A group of conductors and drivers based at Liverpool Lime Street Station Liverpool railway workers raise nearly £10,000 for charitable causeshave taken part in a gruelling 63hr charity train journey across Europe to raise funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the British Heart Foundation.

The team of seven comprised of colleagues from TransPennine Express (TPE), Virgin Trains and Northern who travelled from Liverpool Lime Street station by rail into Europe, covering 3,000 miles in less than three days.

The group was made up of; Stephen Walker (TPE), David Graham (TPE), Stephen Ward (Virgin Trains), Paul Fletcher (Northern) Andrew Iles (TPE), Marc Wood (TPE), Stephen Gamble (Northern) and they travelled between London, Paris, Munich, Venice, Milan, Zurich, Basel, Berlin, Cologne, Brussels, raising a grand total of £9650.

The money raised has been split between each cause with £4,881.51 going to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and £4,788.78 to the British Heart Foundation.

TPE Train driver David Graham organised the challenge in support of both charities after each played such a vital part in his rescue and recovery after he suffered a dramatic near fatal heart attack when driving a train between Liverpool and Scarborough back in 2012.

David, was 20 minutes into a journey from Scarborough to Liverpool when he began experiencing severe chest pains and lost consciousness on a remote stretch of track near Malton in North Yorkshire. David managed to bring his train to a halt in a safe place, after which the conductor discovered David and raised the alarm. Following Rob’s on-board announcement, a group of Royal Preston Hospital nurses returning from a hen party came to David’s rescue, treating him on the floor of his cab and calling in the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, who took over at the scene and airlifted David to Hull Royal Infirmary.

Last month, the group were invited to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Nostell Air Support Unit to formally hand over cheques to both charities. The group posed for photographs alongside the crew of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopter with Hayley Gough, British Heart Foundation fundraising manager.

TPE Train Driver David Graham said: “I will be forever grateful to both charities for the part they played in both my rescue and recovery. My colleagues and I have raised nearly £10,000 for both charities, exceeding our original target of £8,000.  I want to take this opportunity to thank all those that donated to our challenge in support of these two very worthy causes.”

Paul Gowland, Director of Fundraising at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Support Unit said: “It was an absolute pleasure to welcome the guys down to our Airbase at Nostell and receive such a fantastic amount of money from them.  We are extremely grateful to Andrew, David and all of their colleagues who have continued to fundraise for us after David’s accident so we would like to thank everyone very much. It was also great to see David again looking so well.”

Hayley Gough, Fundraising Manager at the British Heart Foundation (West Cheshire and Merseyside) said: “We had a wonderful afternoon at the Airbase. The staff at Nostell made us all very welcome and it was great to spend some time with Dave and the guys. The challenge was a great team effort and the total raised for both charities was just fantastic!

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) are the UK’s number one heart charity and through 50 years of funding cutting edge research have already made a big difference to people’s lives. Thanks to supporters like Dave and the team BHF currently fund thousands of research projects around the UK that are fighting heart disease. Thank you so much to everyone that helped to make the challenge such a great success!”

The rapid response emergency service’s iconic yellow helicopter will feature on the sides of the latest edition to Viamaster’s urban vehicle fleet.

The branding – which includes an appeal to make a £3 text donation to the YAA – was unveiled at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Nostell Air Support Unit near Wakefield.

The new SDC Trailer will become a distinctive sight on Yorkshire’s roads as it makes daily deliveries in cities and towns throughout the region.

Andrew Warrington, Chairman of Viamaster, said: “We hope a lot of people will see the message and show their support for their local air ambulance service. We will also be taking the trailer to events throughout the year to help raise awareness and funds for the charity.

“We are a family business and wanted to show our support for the amazing work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. It is a service that anyone at any time could need and, as part of the transport industry, Viamaster recognises the vital service YAA provides, saving lives across Yorkshire.”

Based at a state-of-the-art distribution, warehousing and training facility in Castleford, West Yorkshire, Viamaster has been in business for more than 40 years. The company is one the UK’s leading logistics providers with a fleet of around 50 vehicles operating a UK wide and international service.

You can support the Viamaster fund raising drive by texting YAAV50 £3 to 70070 to make a £3 donation to the rapid response emergency service.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people across the four million acres of Britain’s largest county and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The charity needs to raise £12,000 every day and is currently replacing its two, ageing aircraft with brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

Kerry Garner, YAA Regional Fundraising Manager, said: “We have been planning this campaign for some time now and it is amazing to finally see the finished design on the sides of the Viamaster vehicle.

