It was the largest act ever to have taken to the stage at York Barbican last Saturday, as nearly 800 Rock Choir members had the audience up on their feet to the sounds of well-known, uplifting classics such as ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, ‘Rather Be’, ‘Proud’, including a surprise performance by Founder and Director, Caroline Redman Lusher singing Labi Siffre’s ‘Something Inside So Strong’.  The evening was also supporting the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and raised a fantastic £1,120.

York Rock Choir leader, Steve Brown said “All of the hard work that the choir members have put into this event has led to an incredible performance and an amazingly connected audience. I am so very proud to be a part of Rock Choir and know that there will be many more great events happening over the coming years. Huge well done to all that took part, and thank you to those that helped put it all together.”

Rock Choir members from the UK’s largest contemporary choir, conducted by four Rock Choir leaders who run fun rehearsals in local communities across the Yorkshire region, gave a sensational rendition of Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’.

Community Fundraiser for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, David Hebden said “We were absolutely delighted to have been chosen as the Charity for this amazing performance.  The choir’s performance was phenomenal and they should all be commended.  The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an independent Charity which needs to raise £12,000 each day, so we rely on the support of events such as the Rock Choir’s performance to help us raise the vital funds we so desperately need.  We would like to thank everyone at Rock Choir for choosing to support us, and also the audience on the evening for their generous donations.”

Rock Choir is the UK’s largest contemporary choir, with in excess of 23,000 members in over 320 local communities. There are no auditions and no requirements to read music or have any previous singing experience. Rock Choir members get together each week to attend fun, friendly rehearsals where they are taught specially arranged pop, rock and chart songs. There are lots of exciting performances throughout the year and many of them help raise money for charity.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5 million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The charity are soon to replace their current ageing helicopters with two, brand new state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.  These will take to the skies over Yorkshire later this year and in Spring 2017.  The new aircraft – each costing £6m – offer exceptional flight performance and will have significantly lower operational and maintenance costs. The H145 is night capable, enabling longer flying hours, and is used by military, police and air rescue services throughout the world.

Big hearted staff from the Leeds office of business advisory firm Deloitte have raised a staggering £10,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Last June, the rapid response emergency service was selected as Deloitte in Yorkshire’s charity partner for the next two years after a vote by the 480 staff in the firm’s City Square offices.

Since then, staff have been raising much needed funds through a range of activities from the traditional dress down days and bake sales, to the more adventurous including a sponsored 14-mile canoe challenge.

Helen Kaye, partner and corporate responsibility lead at Deloitte in Yorkshire, said: “I am delighted to have supported Yorkshire Air Ambulance as our local office charity for the last year.

“From the 480 people based in our Leeds office we have seen some fantastic fundraising efforts to help Yorkshire Air Ambulance in their mission to save lives across the county.

“Through our corporate responsibility programme at Deloitte our aim is to play a proactive role in helping our local charity deal with key organisational challenges, not just raising funds, but also by providing time and expertise through volunteering and pro-bono support.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves five million people across the county and attends more than 1,000 incidents a year. The charity has so far airlifted more than 6,800 people to major trauma centres across the county.

Kerry Garner, Regional Fundraising Manager, said: “It has been a pleasure working with the Leeds Deloitte team over the last year and we would like to sincerely thank their staff for their amazing fundraising efforts!

“£10,000 is a huge amount of money for the Charity and will certainly help to keep saving lives across Yorkshire.  We are an independent Charity and rely on support from people such as the staff at Deloitte to help us raise the vital funds we need every day to keep both of our helicopters in the air and helping to save lives.”

The rapid response emergency service has recently placed an order for two, brand new state-of-the-art replacements for its current ageing aircraft – G-SASH and G-CEMS – that will take to the skies over Yorkshire later this year.

The latest generation Airbus H145 helicopters will give paramedics a much more modern medical fit-out to treat and transport often critically injured patients.

The hoist-equipped aircraft, part-funded by the £1m Treasury donation from the Libor Fine Funds, will allow the charity to reach patients in remote or inaccessible places, while the increased range, payload and cabin space will enable YAA to provide critical care and transport across Yorkshire’s 5 million acres of territory. The 4-axis autopilot, full night flying capabilities and availability rates of roughly 95% will help YAA increase life-saving missions by 30% and make the H145 an iconic sight over the skies of Yorkshire.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance will also benefit from a unique long-term, comprehensive support arrangement, specifically tailored to the projected 800+ flying hours per year the charity plans to fly. The agreement, which covers material management and 24/7 Airbus Helicopters support across the UK, will provide value for money over the duration of the contract and help optimise the aircraft’s availability.

