amazingly, the 62-year-old managed to make his way down the tower to a shocked colleague who called the emergency services.

Fearing major blood vessel and nerve damage, Yorkshire Air Ambulance airlifted the retired environmental health officer to the major trauma centre at James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough.

His freak accident will feature in the January 30 episode of Helicopter ER, the UKTV series that follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Robert, a regular bell ringer at Ripon Cathedral, underwent a four-hour operation to repair his shattered jaw, which is now held together by metal plates, and spent five days in hospital.

“I was at the top of the tower, walking across the metal bell frame when I missed my footing and ended up landing chin-first onto a piece of the bell mechanism which had a rusty metal peg on the end,” said Robert from Ripon.

“I managed to get myself off that and make my way down the ladder. It’s amazing what you can do with adrenalin.

“The land and then air ambulance were there very quickly and I was just so grateful to be flown to hospital within minutes. They saved me from what would have been a long and painful journey of over an hour on winding roads.”

Robert is making a second attempt at a special bell ringing marathon on Saturday (January 14) at Ripon Cathedral, in a bid to raise the estimated £4,000 cost of his air ambulance flight.

Last year, 14 per cent of all patients carried by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance were taken to Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital, and following the opening of a state-of-the-art helipad six months ago, the Charity are expecting to see this figure increase during 2017.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance has also just invested in a brand, new £6m night-capable helicopter which should further increase the number of missions flown into the fully lit Sheffield helipad.

The rapid response emergency service has now appointed a new Community Fundraiser for South Yorkshire, Charlie Pearson, who is keen to increase YAA’s team of volunteers in the area.

“With the new helipad, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s distinctive yellow helicopter is becoming a more common sight across the skies of South Yorkshire,” said 27-year-old Charlie.

“That increased activity is set to grow further and we need to recruit more volunteers to support the life-saving work of this fantastic charity.

“Because we never door knock, cold call or door-to-door recycle we need more volunteers on the ground who can attend community events, man information stalls or give talks.

“Being a volunteer is a really great way to get out and about in your local area and meet people. You would be part of a fantastic team and you can do as little or as much as you want, to fit in with your lifestyle.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance, which needs to raise £12,000 every day, serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year.

If you would like to find out more about becoming a South Yorkshire volunteer for Yorkshire Air Ambulance contact Charlie on 07768175727 or email c.pearson@yaa.org.uk

Caption: New Yorkshire Air Ambulance South Yorkshire Community Fundraiser Charlie Pearson

Carolyn Bjelan is now calling for all schools and workplaces to teach life-saving skills to improve the chances of people surviving a cardiac arrest outside hospital.

Carolyn had to use her life-saving skills when husband Jovan suddenly collapsed at their Harrogate home while doing some DIY.

“I was upstairs and heard a loud thud and when I found him I thought he must have fallen off the ladder,” said the 52-year-old head of Project Coordination and Customer Services at stone specialists Lapicida in Knareborough.

“When I realised he wasn’t breathing there were a few seconds when I panicked and thought I can’t do this, but then the training kicked in and I knew I had to act quickly.

“I started CPR and rang for the ambulance putting them on speaker phone. I knew time was so important as the longer the brain is starved of oxygen the greater the chance of brain injury.”

Carolyn continued performing CPR on her husband until the emergency services arrived, saving his life. Jovan’s heart started beating again but when he came round the 55-year-old was very agitated and Yorkshire Air Ambulance medics decided to place him in an induced coma before flying him to Leeds General Infirmary.

Over 30,000 people suffer cardiac arrests outside of hospital in the UK every year. If this happens in front of a bystander who starts CPR immediately before the arrival of the ambulance, the patient’s chances of survival double.

Today, if you suffer a cardiac arrest out of hospital in the UK, you have less than a one in ten chance of surviving.

It was hugely traumatic for Carolyn and her daughter Danielle, 34, but having had repeated CPR training meant she knew what to do and could act to save her husband’s life.