“We knew it would look good, but until we saw it with our own eyes, we didn’t realise just how much impact the advertising was going to have!  We cannot thank Viamaster enough for this opportunity and are very much looking forward to continuing to work with the team.  We’re sure that our supporters will not miss the vehicle on the roads across Yorkshire!”

Caption: (L to R) Yorkshire Air Ambulance paramedic Pete Rhodes, Doctor Rob Anderson and paramedic Kit von Mickwitz by the YAA branded Viamaster vehicle.

Robert Wood was doing maintenance work on the 106-year-old bells at Middleham Parish Church, in Wensleydale, when he slipped and fell several feet onto part of the mechanism, impaling his chin on a metal peg.

The impact smashed Robert’s jaw and narrowly missed the major blood vessels in his neck. Amazingly, the 62-year-old managed to make his way down the tower to a shocked colleague who called the emergency services.

Fearing major blood vessel and nerve damage, Yorkshire Air Ambulance airlifted the retired environmental health officer to the major trauma centre at James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough.

Robert, a regular bell ringer at Ripon Cathedral, underwent a four-hour operation to repair his shattered jaw, which is now held together by metal plates, and spent five days in hospital.

“I was at the top of the tower, walking across the metal bell frame when I missed my footing and ended up landing chin-first onto a piece of the bell mechanism which had a rusty metal peg on the end,” said Robert from Ripon.

“I managed to get myself off that and make my way down the ladder. It’s amazing what you can do with adrenalin.

“The land and then air ambulance were there very quickly and I was just so grateful to be flown to hospital within minutes. They saved me from what would have been a long and painful journey of over an hour on winding roads.”

Robert is attempting a special bell ringing marathon on November 26 at St Thomas-a-Becket Church, Stockton, in a bid to raise the estimated £4,000 cost of his air ambulance flight.

He and 11 bell ringing friends and family from as far afield as Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire will attempt a minimum of 5,000 different changes in the full peal which will involve over three hours of non-stop ringing.

“It is certainly a challenge that requires stamina and a high level of concentration,” said Robert, who who has been bell ringing since the age of 13.

“But I wanted to repay the cost of my flight. You see the air ambulance and put your loose change into a collection tin never ever thinking that one day you will need this fantastic service.”

Robert’s accident will feature in a future episode of Helicopter ER, the UKTV series that follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance currently airing on its reality channel Really every Monday night at 10pm.

The rapid response emergency charity serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. It needs to raise £12,000 every day and is currently replacing its two ageing aircraft with brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

If you would like to support Robert in his sponsored bell peal go to his Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Robert-Wood-Bells

Sean will be joined by his friend, local businessman Richard Chambers, to take on an extraordinary driving challenge that will start in Huddersfield on 11 November and end at Town’s Sky Bet Championship game at Cardiff City eight days later. 
  
Driving a Ford Tourneo Terrier, kindly donated by Wellhouse Leisure, Sean and Richard will travel an incredible 2,770 miles in just over a week to raise money for the Town Foundation, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, the Hollybank Trust, Goals 4 Hearts and Prostate Cancer UK. 
  
Supporters can donate to these worthwhile causes by visiting http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SeanJarvis. 
  
Here’s the plan for Sean and Richard, who are pictured above in their vehicle of choice: 
  
Day One (Saturday)
Huddersfield to Dover – ferry to Dunkirk – drive to Dortmund via Antwerp, Belgium, and PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands 
  
Day Two (Sunday)
Dortmund to Vaduz in Lichtenstein, via Austria and Switzerland, then on to Milan in Italy 
  
Day Three (Monday)
Milan to Monaco, then on to Marseille (France) 
  
Day Four (Tuesday)
Marseille to Andorra, via Spain, then onto Montpellier 
  
Day Five (Wednesday)
Montpellier to Lyon 
  
Day Six (Thursday)
All day in Lyon 
  
Day Seven (Friday)
Lyon to Amiens via Paris 
  
Day Eight (Saturday)
Amiens to Dunkirk – ferry to Dover – then the final drive to Cardiff 
  
Huddersfield Town Commercial Director Sean Jarvis explained his fundraising idea: 
  
“The Club has five absolutely fantastic charitable causes that it is supporting during the 2016/17 season and I wanted to do something big that would benefit each and every one, complimenting other superb fundraising initiatives such as Sunday’s ‘Walk for Pounds’. 
  
