General

The four working mums from Yorkshire are one of 26 teams taking part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which could see them become the oldest all female crew to row across any ocean.

The team – Janette Benaddi, Frances Davies, Niki Doeg and Helen Butters – are now around 1,400 nautical miles into their journey from La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, to the Caribbean island of Antigua and, despite a number of setbacks, they remain in good spirits.

Around three weeks into their journey, the quartet encountered a rare Atlantic hurricane – Hurricane Alex – and were forced to ride out the storm from the safety of their cramped cabins while they deployed their para anchor to stabilise the boat and stop them from being blown off course.

They have also had to contend with power failure, which has affected their autopilot, GPS tracking systems, and water maker, leaving them steering by hand using a compass and manually converting sea water into drinking water.

Helen Butters, whose daughter Lucy celebrated her 16th birthday yesterday (Wednesday, January 20) said:

“We are all really happy to have passed the half way mark and we are all still in really high spirits. We are basically just rowing, eating and sleeping. It is hard, especially not seeing our families, but we knew it was going to be tough.

“The scariest bit was during the hurricane when the rain was lashing down, there were really high winds and thunder and lightning. For three to four days we didn’t move and were confined to the cabins – with two people in each one you really can’t move in them.

“But we have also been visited by a whale which stayed with us for two hours, and have rowed with a pod of 15 to 20 dolphins which was absolutely amazing.

“I suffered with really bad seasickness during the first week, and Niki has a bad infection in her fingernail and bruised coccyx after falling over, but we haven’t missed a shift and are still in good spirits.

“We have all been inspired by each other, and are so much closer than we were before. We really can’t wait to see our families in Antigua and are really going to appreciate things a bit more – I think in that sense it will change our lives.

“We have been blown away by the support we have had from our families and friends, and complete strangers, so we want to say thank you to everyone.

“We really want to raise as much money as possible for our two charities – Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Maggie’s.”

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

“We are absolutely in awe of the Yorkshire Rows ladies and are eagerly following their fantastic progress! 

"They have done so well already to have made it to the half way point and we wish them all the luck in the world for the final half of their challenge. 

"It’s a real honour for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to have been chosen as one of two charities to benefit from the Yorkshire Rows challenge and not only are we are grateful to Janette, Helen, Niki and Frances but we are grateful to everyone that has donated to our cause through the ladies challenge.”

Laura Lee, Maggie’s Chief Executive, added:

“I’d like to say huge congratulations to the Yorkshire Rows team for reaching half way, a real milestone and achievement in itself!

“I’d also like to thank them for choosing to support Maggie’s Yorkshire through this incredible challenge.

“The team’s fundraising efforts will make a huge difference in helping us to build the new Maggie’s Centre at St James’s University Hospital which will bring vital support to people with cancer and their family and friends across the region. We wish them the best of luck for the final stretch of their challenge.”

To view the team’s blog visit blog.mailasail.com/yr

To follow the race live, visit www.taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com/race-tracker

To donate to Maggie’s text ROWS88 with the amount to 70070, or for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance text ROWS91 to the same number.

For more information on the team visit www.yorkshirerows.com, www.facebook.com/yorkshirerows2015 or follow @YorkshireRows Twitter.

John sustained serious, life threatening injuries last September when he crashed during the final sprint of a race at Dishforth Airfield, North Yorkshire.

The 53-year-old, a founding member and secretary of the Alba Rosa Cycling Club, suffered a cardiac arrest at the scene. He was stabilised by Yorkshire Air Ambulance paramedics before being airlifted within minutes to the specialised trauma centre at Leeds General Infirmary.

John suffered a broken back and neck, two punctured lungs and broken ribs in the horrific collision and spent nearly a month in the LGI before transferring to the Yorkshire Regional Spinal Injuries Unit at Pinderfields Hospital.

The Leeds-based Alba Rosa Club organised an affiliated, eight-hour team cycling relay event at Dishforth Airfield last month to say thank you to the rapid response emergency service.