Transport Minister Robert Goodwill MP said, “Air ambulances play a vital role in saving lives. As a Transport Minister and a Yorkshire MP I am delighted to be here today to see Yorkshire Air Ambulance receiving their new state of the art helicopter. The money for this helicopter comes in part from fines levied on banks. It’s only right that funds from those who have demonstrated the worst values should go to those, like the brave air ambulance crews, that show the best on a daily basis. This brings the total fund given to air ambulances across the country to over £10 million.”

Peter Sunderland, Chairman of YAA, said, “We are extremely excited to be formally accepting our second H145 from Airbus, and Farnborough Airshow is an absolutely fitting surrounding to do so. Our new H145’s will provide the people of Yorkshire and its visitors with a much enhanced, state-of-the-art medical service, befitting of the support they show towards us. Airbus Helicopters has been a pleasure to deal with during the purchasing process and we are now looking forward to the H145’s taking to the skies of Yorkshire and helping us to continue to save more lives.”

Colin James, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters in the UK said, Yorkshire Air Ambulance will benefit from the enhanced capability this innovative and fully supported H145 solution provides. We are proud to be associated with the delivery of such an important mission which touches the lives of people across Yorkshire on a daily basis”.

The Leeds office of business advisory firm Deloitte are delighted to announce they have raised a fantastic £10,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance since the beginning of their charity partnership in June 2015.

The rapid response emergency service was selected after a vote by the 480 staff in the firm’s City Square offices. Since the partnership began staff have been raising much needed funds through a range of activities from the traditional dress down days and bake sales, to the more adventurous including a sponsored 14 mile canoe challenge.

Helen Kaye, partner and corporate responsibility lead at Deloitte in Yorkshire, said: “I am delighted to have supported Yorkshire Air Ambulance as our local office charity for the last year. From the 480 people based in our Leeds office we have seen some fantastic fundraising efforts to help Yorkshire Air Ambulance in their mission to save lives across the county.

“Through our corporate responsibility programme at Deloitte our aim is to play a proactive role in helping our local charity deal with key organisational challenges, not just raising funds and also providing time and expertise through volunteering and pro-bono support.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves five million people across the county and attends more than 1,000 incidents a year. The charity has so far airlifted more than 6,800 people.

Kerry Garner, Regional Fundraising Manager, said: It has been a pleasure working with the Leeds Deloitte team over the last year and we would like to sincerely thank their staff for their amazing fundraising efforts!  £10,000 is a huge amount of money for the Charity and will certainly help to keep saving lives across Yorkshire.  We are an independent Charity and rely on support from people such as the staff at Deloitte to help us raise the vital funds we need each and every day to keep both of our helicopters in the air and helping to save lives.”

Hunky firemen from across West Yorkshire have proved to be red hot fundraisers for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Over the last 12 years, firefighters from across the region have featured in the ‘Red Hot Dates’  calendar which has so far raised more than £100,000 for a range of charities.

The sizzling 2016 version has so far pulled in £1,400 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance bringing the total donated to over £17,000.

The Red Hot Calendar was the brainchild of West Yorkshire Fire Service Assistant Commander Dominic Furby.

“I can’t believe how popular the calendar is now,” said Dominic, who is based in Calderdale. “Although most of the interest is in the UK we have sales throughout the world, especially in Australia, Canada, Scandinavia and Europe.

“We have a huge following on social media. One photo we put up on Facebook a couple of weeks ago got 20,000 views. It has just been amazing.

“We support mainly local charities and have donated proceeds several times to Yorkshire Air Ambulance over the years. We work very closely with them, both at incidents and with their fundraisers, and know the brilliant work that they do.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people across Yorkshire and has carried more than 6,600 people in its 15-year history.

The charity has just placed an order for two, brand new state-of-the-art replacements for its current ageing aircraft – G-SASH and G-CEMS – that will take to the skies over Yorkshire later this year and in Spring 2017.

The latest generation Airbus H145 helicopters will give paramedics a much more modern medical fit-out to treat and transport often critically injured patients.

YAA West Yorkshire Regional Fundraising Manager Kerry Garner said: “We have received fantastic support from the Fire Service over the last 12 years.  They have raised a phenomenal amount of money which is vital to the Charity.