“Richard and I will cover all the costs associated with our eight day trip, meaning that every penny we raise will go to the quintet of causes. 
  
“We’ll also pick up items on our way – Belgian Beer, Swiss Chocolates, some Beaujolais Nouveau and the rest – to auction off for the causes on our return. 
  
“I know Town fans well and I’m sure they will all donate generously to these causes. I’m sure the challenge will be difficult and a real slog at times, so please support it!” 

Becoming a volunteer for Yorkshire Air Ambulance is all in a day’s work for Robin Owen-Morley.

The 67-year-old has joined the rapid response emergency service after a 25-year career with Leeds Building Society.

And his first job as a Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) volunteer – to collect a cheque for more than £2,700 from Leeds Building Society!

Robin, who was Head of Management Information at the Society, has also been treasurer of the Society’s Colleague Charity Group who have chosen to support Yorkshire Air Ambulance over the last two years.

“I have worked closely with the team at the YAA for the last couple of years and have been really inspired by what they do,” said Robin from Halifax.

“I’ve heard presentations from people whose lives have been saved and visited the charity’s air base at Nostell to see first-hand the amazing work they do.

“Being about to fully retire, I feel very honoured and excited to be part of Yorkshire Air Ambulance and it was lovely that my first job was to collect so much money donated by colleagues at Leeds Building Society.”

The £2,710 was raised through a range of yellow-themed fundraising events held on Yellow Yorkshire Day at the Society’s Leeds Head Office and in each of its 27 Yorkshire branches. It brings the total raised for Yorkshire Air Ambulance so far to more than £15,000.

Kerry Garner, Regional Fundraising Manager for the YAA added “Our volunteers are vital in helping us to raise awareness and we are absolutely delighted to have Robin on board.

“It’s been lovely to work with him and the team at Leeds Building Society and we’d like to thank everyone there for their fantastic fundraising efforts. We really are very grateful.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The charity needs to raise £12,000 every day and is currently replacing their two ageing aircraft with brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about becoming a YAA volunteer, please visit their website www.yaa.org.uk for more information.

The 23 mile ‘Boothy’s Hillsborough to Home’ walk will begin at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Stadium in the early hours of Sunday 16 October and return to the John Smith’s Stadium in time for the 12 o’clock kick off at the Huddersfield Town vs Sheffield Wednesday game.

The event, sponsored by Absolute Warehouse Services, is the Club’s fourth sponsored walk in aid of the ‘Keep It Up’ campaign which supports the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity and the Huddersfield Town Academy.

HTAFC Club Ambassador Andy Booth, who played for Sheffield Wednesday for five years (1996-2001), commented:

“I’m really looking forward to the ‘Boothy’s Hillsborough to Home’ walk this season!

“Both clubs are close to my heart, and it’s very apt that the route is 23 miles long! With the game being an early kick off it will be a very early start but I think that just makes it even more exciting and more of a challenge.

“I took part in the last event in 2015 and it was a great day with brilliant camaraderie between all the walkers. The event has raised over £90,000 for the KIU campaign and it would be great if supporters would join me again in October and help us get above the £100,000 barrier and perhaps even further!”

YAA Director of Fundraising Paul Gowland echoed Boothy’s comments: “We’re really looking forward to ‘Boothy’s Hillsborough to Home’ walk and would like to encourage as many supporters as possible to get involved.  The best thing about all the ‘Keep It Up’ events is the atmosphere and solidarity there is between everyone.  They are always great fun, if tough, but it’s always worth it for the amazing welcome we always get back at the Stadium.  I’m encouraging all our staff and crew at the YAA to get involved so would like to encourage as many supporters and their friends and families to get involved too.”

“At the charity we appreciate every single Town supporter who has raised funds for the campaign since our partnership began, and we’re so happy that the Walk event is back this season!

“It is a really exciting time for the YAA at the moment as we are about to start operations in the first of our two brand new Airbus H145 helicopters.  We have been planning and working towards this momentous occasion for so many years now, it’s finally coming to fruition and we couldn’t be more excited.  And Town fans and supporters of the ‘Keep It Up’ campaign have gone a long way to helping us support this dream with their continued support and fundraising efforts.  Everyone should be commended for their efforts and we cannot thank them enough.”

Funds raised by the walkers will go towards maintaining the YAA’s two lifesaving helicopters as well as assisting the Huddersfield Town Academy.

The event entry fee is £15 per person which includes coach transport from PPG Canalside to Hillsborough to begin the walk kindly provided by Stotts Coaches, a breakfast, a snack and refreshment as well as an ‘I completed the Walk’ t-shirt.