Nearly 100 people took part, in terrible weather conditions, cycling over 2,500 miles and helping to raise over £3,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Club member James Sutherland, managing director at Dortech Architectural Systems, helped organise the charity relay which may now become an annual event.

He said: “We were all just so shocked that John should have such a serious accident. He is so well known and liked in the Leeds cycling community and we really wanted to do something to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“We thought a few might turn up but, because of who John is, so many people and local companies wanted to help and support the event.”

John, a father-of-four from Guiseley, has had to learn how to do everything again – from talking and eating to walking and dressing himself.

His wife Andrea, herself a nurse who looks after spinal cord injuries in the community, said: “If it had not been for Yorkshire Air Ambulance stabilising John at the scene and then getting him to the LGI so quickly, it would have been a very different outcome.

“They saved his life and I cannot thank them enough for what they did that day. Without them I would not have my husband and the children would not have their father.”

John was able to spend Christmas at home with his family before returning to Pinderfields. It is hoped the weaving manager for Abraham Moon and Sons in Guiseley will be discharged at the end of January.

There will then follow a long rehabilitation programme and Andrea added: “It will be a long road to recovery but John has already made extraordinary progress with the injuries he had.

“The only thing he can’t move very well is his right arm, but we hope that will come back in time. It might never be 100 per cent but he is alive.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance relies on the generosity of individuals and organisations across the region. The charity has to raise £12,000 every day – equivalent to £4.4 million a year – to keeps its two aircraft flying.

Mr Sunderland, 73, has been a Trustee of the life-saving Charity for over 12 years, with just over 9 of those as its Chairman, and has been responsible for some momentous changes at the YAA in recent years.

Mr Sunderland commented “I am overwhelmed to have received this honour from Her Majesty The Queen – it really is one of the proudest moments of my life.  When I joined as a Trustee of the YAA, I could never have imagined the journey I would embark on, but here we are over 12 years later with a remarkable Charity doing some amazing work across Yorkshire.  It truly is an honour to be its Chairman and I am touched to have been nominated for my MBE.”

Mr Sunderland joined the YAA after retiring from his role at the RMC Group PLC, where he worked for over 27 years as one of their UK Directors, bringing with him a wealth of experience in senior management, monitoring & delivering of business targets, workshops, strategic development, financial & budgetary control and project implementation.

After spending an initial 3 years as a Trustee for the YAA, he then became Chairman in November 2006, and continues to hold the position today, supported by his Vice-Chairman, Trustees and a strong senior management team.

Mr Sunderland has also been a member of the Wakefield Cathedral Council, and is a past President and Subscribers Secretary of Huddersfield Choral Society.

In 2007 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire by the Lord-Lieutenant, Dr Ingrid Roscoe.

In his time at the YAA, Mr Sunderland has always had a ‘hands-on approach’ to management and has overseen many key milestones for the Charity.  These include the purchase of the two MD 902 Explorer helicopters in 2006 and 2008, the acquisition of its Head Quarters in Elland near Halifax, the relocation of its Northern Airbase to RAF Topcliffe near Thirsk, and the development of its flagship airbase on the Nostell Estate near Wakefield.  And 2016 will see the delivery of a brand new Airbus H145 helicopter to the Charity.

He was also responsible for securing HRH The Duke of York, KG as the Charity’s Royal Patron in July 2012.

Mr Sunderland added “It is a true honour to be Chairman of such a fantastic organisation, and we have only been able to achieve everything we have with the support of the wonderful people of Yorkshire.  To those people, I will always be eternally grateful.  The MBE is just the icing on the cake for me.”

He is supported by his wife Margaret and three sons, Richard, Matthew and Nick.

Four heroic Yorkshire mums have taken the first strokes on their epic row across the Atlantic which could see them become the oldest female crew to row across any ocean.