“It is so important for the emergency services to work in partnership and this just shows what a fantastic relationship we have, working together to save lives.

“The calendar has gone from strength to strength and we cannot thank the Fire Fighters enough and wish them all the best for the 2017 edition!”

Dominic and his team are just putting the finishing touches to the 2017 version of the Red Hot Dates calendar which will, for the first time, be interactive. Scrolling a free App over each image will generate a fire safety message from each firefighter featured.

The world’s fastest woman has made a special return to Yorkshire to thank air ambulance medics after surviving a terrifying motorcycle crash at more than 200mph.

Becci Ellis was trying to beat her own land speed record of 264mph at Elvington Airfield, North Yorkshire, last August when the high-speed accident happened. After reaching an astonishing 254mph her powerful turbo-powered bike was hit by a gust of wind sending her veering off the track.

Spectators – including her husband and former racer Mick – watched in horror as Becci’s Suzuki Hayabusa careered out of control for a quarter of a mile before, still travelling at around 90mph, the mother-of-two was thrown off.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance was quickly on scene and airlifted Becci to hospital in Leeds within minutes. Thanks to armour-plating inside her racing suit, the 49-year-old IT analyst miraculously escaped with a broken ankle, severe bruising and whiplash.

After an eight-hour hospital stay, she was trackside at Elvington again the following day to watch other competitors and to help raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Becci said: “I had just gone through the speed gate at 254mph when the wind caught me and in less than a second the bike had gone onto the grass.

“I managed to keep the bike upright but I was still doing around 90mph when the bike finally dug into the dirt and I was catapulted off. I don’t remember coming off or hitting the ground, but I landed on my front sliding for about 70 yards and blacked out briefly.

“The air ambulance was called and the paramedics were there very quickly. I was in Leeds hospital fifteen minutes after the crash.”

Becci’s recovery has been painful and slow, but with the help of a sports therapist and the support of her family she is now ready to ride again – although on a completely rebuilt bike.

The mother-of-two from Scunthorpe took the new bike to Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Nostell Air Base, near Wakefield, to show air crew and paramedics and to thank them.

Becci added: “Mick and I have been collecting for the Air Ambulance for about 12 years and the day after my accident we raised £500.

“The paramedics and pilots are just fantastic and I taking the new bike up was my way of satying thank you for being there for me that day.

“I know, not just from what happened to me, but having seen what they do at events they have definitely save lives. Accidents happen but it is so reassuring to know that we have this amazing service on hand to look after us.”

Becci set her world record of 264mph in October 2014 Elvington Airfield, beating the previous title-holder by more than 20mph. She is considering returning in August to make a further attempt to break her record again.

“I’m having another couple of test and tune days next month and if weather conditions are perfect we aim to get as close to 270mph as possible. But it is totally down to me, I’m not going to put my life at risk for this, it’s not worth it, and I have nothing to prove.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people across Yorkshire and has carried more than 6,600 people in its 15-year history.

The charity has just placed an order for two, brand new state-of-the-art replacements for its current ageing aircraft – G-SASH and G-CEMS – that will take to the skies over Yorkshire later this year and in Spring 2017.

The latest generation Airbus H145 helicopters will give paramedics a much more modern medical fit-out to treat and transport often critically injured patients.

Caption: Becci Ellis (front) and husband Mick (behind left) meet Yorkshire Air Ambulance pilot Capt Garry Brasher (behind right) and paramedics Matt Syrat and Sammy Wills.

Geoffrey Boycott has officially unveiled Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s landmark new, state-of-the-art helicopter that will take to the county’s skies later this Summer.

The rapid response emergency service is replacing both its current ageing aircraft – G-SASH and G-SEMS – with the latest generation Airbus H145 helicopter.

Geoffrey, who is a Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) Patron, joined charity staff, supporters and volunteers to get first sight of the first of the new aircraft which flew into the charity’s Nostell Air Support Unit near Wakefield.

It will become fully operational in a couple of months following a full medical fit-out and crew training. A second H145 has been ordered from Airbus and will be in service by Spring 2017.

The new aircraft – each costing £6m – offer exceptional flight performance and will have significantly lower operational and maintenance costs. The H145 is night capable, enabling longer flying hours, and is used by military, police and air rescue services throughout the world.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance has been planning the replacement of its existing aircraft for several years. The purchase and fitting out costs have been met through planned savings, grants, careful budgeting and the amazing generosity of the people of Yorkshire.

