Fiona is from Harrogate and joined Yorkshire Air Ambulance in 2022. She previously worked as a Combat Medical Technician in the army and in a prison healthcare department before becoming a Paramedic in 2013.
“When you’re on the road as a Paramedic with a patient and you see the air ambulance arrive, you know the patient will get extra care and sometimes get to the hospital quicker that could potentially save their life”, said Fiona.
Andy lives in Leeds and has been a Paramedic for four years and progressed to Team Leader, before joining Yorkshire Air Ambulance in 2022. Prior to working as a Paramedic, Andy was a personal trainer, a bodyguard, and was in the military.
When asked why he wanted to work as a HEMS Paramedic, Andy said: “HEMS is the best job within the ambulance service and it’s a job most paramedics aspire to.”
Interesting fact: In his spare time Andy enjoys scuba diving
Sam lives in Bridlington and joined Yorkshire Air Ambulance in 2022. He began his career working in the Coast Guard Search and Rescue Team for nine years and joined the ambulance service in 2016. He worked his way up to Team Leader before joining the Charity.
“I wanted to work for Yorkshire Air Ambulance because it’s the best air ambulance in the country and brings the very best care to critically ill patients and working in the fantastic small Critical Care Team will allow me to do this”, said Sam.
Interesting fact: Sam is still on the coast guard team and he used to be a fire arms instructor
Terri-ann became a Paramedic in 2017, initially based out of Keighley, then Pateley Bridge, and finally Harrogate. She then completed a secondment at HART, Yorkshire’s Hazardous Area Response Team, before joining Yorkshire Air Ambulance in 2022.
When asked why she wanted to join YAA, Terri-ann said: “I wanted to work with the most amazing clinicians, Paramedics, and Pilots. The pre-hospital care they give and the speed that they can fly a patient to the hospital is incredible.”
Interesting fact: Terri-ann once got ‘The Most Improved’ on a surf camp in Australia.
Meet Ruth Crossley, Finance Manager at Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Proudly residing in the vibrant town of Huddersfield, Ruth became an invaluable member of our YAA team in November 2020. It’s worth noting that Ruth’s journey began amidst the challenges of the second Covid-19 lockdown, which meant she didn’t have the chance to meet her YAA colleagues face-to-face for a remarkable six months!
Initially joining as a Finance Officer responsible for Purchase Ledger, In July 2021, Ruth was rightfully promoted to the position of Finance Manager, working closely with our Finance Director, spearheading Month End accounts and overseeing the rest of our talented finance team.
Speaking of why she loves working for YAA, Ruth said, “Working for YAA not only allows me to pursue what I love but also provides me with a profound sense of fulfilment, knowing that I am contributing to supporting our lifesaving missions across Yorkshire.”
Outside the realm of finance, Ruth embraces the joyful busyness of her life as a mother to three beautiful children. Creating cherished memories with her family is a top priority. Additionally, Ruth finds excitement in attending concerts, immersing herself in the electrifying atmosphere alongside her family and friends. She takes great delight in sharing her passion for music with her two older children, who now accompany her to many of these gigs!
Interestingly, Ruth once owned her own wedding stationery business. From designing and handcrafting wedding stationery to dressing the wedding venues, Ruth played a crucial role in making couples’ special days truly memorable.
Laura joined Yorkshire Air Ambulance in 2021 as HR Manager. She has a degree in Psychology and Human Resources Management and is CIPD qualified. Laura has worked in a variety of HR roles within a variety of sectors during her career – housing, utilities, financial services, and construction.
Working in the charity sector for such a worthwhile cause is something Laura had always wanted to do and she enjoys the variety of work and interacting with the wider YAA team on a daily basis.
Laura has two young children who keep her very busy – a son who loves skateboarding and a daughter who enjoys ballroom dancing. She enjoys cooking, travel, fitness and spending time with her family and friends.
Mark is a solicitor and partner at Yorkshire law firm Gordons LLP. He leads the food and drink sector at the firm and specialises in commercial disputes, data, and rare asset disputes.
Most of Mark’s time is spent advising listed or large privately owned businesses on challenging issues that they face from disputes with suppliers, regulators and how to avoid such situations entirely. That support regularly includes acting for his clients in High Court Proceedings and other forms of dispute resolution.
In addition to advising businesses in private practice, since qualifying as a solicitor Mark has spent time working in-house for businesses like Morrisons and Iceland.
Mark joined the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Board of Trustees in July 2021 to provide support, primarily on legal matters.
Mark is married to Rachel and they live in Huby, between Otley and Harrogate.
Gemma joined the Yorkshire Ambulance Service in 2002 as a Technician and worked at Menston Ambulance Station as an AEMT (Advanced Emergency Medical Technician) until she was offered a position at HART, Yorkshire’s Hazardous Area Response Team. It was there she completed her Paramedic training and remained on the unit for eight years before joining YAA.
Gemma said: “I really wanted the opportunity to experience life as a HEMS paramedic. I spent eight years working across Yorkshire providing a HART response so now is a really exciting opportunity to provide a similar response but arriving to the emergency in a completely different way and providing my patients with a wider variety of clinical skills. I am really looking forward to working alongside the Doctors, providing a critical care response to the patients in the greatest need and hopefully learning a huge amount from the Doctors’ experience in pre-hospital care.”
Kevin has been a Trustee since 2004 and now has responsibility for oversight of the Charity’s Aviation and Operational activities, working closely with Steve Waudby (Director of Aviation) and Neale Jacobs (Director of Operations).
Professionally, Kevin is now retired but his early career was in the motor industry and subsequently the banking sector, specialising in business delivery methods, regulatory risk, and colleague engagement. Before retiring to focus on Yorkshire Air Ambulance and being a Parish Councillor, Kevin owned a property management and sales business in Leeds.
Kevin lives in the East Riding of Yorkshire on the glorious Yorkshire Wolds with his wife Jan. He has a keen interest in motorsports and archery, together with regular travel experiences.
From a background in engineering, James has been the Group IT Director of Renew Holdings since 2002, responsible for the provision of IT/IS throughout the transformation of the holding company from YJL/Montpellier (construction/property/investments) to Renew Holdings (providing multi discipline engineering services).
James initially became involved with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance in 2016 advising on the upgrade of the charity’s computer systems. He then become a Trustee in 2017 and provides advise to the charity on Information Technology.
James is married to Nikki with two (nearly) grown up children and lives in Leeds.
