Archives: Community TYs

Thank you to the employees of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust for donating an impressive £5,000 to the YAA through Pennies from Heaven. Pennies from Heaven (PFH) is the UK’s largest micro giving scheme for employees and pensioners and allows people to donate the pennies from their payslip to charity.

Jonathan Coulter, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Finance said: “We are thrilled to have reached the £5000 milestone for Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The Pennies from Heaven scheme is a great way for colleagues at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust to donate to such an essential emergency service and we are proud to be able to make a small contribution towards the work they do.”

Lin Stead, North Yorkshire Regional Fundraiser for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance said: ” We would like to say a huge thank you to Harrogate and District Foundation Trust for their ongoing support and generosity. It costs £12,000 a day to keep both of our helicopters maintained and in the air and £5,000 raised will help greatly towards our running costs.”

George Young, a joiner at Portakabin in York has been using his beloved Versaclimber, to climb the height of Mount Everest (8,848m / 29,029ft) a mind-blowing 70 times before his 70th birthday on 14^th February.  That’s a magnificent total of 619,360 metres (2,032,021ft) in six months, all achieved in time for his birthday on Valentine’s Day…just a mere 385 miles!

Each Everest climb took George around four hours.  As if one challenge wasn’t enough, he is now climbing 504 Scottish mountains, totalling 1.55 million feet over the next 6 months to give him something to do during Lockdown and before he can visit his holiday lodge in West Witton.

As part of his challenge, he has set-up a Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/george-young6 and is also aiming to raise some much-needed funds for one of his favourite charities, Yorkshire Air Ambulance.  George owes a big thank you to YAA as they treated him after a biking accident in Wensleydale during the Tour de France event in 2014.

Tessa Klemz, North Yorkshire Community Fundraiser said: “We would like to thank George for taking on such a mammoth personal challenge.  Like many charities, fundraising has been hit hard by the pandemic and thanks to George’s enthusiasm and energy, we can continue to keep the two yellow helicopters flying across Yorkshire saving lives.”

A big thank you to Colette Lain, one of our newly recruited volunteers who has arranged three seperate events of her own over the last year and has raised a fantastic £860 for the YAA! Having joined us just before lockdown, Colette has not been to any YAA events this year with our team, but made sure she could support the charity in her own way by holding her own raffles.

Clare Deacon,  North Yorkshire Community Fundraiser, said: “We would like to thank Colette for her support and for raising such an incredible amount of money in such a difficult fundraising period. We look forward to working with Colette when we can be out and about again.”

Yorkshire’s independent air ambulance charity has thanked Sewell on the go for playing a key role to ensure its lifesaving helicopters remain in action.

Sewell on the go has Yorkshire Air Ambulance clothing banks in place at nine of its 13 sites across Hull and the East Riding.

Since the arrival of the first clothing banks in 2014, members of the public have donated 16 tonnes of second-hand clothing, shoes and household fabrics per year, which equates to more than £20,000 raised for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity over more than six years.

Donated clothing ensures it is kept from landfill and is sold to trading partners in the UK and abroad to enable the charity to receive vital funds.

Patrick Sewell, Managing Director of Sewell on the go, said: “Yorkshire Air Ambulance is such a worthwhile charity, like many charities which need support and funding.

“We’re so grateful to our customers and general members of the public for supporting this initiative, and placing their unwanted clothing into the clothing banks.

“Recent times in particular have been very busy for the clothing banks because of the lack of charity shops open during lockdown. People have been at home more and had chance to have a clear out.

“Having clothing banks which are isolated and separate have served a good purpose, which is really positive.”

Established in October 2000, Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a dedicated helicopter emergency air ambulance charity, which relies on the support of members of the public and organisations to continue to support five million people across four million acres of the Yorkshire and Humber region.

It costs £12,000 per day to ensure its two air ambulances can keep flying, which is £4.4 million per year, and recycling of this kind generates at least £120,000 guaranteed income per year.

There are approximately 200 Yorkshire Air Ambulance clothing banks in place across the Yorkshire and Humber region and recycling has generated £2.8 million for the charity since it began the fundraising drive 16 years ago, with donors able to support the initiative without having to incur any costs.