“I did suffer post-traumatic stress afterwards and I did get some help,” added Carolyn. “But we have amazing family and friends who were just fantastically supportive and Jovan is absolutely fine now.

“I’ve been a Brownie leader for years and having worked in construction too, I’ve always kept my first aid training up and had done CPR refresher training just a month before this happened. If I hadn’t Jovan might not be here.

“I do feel really strongly that CPR training should be much more widely taught in workplaces, in the community and in every school. We need to raise more awareness about the importance of having these skills.”

Doctors have never discovered what caused Jovan’s heart failure, but he has been fitted with an internal cardiac defibrillator which will shock his heart if it happens again.

The dramatic incident features in the UKTV series Helicopter ER which follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The series airs at 10pm every Monday night on UKTV’s reality channel Really. It has been made by many of the team behind the popular BBC programme Helicopter Heroes, who have again been flying with Yorkshire Air Ambulance pilots, paramedics and doctors.

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

Noah fell onto the concrete patio of the family home at Brampton Bierlow, near Rotherham, in an accident which features on tonight’s episode of Helicopter ER, the TV series that follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“My four-year-old daughter had been playing a game and opened the bedroom window,” said Mum Emma. “Noah must have somehow climbed from the bed onto the window ledge and fallen.

“My daughter came running out of the bedroom to say Noah had fallen out of the window and I just ran as fast as I could to the back garden.

“He was lying on the patio very still and making a quiet moaning noise. I was just hysterical. It’s just your worst nightmare.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance airlifted Noah in minutes to Sheffield Children’s Hospital where scans revealed the 18-month-old had suffered a fractured skull and a small bleed on the brain.

Noah’s grateful family believe the speed of the rapid response emergency service saved their son’s life. To say thank you, they organized a 10-mile sponsored walk raising £3,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“I think Noah survived because he got to hospital so quickly. It was literally six minutes in the helicopter from our house and we can’t thank them enough,” added 27-year-old Emma.

Noah, now two, has fully recovered and has no lasting damage from the accident which features on Helicopter ER tonight(19th Dec 2016) at 10pm on UKTV’s reality channel Really.

The new series has been made by many of the team behind the popular BBC programme Helicopter Heroes, who have again been flying with Yorkshire Air Ambulance pilots, paramedics and doctors.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year from its two bases at RAF Toplcliffe, near Thirsk, and Nostell near Wakefield.

The charity, which has just replaced its two, ageing aircraft with state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters, needs to raise £12,000 every day.

The rapid response emergency charity has been awarded the coveted Kitemark Award status by Voluntary Action Rotherham and the Rotherham Local Strategic Partnership.

The award aims to showcase good practice and recognizes the “high quality, positive volunteering experience” received by Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s team of volunteers.

Charlie Pearson, YAA South Yorkshire Community Fundraiser, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have received not just the Kitemark, but the Kitemark Plus status.

“We have a great team of volunteers in South Yorkshire who do a brilliant job for us. We pride ourselves on doing what we can, as a charity to support and recognize the key role our volunteers have.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance needs to raise £12,000 every day and is currently replacing its two, ageing aircraft with brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

The independent charity serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The number of patients being airlifted to Sheffield’s major trauma centre is on the rise following the opening of a state-of-the-art helipad at the Northern General Hospital in June.

And Yorkshire Air Ambulance is now appealing for more volunteers to raise funds and awareness about its life-saving work. The charity is looking for individuals, couples or small groups of friends to join their friendly team of volunteers in South Yorkshire.

Charlie added: “There are many ways people can get involved; helping to run YAA stalls at local events, collecting donations, or giving talks and any time you can give is very much appreciated.

“It’s also a lot of fun and people get so much from volunteering. It’s a great way to make friends and be part of the local community.”

If you would like to find out more about becoming a South Yorkshire volunteer for Yorkshire Air Ambulance contact Charlie on 07768175727 or email c.pearson@yaa.org.uk

Caption: Yorkshire Air Ambulance South Yorkshire Community Fundraiser Charlie Pearson with the Kitemark Plus status award from Voluntary Action Rotherham.