After bad weather delayed their original start time by almost a week, Helen Butters, 45, Janette Benaddi, 51, Niki Doeg, 44, and Frances Davies, 47, finally waved goodbye to dry land on Sunday morning (20.DEC) as they set off on their 3,000 mile journey from the Canary Island of La Gomera to Antigua, in the Caribbean.

The quartet, known as Yorkshire Rows, are one of 26 teams from around the world who are taking on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

It is billed as the toughest rowing race on earth – more people have been into space than have rowed across the Atlantic – and will see them encounter 30ft waves, sharks, exhaustion, sleep deprivation and seasickness.

The four friends, from York and Selby, expect the journey to take between 42 and 50 days and will row, in pairs, for two hours on and two hours off.

For the past few weeks it has been all hands on deck as the team prepared their small boat named Rose, who is eight metres long and 1.7 metres wide, for the gruelling journey.

The quartet have packed enough food for 60 days at sea – including tinned sardines, pineapple chunks and mango gin for Christmas Day – and essential equipment, like a water maker to create fresh water from sea water, solar panels for power, a GPS tracker and a satellite phone.

They have also had refresher courses on how to keep themselves and the boat clean, how to ensure they are following the right course and what to do if their boat capsizes.

Helen Butters, a mother-of-two, said:

“After two years of planning and training it is quite scary that it is finally about to begin, but we really just want to get going and get stuck in. The last few weeks have been pretty hectic with prepping the boat and testing out all our systems.

“Every week we have to thoroughly clean the boat and the deck, and have to clean the salt off the solar panels every day so we have enough power for our electronics.

“We have been getting a lot of good tips from an Antiguan team who have been moored next to us and will be rowing home – between them they have 100 years of experience at sea.

“Holidaymakers getting the ferry to La Gomera have also been coming to see us to wish us good luck, which is fantastic.”

The team, who are being supported by Welcome to Yorkshire, are aiming to raise in excess of £100,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Maggie’s, who will be opening a new cancer support centre at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds in 2017. 

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

“We wish the Yorkshire Rows Team every success for what is an unbelievable challenge. It shows an amazing amount of strength that whilst these brave ladies are rowing across the Atlantic, they are thinking of others and helping to save lives across Yorkshire. Our very best wishes are with them and we are grateful they are supporting the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.”

They will be writing a regular blog documenting their journey. To follow their progress visit blog.mailasail.com/yr

To follow the race live, download the Yellow Brick Race Viewer app available for both iPhone and Android from www.ybtracking.com/race-app.php

For more information on the team visit www.yorkshirerows.com, www.facebook.com/yorkshirerows2015 or follow @YorkshireRows Twitter.

During 2015, the supermarket chain’s stores in the region – from Harrogate to Hull and York to Sheffield – have raised over £52,000 for the life saving charity. That brings the total raised by Asda over the last three years to a staggering £200,000.

Asda Yorkshire Charity Champion Barkat Ali, said: “We are a Yorkshire-based business and this is a fantastic charity that does an amazing job saving lives across Yorkshire every day but relies totally on public donations.

“We have a fantastic partnership with Yorkshire Air Ambulance and are genuinely humbled by the work they do every day. I’m delighted to say we will be raising as much money as possible for them again next year.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) has carried more than 6,400 people in its 15-year history. The rapid response emergency service relies on the generosity of individuals and organisations to help save lives across Yorkshire.

To keep both its helicopters in the air the charity needs to raise £12,000 every day – equivalent to £4.4 million a year.

The charity has just placed an order for a state-of-the-art replacement aircraft that will take to the skies over Yorkshire next year.

The latest generation Airbus H145 helicopter will replace the older of the charity’s two aircraft, G-SASH, and providing paramedics with a much more modern medical fit-out to treat and transport often critically injured patients.

Kerry Garner, YAA Regional Fundraising Manager for West and South Yorkshire, said: “To have raised £200,000 over the last three years is a remarkable achievement. We continue to be blown away by the generosity of Asda, their store staff and amazing customers across Yorkshire.

