The rapid response emergency service charity, Yorkshire Air Ambulance, has been awarded the ‘People Can’ Volunteering Quality Standard award for its excellent volunteer management.
The award, which lasts three years, was first presented to the charity in 2019 and has been awarded again in 2023, showcasing best practice and recognising the ‘high quality, positive volunteering experience’ received by Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s team of volunteers.
As an independent charity, Yorkshire Air Ambulance relies on volunteers and their fundraising efforts to continue its lifesaving work. It currently costs £19,000 per day to maintain and operate the YAA’s two Airbus H145 Helicopters, based at Nostell Priory in Wakefield and RAF Topcliffe near Thirsk.
Regional Fundraising Manager at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Vickie Bowden, said, ‘We are absolutely delighted to have received the ‘People Can’ quality mark. Our volunteers do such a brilliant job for us and go above and beyond in their roles to promote the charity, raising both money and awareness for our cause. Therefore, it is crucial to us that in return our volunteers feel supported and recognised for their work’.
Chris Bulmer, Volunteering Development Officer at Community Action Bradford, said, ‘Yorkshire Air Ambulance has demonstrated an excellent range of resources supporting their recruitment and management of volunteers, who are so vital to what they do’.
‘Their recruitment process is welcoming and supportive to prospective volunteers including multi-format application processes, online, on paper and in person, followed by a well-structured induction and training plan for all new volunteers.
The evidence gathered exceeded our assessment criteria, which is a credit to the way the organisation values and manages its volunteers. There is a clear recognition of the value of volunteers within the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity and their importance in day-to-day operations’.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance is now appealing for more volunteers to help support the charity and raise awareness about its life-saving work out in local communities. The charity is looking for individuals, couples or small groups of friends to join their friendly team of volunteers across Yorkshire.
To find out more about volunteering for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, visit our Volunteering page.