The air ambulances are based at Nostell Priory near Wakefield and RAF Topcliffe near Thirsk.

Katie Collinson, Corporate and Partnerships Manager at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “The support we receive from Sewell on the go’s customer base is massively appreciated.

“This is sustainable income for us and we know it’s coming in year after year because Sewell on the go is a well-established business situated on well used sites.

“It’s so important for us to have these links within the community.

“To put this into context, if everyone in Yorkshire gave us £1, we wouldn’t have to do any fundraising.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance partners with Recycling Solutions to provide the clothing recycling scheme. All items which are able to be re-worn are sent on to second hand markets all around the world where free and fair trade is available.

This fundraising initiative is the latest partnership between Sewell on the go and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Staff from Sewell Group, which Sewell on the go is part of, visited the charity’s base in Nostell Priory in January last year and donated £1,275 following various team fundraising initiatives, including a Halloween-themed food event in 2019 and raffles.

Bob Smailes, North East Regional Fundraising Manager at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “Sewell on the go has been phenomenal.

“Recycling is part of the lifeblood of the charity and, particularly during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been fantastic.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming Patrick to Nostell Priory when it is safe to do so and showing him how the money is being spent. The support means so much to us and keeps us flying, enabling us to help people when they need us most.”

Clothing banks are in place at Sewell on the go sites at Sutton, South Cave, Wyton Bar, Cottingham, Chanterlands Avenue, Beverley, Maybury, Willerby and Dunswell, and a phased rollout is planned for the remaining four sites in the future.

Over the last 12 months, Sewell on the go has supported more than 60 charitable and community causes including Hull for Heroes, Hull Food Banks, Hull Animal Welfare Trust, Pocklington People’s Pantry and The Sailors’ Children’s Society.

A huge thank you to everyone at CMS Distribution who has supported the YAA throughout 2020. Although many of the initial fundraising plans were cancelled due to COVID 19, the social committee came up with some fantastic fundraising ideas and raised an impressive £3,433! Donations from CMS employees were then match funded by the company bringing the total raised to an incredible £5,279! Thank you so much for your support this year and we look forward to working with you in 2021!

You certainly couldn’t miss Wilf & Marjorie Gill’s house if you were driving past in December. Covered in lights of every colour, their magnificent display also featured a model village complete with lights switched on inside the miniature houses.

People visiting were asked to donate money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Wilf & Marjorie’s hard work raised a massive £2100. Not only were those donating treated to a wonderful light display, there were mince pies and mulled wine on offer too to say thank you for supporting.

Amongst those visiting, who else but the man of the moment, Father Christmas!

£2,100 is an outstanding amount that will go towards the £12,000 we need to raise every day to keep our live saving service available for the people of Yorkshire.

Wilf & Margaret Gill said ‘We would just like to say a MASSIVE thank you to each and every one of you that have been to see the Christmas lights (and Santa!). We are absolutely overwhelmed by the number of people who have been and the amount we have raised, we know it will make a big difference, this is all thanks to you! Thank you all so very, very much. This figure has blown us away and exceeded all expectations!’

Well Wilf & Margaret Gill, this is all thanks to you. Without your hard work and effort and your wish to support the Yorkshire Air Ambulance this would not have happened. You put a smile on many, many faces at a time when it is very much needed.

From everyone at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance…

A huge thank you to Masham Golf Club’s Captain Terry Jobling and all the members who, during such a turbulent year, still managed to raise a magnificent £3702.00.  When restrictions allowed, they organised a Race Night, Raffle plus auctioned some Golf Days that were then swapped with other clubs throughout the year.  One member generously donated his annual membership which boosted the final and very valuable total.

Tessa Klemz, North Yorkshire Community Fundraiser for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “It has been a challenging year for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the support and generosity we receive really is the lifeblood of our charity.  Masham Golf Club’s generous donation provides a valuable boost to our funds and will help greatly towards the £12,000 a day it costs to keep both of Yorkshire’s air ambulances flying across the region and saving lives.”