The minimum age to take part in the Walk is 13 and participants aged 13-15 must be supervised by an adult aged 18+.

Download the form from the HTAFC website and email to andy.booth@htafc.com forwarding the entry fee via post.

Entrants will be emailed with an information pack including all details in due course.

The deadline for entries is Friday 23 September 2016.

The family and friends of a pregnant woman who was accidentally knocked down by her Mum are aiming to raise £25,000 to thank the medics who saved her and her unborn son.

Vikki Lane had been driven to work in York by her Mum Alison, who was parking the car in the Clifford’s Tower car park, when the accident happened.

Vikki, 36 weeks pregnant, was standing in front of the car when her Mum accidentally put her foot on the accelerator instead of the brake. She was hit and then shunted into the back of a parked van. The impact caused multiple injuries including a broken pelvis and badly broken legs.

Mum Alison, 59, said: “I was just in a complete state of shock. I could not believe what had happened and I still can’t really.”

Vikki was airlifted by Yorkshire Air Ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary where, once stabilised, her son Samuel was safely delivered. She then underwent a 12-hour operation to repair the four breaks in her pelvis.

“Samuel was born at 5.45pm and I did not meet him until 11am the next day,” said Vikki from Riccall. “Thankfully he was, and is, just perfect.”

The accident happened at the beginning of January and Vikki spent a month in hospital. She has so far been through 36 hours of orthopaedic surgery and was wheelchair bound for six months. Vikki still has twice-weekly physiotherapy and can only walk short distances with a crutch.

But, this remarkable woman is amazing doctors with her progress. “It has been very difficult but Samuel has been my motivation to get better. He is our little miracle, and we’ve been having a joke about who will be walking properly first, Samuel or me! ” said 34 year-old Vikki.

“My Mum, mother-in-law and best friend Laura have been living here and all my family, friends and local community have rallied round and given me loads of support.

“It has been seven months – which feels like a lifetime – and I know it will probably be another year before I’m fully recovered but the doctors have been amazed at my progress which will hopefully continue.”

Vikki’s grateful husband Ray is now leading a fundraising campaign to raise as much money as possible for Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the Day One trauma care charity, based at Leeds General Infirmary.

The 35-year-old novice cyclist and 14 other family and friends are attempting the famous Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge next month – riding 153 gruelling miles from Whitehaven in Cumbria to Tynemouth on the North-East coast in just two days.

Ray said: “We are looking to raise as much money as possible for both these charities in recognition of the help they gave Vikki and Samuel.

“I felt compelled to do something because of what Vikki has been through. We can’t thank the Air Ambulance crew and hospital teams enough for all they did and continue to do.”

Local pubs in Riccall have Yorkshire Air Ambulance collection boxes on the bar and Ami’s Hair Salon in the village have already raised nearly £700 for the rapid response emergency charity.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The charity needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep its two helicopters flying.

Bob Smailes, Regional Fundraising Manager at Yorkshire Air Ambulance said: “What happened to Vikki was a freak accident, but we are just glad we were able to get her to Leeds General Infirmary as quickly as possible.

“It was such a relief to hear that little Samuel arrived safely and that he and Vikki have both continued to do so well.  We are so grateful to Ray and his team of family and friends for taking on such a huge challenge not only to cycle the Coast to Coast but also setting themselves such an amazing fundraising target.  We want to wish them all the best of luck on their ride.”

If you would like to support Ray and Team Miracle go to their Virgin Money Giving Page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=TeamMiracle&isTeam=true

Caption: Vikki and Ray Lane with their ‘little miracle’ Samuel

Yorkshire Air Ambulance has been selected as Cedar Court Hotels group’s charity partner for the year.

The rapid response emergency charity was voted for overwhelmingly by management and staff at Cedar Court’s four Yorkshire hotels based at Wakefield, Leeds/Bradford, Huddersfield/Halifax and Harrogate.

Tracey Ractliffe, Group Director of Sales & Marketing and lead on corporate responsibility, said: “Choosing Yorkshire Air Ambulance was an easy decision for us. It’s important to everyone to support a charity that’s based in Yorkshire saving lives across the county.

“We hope some of the money we raise will go towards the new state-of-the-art helicopters that are due to commence operations this year, and it will be pleasing to see these take to the skies in the knowledge that we have played a small part in getting them there.”