“2016 will be a big year for us and to have the continued support of Asda is great news. We really cannot thank them enough.”

The Yorkshire Rows team Helen Butters, 45, Janette Benaddi, 51, Niki Doeg, 44, and Frances Davies, 47 are racing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Antigua, in the Caribbean, as part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

The mammoth challenge will take the quartet between five to ten weeks to complete and will see them battle 30ft waves, sharks, exhaustion, sleep deprivation and sea-sickness, as well as chafing in all manner of places.

Christmas and New Year will also be spent away from their families, with pineapple chunks and tinned sardines replacing the traditional Christmas dinner.

Hailing from York and Selby, the team met four years ago at York’s Guy Fawkes Boat Club and made the brave decision to enter the race over a glass of wine at the boat club dinner.

Since then, they have spent the past two years juggling both physical and mental training with their full-time jobs and busy family lives, with two children each.

With just two weeks left until the biggest challenge of their lives, the team said a final goodbye to their families at Manchester Airport today as they flew out to La Gomera for last minute preparations before the race starts on December 15.

The team is hoping to raise more than £100,000, which will be split between the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) and Maggie’s cancer centres who hope to open a new support centre in Leeds in 2017.

Helen Butters, a communications expert in the NHS, said:

“This row to me is about empowerment – showing that ordinary women can achieve extraordinary things with hard work and determination. It has been an intense two years of planning and organising and it will be a doubly intense two months with no sleep and rowing continuously on an ocean that really scares me – but this challenge will have a huge impact and make a difference to so many people’s lives. We never expected this much support and we really just want to get in the boat and do it now.”

Maggie’s Chief Executive, Laura Lee added:

“I’d like to say a big thank you to the Yorkshire Rows team for choosing to sign up to this incredible challenge. The team’s fundraising efforts will make a huge difference in helping us to build the new centre at St James’s University Hospital. We wish them the best of luck when they start the challenge in December.”

Paul Gowland, Director of Fundraising at YAA said:

“We wish the Yorkshire Rows team every success for what is an unbelievable challenge. It shows an amazing amount of strength that whilst these brave ladies are rowing across the Atlantic, they are thinking of others and helping to save lives across Yorkshire. Our very best wishes are with them and we are grateful they are supporting the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.”

Welcome to Yorkshire is supporting the team throughout their challenge.

Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive said:

“The Yorkshire Rows are an inspiration to us all and prove that if you put your mind to something anything is possible. We’re proud to be supporting the Yorkshire Rows during their incredible challenge and we wish them the very best of luck – we will be with them every stroke of the way!”

The team will be writing a regular blog documenting their journey. To follow their progress visit blog.mailasail.com/yr

To follow the race live, download the Yellow Brick Race Viewer app available for both iPhone and Android. For more information visit www.ybtracking.com

Sam Silverwood is on cloud nine after being appointed South Yorkshire Regional Fundraiser for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The 36-year-old held a similar role with the rapid response emergency charity for three years before leaving to have a family in 2008.

Sam has returned to help deliver a fundraising and volunteer drive across South Yorkshire. “With Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital getting its own helipad next year it is likely that our work will increase even more in South Yorkshire.

“So we want to make it as easy as possible for local people to get behind the charity and support us. 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.”

Sam, from Penistone, is now the proud Mum of two children and knows at first hand how important raid response emergency services are.

Her six-year-old daughter Libby nearly died at birth after her umbilical cord ruptured. After an emergency caesarean, the newborn was rushed from Barnsley to specialists at Jessop Hospital, Sheffield, by the neonatal and paediatric retrieval service Embrace.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance partners with the Embrace team often quickly moving specialist medical teams and equipment to their sickest patients across the region.

Sam, said: “We as a family are only too aware of the difference that services like the air ambulance can make.

“I worked part-time for Barnsley Hospice and the Sick Children’s Trust after Libby recovered and now I feel the time is right to come back and to use my experience to really make a difference.