Thank you to The Crystal Cup Dressage Team, based in Harrogate who have raised £670 this year for the YAA by holding two, low key socially distanced Dressage events.  The Crystal Cup Dressage Team began raising money for the YAA when one of their Dressage friends required the service of the YAA. Sadly, she didn’t survive.

Clare Deacon, North Yorkshire Community Fundraiser, said: “We would like to thank The Crystal Cup Dressage Team for their support and generosity over the years. It has been a challenging year for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the £670 raised will help greatly towards our vital running costs. We look forward to working with the Crystal Cup Dressage Team in 2021.”

More than £600 has been raised so far for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance through a Christmas angels fundraising appeal.

Members of North Yorkshire County Council’s central business support team came up with the idea of making paper angels to adorn the Christmas tree which each year stands in the main reception of the council’s Northallerton offices.

Staff and their families made the angels in their own time, creating them in rainbow shades in recognition of the hard work of the NHS in tackling the pandemic this year.

Visitors to the offices and colleagues were invited to personalise the angels and hang them on the tree for a minimum donation of £1. So far, more than £600 has been raised, and there is still time to buy an angel, as the campaign will run until 6 January.

County Council Chairman Cllr Jim Clark said: “This has been a tremendous response from members of the public and council staff in support of a charity, which, like so many this year, has missed out on fundraising opportunities but has maintained its high standard of support for the people of North Yorkshire.”

Council Leader Cllr Carl Les added: “As we’ve worked together to deal with the pandemic, this year has been all about supporting one another. As an authority, we have worked with voluntary and community organisations across the county to support those in need. It’s heartening to see our staff continuing to encourage that community spirit on their own initiative. I welcome the choice of charity, it’s an organisation that can make a timely life or death difference in the remote areas of North Yorkshire.”

Linda Stead, North Yorkshire Regional Fundraiser for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to members of North Yorkshire County Council’s central business support team for raising more than £600 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance through such a wonderful, heartfelt Christmas fundraising idea.

“It has been a challenging year for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the support and generosity we receive really is the lifeblood of our charity. The money raised will help greatly towards the £12,000 a day it costs to keep both of Yorkshire’s air ambulances flying across the region.”

There is still time to buy an angel. Call into reception at the council’s office in Racecourse Lane, Northallerton, or email mainreception@northyorks.gov.uk

A big thank you to the Caledonian Plywood Company Ltd in Leeds for their generous donation of £1,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Caledonian Plywood’s General Manager, Jon Plummer, said: “In the absence of any Christmas events this year the directors at Caledonian Plywood Co ltd have generously decided to make a number of charitable contributions with each section of the business choosing a charity.

As this has been such a tough year, most charities have been unable to fundraise in their normal way and are struggling to get the funds they need to operate.

We are pleased to confirm that the Yorkshire Air Ambulance has been chosen by our Leeds Fire Door Manufacturing Division and has received a cheque for £1,000.”

Vickie Bowden, West Yorkshire Regional Fundraiser for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “It has been a difficult year for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance so this very generous donation provides a valuable boost to our funds and helps to keep our helicopters flying and saving lives across Yorkshire.”

Thank you to Ginni Skillbeck from High Paradise Farm tea room in Botlby who held a Festive Fayre on the 5th and 6th December, raising over £900 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. It was a fantastic outdoor event with local stallholders donating a percentage of their takings for the day.

Lin Stead, North Yorkshire Regional Fundraiser, said: “Thank you to all the team and to all those who attended and joined in the festivities. The £900 raised will help greatly towards our vital funding and will enable us to continue flying across Yorkshire and saving lives.”

Thank you to Derek Tyson who raised over £900 for the YAA by organising a socially distanced ploughing match on November 1st in Thirsk on land owned by Tim Robson.

Lin Stead, North Yorkshire Regional Fundraiser for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said:”Thank you to everyone involved with the organisation and running of the event, from the entries arriving to cleaning the road at the end of the day. Fundraising events have been few and far between this year and every penny counts in keeping our helicopters flying and ensuring the YAA is there for the people who need our help.”