YAA Chairman Peter Sunderland said: “This really is a landmark day for the charity and for Yorkshire. This amazing new helicopter is the result of the hard work and dedication of the tremendous team we have at the charity and the wonderful generosity of the people of Yorkshire.

“This helicopter belongs to the people of Yorkshire and will do for the next 20 to 25 years. I am very proud to say we now have a level of service which is probably the best of any air ambulance charity in the UK.”

Air ambulance doctors and paramedics have been involved from the start in the medical fit out of the H145s which provide a much larger cabin area to treat patients in flight, and will carry the latest medical equipment.

YAA Clinical Operations Manager Pete Vallance said: “The open cabin allows clinicians to have full access to the patient inflight and we have future-proofed the specialized medical equipment that is being fitted.

“We believe we have now got the best aircraft and the best equipment available to enable us to provide top-level clinical care across Yorkshire for many years to come.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance still needs to raise £12,000 every single day to keep its helicopters flying. The charity serves 5million people across Yorkshire, attending on average, more than 1,000 incidents a year.

Its two current YAA helicopters, MD902 Explorers G-SASH and G-CEMS will have a phased retirement once the new H145’s are in operation and will eventually be sold to aid the replacement costs.

Paul Gowland, YAA Director of Fundraising, said: “For the people of Yorkshire to raise the amount of money they do to enable us to buy these new aircraft is just astonishing.

“The H145 will enable us to fly an increase of 30 per cent more missions a year, to take an extra 30 per cent more people to major trauma centres and potentially 30 per cent more people will be alive.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) has worked with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) and commissioners to launch a new Yorkshire Critical Care Team which will see 11 consultants in emergency medicine and anaesthesia working on the life-saving helicopter 12 hours a day, every day of the year.

The team will carry additional drugs as well as being able to perform emergency anaesthesia and life-saving surgical procedures at the scene of an incident.

Dr Andrew Pountney, Emergency Medicine Consultant at Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, is clinical lead for the Yorkshire Critical Care Team.

He said: “We have had doctors flying with Yorkshire Air Ambulance on an ad hoc basis for over 10 years now.

“But thanks to this initiative we now have a dedicated and funded system to ensure that a consultant with appropriate training and experience in pre-hospital emergency medicine can respond every day of the year.”

The doctors, who have been seconded to Yorkshire Ambulance Service by their host trusts, will support the work of the YAA paramedics who have extended critical care skills, as well the physicians with the West Yorkshire Medic Response Team and British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS) who are tasked to respond by road to serious incidents.

Dr Pountney added: “This is about complementing the excellent service already provided by Yorkshire Air Ambulance paramedics and other frontline response teams.

“For the vast majority of the time the doctors will have a vital role providing support for the paramedics when they are using their extended skills.

“The doctors will also be able to make advanced clinical decisions and deliver critical care interventions very quickly, including pre-hospital emergency anaesthesia. There will be occasions when having an experienced doctor on board will mean that certain life-saving procedures can be done on scene.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5 million people across Yorkshire and has carried more than 6,600 people in its 15-year history.

The charity has just placed an order for two, brand new state-of-the-art replacements for its current ageing aircraft – G-SASH and G-CEMS – that will take to the skies over Yorkshire later this year and in Spring 2017.

The latest generation Airbus H145 helicopters will give paramedics a much more modern medical fit-out to treat and transport often critically-injured patients.

A Driffield pensioner who makes and sells thousands of jars of jam and chutney for Yorkshire Air Ambulance is flying high after joining The Queen’s official 90th birthday celebrations.

Ann Kent has raised more than £41,000 for the rapid response emergency charity over the last eight years, selling her delicious homemade jams and chutneys at events across East Yorkshire.

Her sister Edna Turner from Nafferton and friends Alan and Gail Amess from Dunswell are keen helpers and joined Ann for the spectacular night of musical and military displays at Windsor Castle.

A host of stars including Dame Helen Mirren, Kylie Minogue, Katherine Jenkins and Gary Barlow took part in the event which also featured 900 horses and 100 military and Commonwealth pipers.

“It was a real once in a lifetime experience and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves,” said Ann. “It was such a privilege to be there and we were very well looked after.”

Waitrose, an Official Partner of The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration, asked all their stores to nominate charities to receive tickets for the spectacular Windsor Castle show.