“In the last seven years the charity has really grown in terms of its profile, its workload and the income needed to keep the two helicopters flying but the key message about what we do and why has not changed.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people across Yorkshire and has carried more than 6,300 people in its 15-year history.

The independent charity needs to raise £12,000 each day to keep its two helicopters in the air and flying, which is equivalent to £4.4 million a year.

The YAA is looking for individuals, couples or small groups of friends to join their friendly team of volunteers in South Yorkshire. There are many ways you can get involved, including helping to run the YAA stalls at local events or even raise awareness of the work of the YAA by speaking at small events.  

You would need to have access to your own vehicle and be able to independently collect a gazebo, merchandise and other equipment as well as set up, run and pack up the stall.

If you would like to find out more about becoming a South Yorkshire volunteer for Yorkshire Air Ambulance contact Sam on 07768 175727 or email her on s.silverwood@yaa.org.uk.

This time, the ride will pay homage to the late great Bill Shankly, taking in three of the clubs he managed: Carlisle United (1948-1951), Huddersfield Town (1956-1959) and Liverpool FC (1959-1974).  

The ride will begin at Carlisle United’s Brunton Park on the morning of Wednesday 4 May and will finish that evening 80 miles south in Lancaster.    On Thursday 5 May, the ride will start in Lancaster, pass Preston North End whom Shankly played for from 1933 to 1949, and end in Liverpool, which is 65 miles in total.    Friday 6 May will be the last day of the ride, starting in Liverpool and ending 70 miles away back in Huddersfield.   

There will be a celebration for the cyclists at PPG Canalside on the Friday evening with friends and family welcome.    On Saturday 7 May, the day of Town’s last home game versus Brentford, participants will be asked to meet at PPG Canalside pre kick off, and make their way on to the John Smith’s Stadium for their lap of honour.  

The ride is 215 miles in total and will see supporters and staff alike raising funds for the ‘Keep It Up’ campaign; the Club’s fundraising partnership between the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the Huddersfield Town Academy.  

Club Ambassador Andy Booth commented:   

“I am extremely excited about ‘P4P7: The Shankly Tour’. It’s a challenging route, and one we’ve never done before, and to take in other clubs along the way should be something special. It’s different in that it’s over two nights and the atmosphere at PPG Canalside when the ride ends there on the Friday evening should be great.   

“We know lots of people like to see our cyclists enter the Stadium on the last game of the season so we’re glad to be able to be doing that again this year. I’d urge Town fans to back the ride again this year and help us raise funds for a fantastic cause!”   Orchard Energy Managing Director Gareth Henderson said:   

“Once again, we are really proud to be the main sponsor of Pedal for Pounds. It’s an event that we love to get involved in. It's for a great cause and the camaraderie and the support behind all the riders is phenomenal. The Orchard team can't wait to take part next year – we're already in training!”  

If you would like to take part in the Pedal for Pounds 7 bike ride, please download a sign up form and medical form from www.htafc.com and return both along with your £50 registration fee (non-refundable; covers official cycling jersey, bike and bag tags. coach travel to Carlisle, ‘I completed t-shirt’, dinner, water and snacks, breakfast on departure and a pie and pea supper on arrival).  

Forms can be posted FAO Andy Booth, PPG Canalside, 509 Leeds Road, Huddersfield, HD2 1YJ or handed in at the Stadium ticket office windows. Cheques should be made out to the ‘Keep It Up’ campaign.   

The deadline date for entries is Wednesday 13 January 2016.  

The Club’s previous Pedal for Pounds bike rides have contributed over £900,000 to the £1.3 million raised for the campaign so far since its inception in 2009.   For more information please contact andy.booth@htafc.com. 

Printing company, instantprint, support YAA as part of their Christmas campaign

South Yorkshire based online printing company, instantprint are helping us to raise funds through their beautifully designed Christmas cards. As fellow Yorkshire folk, instantprint wanted to support a charity that saves lives in their community.