Staff have already embarked on ambitious plans to raise much needed funds through a range of activities from a sponsored cycle-thon at the Cedar Court Hotel Wakefield to donating 50% of the proceeds from the opening launch night of the Porterhouse Restaurant in Harrogate.

A pound will be raised for every Grill Combo sold at the Cedar Court Hotel’s Grill 54,  located between Huddersfield and Halifax, and a similar scheme will be in operation at the Leeds Bradford Hotel.

The Best Western Cedar Court Hotel Harrogate is also inviting guests to add £1 to their room bill and individual personnel throughout the company are getting involved in sponsored challenges.

Tracey Ractliffe added: “The Yorkshire Air Ambulance collection tins will be prominently positioned throughout the hotels and we sincerely hope that in addition to our other activities we can raise significant funds through loose change donations.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance Yorkshire Air Ambulance 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.

The independent charity is currently replacing both its two ageing aircraft with the latest generation Airbus H145 helicopter.

The first of these becomes fully operational at the beginning of September following a full medical fit-out and crew training. A second H145 has been ordered from Airbus and will be in service by the end of the year.

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.

The purchase and fitting out costs have been met through planned savings, grants, careful budgeting and the amazing generosity of the people of Yorkshire.

Kerry Garner, Regional Fundraising Manager for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the Cedar Court Hotels in Yorkshire have chosen to adopt the YAA as their Charity of the Year.

“We are really looking forward to working with their staff and customers over the next year and supporting them with their fantastic fundraising initatives!  The YAA is an independent charity so we rely in individuals, groups and businesses such as the Cedar Court Hotels to help us raise the £12,000 we need each day to keep us flying.”

Photo caption: Tracey Ractliffe, Cedar Court Hotels Group Director of Sales & Marketing receives collection buckets from Yorkshire Air Ambulance Director of Marketing and Communications Abby Barmby.

A special fundraising Breakfast Morning was held at all Myers Building Supplies branches on Friday 1st July in support of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Yellow Yorkshire Day.

Myers Building Supplies teams turned out in style donning yellow t-shirts in support of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s effort to ‘turn Yorkshire yellow’. Each branch was equipped with a ‘Big Prize Grid’ allowing customers to make donations in exchange for a chance to win a prize. Bacon butties were enjoyed all round and lots of prizes were taken away by happy customers, including cordless drills, t-shirts, mugs and tape measures.

Myers Group Directors James Berry & Katie Berry were delighted to present Yorkshire Air Ambulance Fundraising Director Paul Gowland with a cheque for the total of £5,486.86 raised by their teams during the Yellow Yorkshire fundraiser.

James Berry commented, “As a Yorkshire-based business employing local people, we are delighted to be able to help such a vital service as Yorkshire Air Ambulance, which is close to the hearts of our team members and clearly our customers too. We’d like to convey a massive thank you to all customers that supported our Yellow Yorkshire fundraising event for helping us raise this fantastic amount. Myers Group is committed to delivering a positive impact to the communities in which we operate and we are honoured to be supporting such a remarkable charity. Our teams throughout the Yorkshire region will be undertaking more fundraising activities throughout the year as well as promoting awareness of the charity.

The charity relies on donations and we’re delighted that our customers are joining with us in supporting and raising vital funds for this very worthwhile cause in Yorkshire”

Huddersfield-based building materials supplier The Myers Group announced its partnership with Yorkshire Air Ambulance earlier this year and since commencing fundraising has now raised in excess of £8,000 for the charity.

The leading concrete and natural stone manufacturer and building materials supplier is providing storage and logistical support as well as raising vital funds for the rapid response emergency service.
Myers vehicles have been branded with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance logo and employees proudly wear the charity’s logo on their hi-vis safety clothing.

The company, which has 14 branches throughout the region, employs around 350 people. Paul Gowland, Fundraising Director for Yorkshire Air Ambulance said:

“We’re absolutely delighted to have the support of a family-run business in the heart of our community whose company values match those of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The amount raised by Myers Teams and their customers throughout the region is absolutely fantastic and we look forward to continuing our partnership by working with the teams across the region to raise the vital funds needed to enable the continuation of this life-saving service. Thank you to all involved”

Caption: Myers Group Directors James Berry and Katie Berry with Yorkshire Air Ambulance Fundraising Director Paul Gowland

The final countdown has begun at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance as they look forward to welcoming their new Airbus H145 helicopter in to operations next month.

The rapid response emergency service Charity unveiled the new helicopter back in June, and now after having its medical fit completed, the team have entered into the final stages of training before operations can commence at the beginning of September.