The Willerby store chose Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) and successfully secured four tickets in the nationwide ballot.

YAA Area Fundraising Manager Bob Smailes said: “Waitrose wanted the tickets to be used to recognize supporters of charities and we were delighted to be able to give them to Ann and her team.

“We have a lot of fantastic volunteers who do brilliant work for us, attending events, cheque presentations and talks on our behalf.

“Ann and her sister make all the jams, chutneys and cakes from scratch and sell them at events completely on their own. It’s a remarkable achievement and we could not have been more happy to recognize their efforts in this very special way.”

Ann sources all the fruit and vegetables for her jams and chutneys locally, with most of it donated free of charge. She makes between 2,500 and 3,000 jars a year, as well as cakes, with her sister Edna producing about 500 fruit loaves.

These are sold for the YAA, with the help of Alan and Gail, at a wide range of events including the annual Driffield Steam Rally and Newby Hall Tractor Rally.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people across Yorkshire and has carried more than 6,600 people in its 15-year history.

The charity has just placed an order for two, brand new state-of-the-art replacements for its current ageing aircraft – G-SASH and G-CEMS – that will take to the skies over Yorkshire later this year and in Spring 2017.

The latest generation Airbus H145 helicopters will give paramedics a much more modern medical fit-out to treat and transport often critically injured patients.

A man who broke his back falling from a tree has made a bird table from its branches to thank Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Farmworker Jud Bruce was pruning the silver birch in his Mirfield garden on Mother’s Day when he stood on a dead branch and plummeted nearly 20 foot, landing on his back on a concrete wall.

Jud was flown in minutes by Yorkshire Air Ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary where scans revealed he’d luckily only broken a single vertebra in his spine.

However, facing up to three months off work, Jud used two birch tree branches he had to make a bird table which has now been auctioned, raising £75 for the rapid response emergency charity.

Further funds have also been raised by villagers donating in collections tins at his nephew’s newsagents shop in Lower Hopton.

The 47-year-old, who has always crafted things out of wood, said: “The air ambulance was just fantastic and this is a way to give a little bit back to them. It just felt like the completion of a circle.

“It was sold in a silent auction at my nephew’s shop and I know that people have also made donations to support the charity which is just great.

“I’m fortunate as there is a field right next to my house so the helicopter could land and the paramedics were great. I was really panicking that I was going to be paralysed.

“The flight was so quick and I know it would have been much less comfortable and much longer if I had had to go by road ambulance.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people across Yorkshire and has carried more than 6,600 people in its 15-year history.

The charity has just placed an order for two, brand new state-of-the-art replacements for its current ageing aircraft – G-SASH and G-CEMS – that will take to the skies over Yorkshire later this year and in Spring 2017.

The latest generation Airbus H145 helicopters will give paramedics a much more modern medical fit-out to treat and transport often critically injured patients.

Yorkshire based tailoring specialist, Skopes, has become the latest company to pledge its support to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance by making a sizeable donation and supplying three years’ worth of uniforms for their fundraising staff.

Established over 60 years ago in the heart of the textile industry, Skopes enjoys a rich history and heritage filled with the highest levels of innovation and service which is available through Skopes retail shops and within House of Fraser stores throughout the UK.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance approached Skopes about purchasing their staff uniforms, however, after an initial meeting Skopes wanted to support the charity and a three year sponsorship deal was agreed.

The Skopes logo has been applied to both Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopters and the staff will be kitted out in Skopes tailored clothing for the next three years. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance team opted for the 247 Corporatewear collection in black which oozes premium quality and is perfect office wear.

Paul Gowland, Director of Fundraising at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is proud of its strong partnerships within the local business community, and we very much value the support given to the Charity. We’d like to take this opportunity to thanks Skopes for their generous donation of not only ongoing financial support, but our staff uniforms which look great!”

Simon Cope, Managing Director of Skopes, commented on the partnership; “Our initial meeting with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance was about supplying uniforms to their fundraising staff, however after meeting the charity we recognised what great work they do and wanted to support them on an ongoing basis. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance saves the lives of many individuals and families every day, to keep both Air Ambulances in the air the charity needs to raise £12,000 per day, we wanted to contribute towards this.”

The partnership has been agreed for three years however Skopes look to support the charity on an ongoing basis. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is looking to engage with brands and companies in the region so if you could support the charity get in touch with them directly.