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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.”

Mr Osbourne made the funding pledge during a visit to Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s s air base at Nostell Priory, near Wakefield, with longstanding charity supporter and cricketing legend Geoffrey Boycott who asked the Government for help.

Following the completion of a detailed review of their evolving needs for service delivery over the next 25 years, Yorkshire Air Ambulance has now placed an order for a latest generation Airbus H145 helicopter to replace the older of its two aircraft, G-SASH.

The £1 million Government donation, from fines levied on banks, will contribute substantially towards the new £5.7 million helicopter, which should arrive by September 2016 and will fly out of Nostell.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance Chairman Peter Sunderland, said: “We remain totally dependent on the generosity of the fantastic people of Yorkshire. 

“However, the phenomenal donation we have received today from The Chancellor of the Exchequer, will allow us to work towards fulfilling our mission to provide Yorkshire with the highest quality rapid response emergency service – and I express my sincere thanks for this exceptional contribution.

“In planning for the future we have been building up our reserves to ensure we can continue to develop and expand our life saving service by having the most up-to-date aircraft.

“G-SASH has been a familiar sight over the skies of Yorkshire for the last 14 years. But in recent years, maintenance costs have escalated and spare parts have become increasingly difficult to find. Now is the right time to replace her.”

The new helicopter offers exceptional flight performance and will have significantly lower operating and maintenance costs. The Airbus H145 is night capable and is used by military, police and air rescue services around the world – including the Metropolitan Police.

It has a larger cabin and provides paramedics with a much more modern medical fit-out to treat and transport often critically injured patients.

Mr Sunderland added: “Replacing G-SASH will ensure the continuation of a state-of-the-art air ambulance service for the people of Yorkshire for the next 25 years.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a rapid response emergency service that serves five million people across Yorkshire, operating from air bases at Nostell and RAF Topcliffe, near Thirsk.

It attends more than 1,000 incidents a year, on average, and the charity needs to raise £12,000 every single day to keep its two existing helicopters maintained and flying.  

George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: "Geoffrey Boycott asked the government for support, and I am delighted to able to donate £1m towards funding a new helicopter for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.  

“It's a brilliant charity that saves lives across Yorkshire, a county very much at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse.

"This funding – and the £10 million the government has donated to Air Ambulances across the country in the past year – comes from fines levied on banks, and it's only right that funds from those who have demonstrated the worst values should go to those, like the dedicated and skilled air ambulance crews and their supporters who demonstrate the best of British values on a daily basis."

The 24 year-old graduated last year from the Royal Agricultural University at Cirencester with a degree in international equine and agricultural business management.

The keen British eventer, who has three horses, worked as a sales executive for the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate and Redworth Hall in County Durham before joining Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“I am a keen horse rider and compete regularly so I know of many people who have had to be rescued by air ambulance, and have also seen the helicopter land at events,” said Victoria, from Harrogate.

“Yorkshire people are so great at supporting a Yorkshire cause and especially in the more rural areas. They are so aware of the valuable work the air ambulance does for their communities and I have been amazed by how much support and respect there is for the charity.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) needs to raise £12,000 every single day to keep its two helicopters flying. The rapid response emergency service attends more than 1,000 incidents a year.

YAA serves five million people across Yorkshire and has so far airlifted more than 6,200 people.

Victoria is working with the North Yorkshire team to raise awareness about the charity by giving talks, supporting people and organisations to hold fund raising activities, attending events and cheque presentations. 

Photo caption: Victoria Muirhead who has been appointed North Yorkshire Community Fundraiser by Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The Halifax-based club was following in the footsteps of past player and former England international Charlie Hodgson, who is a Yorkshire Air Ambulance patron.

Old Brods members held a range of fundraising events including golf days, charity matches, collection tins on the bar and donated proceeds from this Summer’s President’s Ball.

Several players also completed the Great Glen Challenge, climbing Ben Nevis and kayaking across Scotland over three days.

Player and club committee member James Ogden said: “Several members have been present when injured players have been airlifted from pitches during matches.

“It is an essential service for the region and the whole club has been involved in supporting them over the past two years. We had a target of £10,000 and we’re delighted to have topped that.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance has needs to raise £12,000 every single day to keep its two helicopters flying.

The charity serves five million people across Yorkshire, attending on average, more than 1,000 incidents a year.

Kerry Garner, YAA Regional Fundraising Manager for West and South Yorkshire, said: “We are so grateful to the fantastic members of Old Brods.

“They have not only raised a huge amount of money for us but helped to raise awareness of the work we do by, for example, displaying the YAA logo on the first team playing shirts and advertising the charity at their Woodhead Park ground.”