To help with fundraising, instantprint have dedicated the Christmas card section of their site to YAA. Simply select a Christmas card design you love, and the YAA logo will automatically be uploaded to your card using the ‘design online’ tool.

For each order placed, instantprint are donating £5 to YAA. instantprint are big fans of what YAA do, and they would like to help us continue to do good throughout Yorkshire by fundraising.

James Kinsella, co-owner of instantprint said: “The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is such an important service that has helped save the lives of many people. We’re so excited to be contributing towards such an amazing cause and raising those all-important funds to keep YAA in the skies.

“We’re donating £5 to Yorkshire Air Ambulance for each order placed. What’s more, you can help raise even more for your favourite charity by sharing your generosity on social media using #IPcharitycards.”

The campaign will be running from 22 October – 21 December in the hope of raising as much as possible for YAA. Prices start from £21, and cards can be bought in packs of 25, 50, 100, 250, 500, 1,000 and 2,000. Can we count on your support?

A woman who had to learn to walk again after being involved in a car crash has raised over £1,000 for charity after completing a gruelling obstacle course.

Hayley Morris took part in the Tough Mudder event to thank the Yorkshire Air Ambulance paramedics who helped save her life.

The 30 year-old was driving home after a nightshift at Dewsbury District Hospital – her final hospital placement before qualifying as a midwife – when the accident happened in July 2013.

She suffered from head injuries when her car was hit by a lorry.

“My world was turned upside down after the accident,” said Hayley, who spent three weeks in hospital being treated for a bleed on the brain.

“Fortunately, Yorkshire Air Ambulance got to me quickly and then got me to the specialists at Leeds General Infirmary in minutes. I was given a second chance thanks to them – my Angels of the sky.”

The crash caused nerve damage down her right side and meant Hayley, from Bradford, had to learn to walk and write again. She had to retake her final year but is now a qualified midwife working in Macclesfield.

She completed the 10.5-mile Yorkshire Tough Mudder event with good friend Irena Tyler from Wyke, Bradford.  Hayley added: “It was so so tough and I must have cried about ten times on the way round.

“It was really hilly and wet but it was great fun and definitely worthwhile. We smashed our fund raising target and I can’t believe how generous people have been.”

Last year Hayley also joined family and friends walking the Three Yorkshire Peaks – completing part of the challenge – and helping to raise over £2,200 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The rapid response emergency service serves 5 million people across Yorkshire, attending more than 1,000 incidents on average a year.

The independent charity needs to raise £12,000 each day to keep its two helicopters in the air and flying, which is equivalent to £4.4 million a year.

The rapid response emergency service was the chosen charity partner for this year’s event that took place over four action-packed days in June.

A total of £2,865 was raised on the Yorkshire Air Ambulance stall and through a raffle, games and collections. Advertising across Bramham Park and in the event programme also helped to raise awareness about the work of the charity.

Kerry Garner, West and South Yorkshire Regional Fundraiser, said: “We are very grateful to the Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials for choosing us as charity partner and we had a fantastic four days.

“Horse riding is such a popular past-time and sport across Yorkshire and the horse riding community is a great supporter of the air ambulance charity. We attend incidents virtually every week where someone has fallen from a horse, often in quite inaccessible places.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance has two aircraft that fly from air bases at RAF Topcliffe, near Thirsk, and Nostell Priory, near Wakefield.

The independent charity attends over 1,000 missions a year and needs to raise £12,000 every single day to keep its two helicopters in the air – equivalent to £4.4 million a year.

The Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials is Yorkshire’s largest equestrian event attracting thousands of people.

Event Director Nicholas Pritchard said; “We’re delighted to hear that Yorkshire Air Ambulance had such a great response during the event.  It was a pleasure to get behind such a worthy cause and I’m sure many of the visitors have, or know someone who has, benefitted from their work.   The team at Bramham can only say ‘keep up the good work!’ and we hope their future fundraising continues to be successful.”