Peter Sunderland, Chairman commented “This is such an exciting time, not only for the Charity, but we hope for the people of Yorkshire too.  We have been building up to this for such a long time now, and to think we are only a few short weeks away from commencing operations in the H145 is just fantastic.”

The new H145 helicopter G-YAAC is expected to commence operations from the Charity’s flagship base on the Nostell Estate near Wakefield over the first weekend in September.  It will then be joined by a second H145, G-YOAA, which is now expected before Christmas and will be based at the YAA’s other Airbase at RAF Topcliffe near Thirsk.  The two new state of the art helicopters will replace the YAA’s current aging fleet of MD902 Explorers.  These are expected to be sold to aid the cost of purchasing the new H145’s.

Mr Sunderland continues “We were delighted to accept G-YAAC from Airbus Helicopter UK at their based in Oxford on 1st August.  It was the first time we had seen the helicopter fully complete with its medical fit, and words cannot describe what an overwhelming day it was for all of us.  As a Charity we have been working towards this day for so long.  Many years of careful planning, researching, saving and budgeting have gone in to the process to ensure we have chosen the correct helicopter type for the people of Yorkshire, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that we have definitely chosen the right one.”

The new aircraft – each costing around £6m – offers 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.  The purchase and fitting out costs have been met through planned savings, grants, careful budgeting and the amazing generosity of the people of Yorkshire.

Captain Andy Lister, YAA’s Director of Flight Operations added “The H145 is a larger aircraft with better endurance and a longer range than we’re used to, which helps us cover Yorkshire’s 5 million acres, but the overall footprint is small enough for reaching patients in tight areas.  Myself and my team of Pilots cannot wait to take to the controls of the H145 and see them become icons in the skies across Yorkshire.”

The new helicopters will also come with a state-of-the-art Bucher medical fit out too, which will provide critically sick and injured patients the most advanced treatment techniques.  The YAA crew were very hands on with choosing their medical fit and equipment, to ensure not only was it state-of-the-art, but also practical and easy for the crew to use.  A specialist team of Doctors and highly skilled paramedics from the YAA’s crew were actively involved in the selection of the equipment.  Clinical Operations Manager Pete Vallance explains: ““The open cabin allows clinicians to have full access to the patient inflight and we have future-proofed the specialised 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.”

These final few weeks prior to commencing operations will see the YAA’s Pilots will complete their final training with the Airbus team, before the paramedics start their familiarisation training with the helicopter.  Operations are expected to begin from the Nostell Airbase over the first weekend in September, although a specific day has not yet been confirmed.

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.  The only help it receives is the secondment of its paramedics and Doctors from the Yorkshire Ambulance NHS Trust.

Caption: Captain Andy Lister (Director of Flight Operations), Peter Sunderland (Chairman), Bruce Burns (Vice-Chairman), Mike Shanahan (Head of Special Operations, Yorkshire Ambulance Service), Pete Vallance (Clinical Operations Manager) and Captain Andy Hall (Pilot) accepting the new Airbus H145 on 1st August at Airbus Helicopters in Oxford.

A leading healthcare company has enhanced its ‘amazing support’ for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance with a £3,000 donation to the charity.

Each year B. Braun Chief Executive and Chairman Hans Hux selects a department or team at the medical company to receive the annual award, with team members then donating the money to a charity or charities of their choice. This year the winning team chose to donate it to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Brian Chapman, General Manager at B. Braun Medical Ltd, said: “Despite being a vital, life-saving service for the people of this region, Yorkshire Air Ambulance relies on the generosity of individuals and organisations to continue its superb work and so we are very proud to have a long history of supporting the charity.

“Last year we agreed to continue as a sponsor until 2020, after more than a decade of support already, and our firm also previously raised more than £9,000 during a special fundraising appeal for the YAA to mark B. Braun Medical Ltd’s 175th anniversary.

“These are all company-wide initiatives so it is very pleasing for me to hear that, when the choice was handed over to my team, they also wished to underline our ongoing support for such a worthwhile cause as the YAA.”

Paul Gowland, YAA’s Director of Fundraising, added: “B. Braun are our longest standing supporter and they continue to amaze and overwhelm us with their continued support.

“This most recent donation is just one of many we’ve had from B. Braun over the years, but what makes this extra special is that the staff themselves voted for the money to be donated to us, so we would like to thank them sincerely for choosing to do so.”

The donation from B. Braun comes after the YAA unveiled the first of two new helicopters. The new H145 Airbus, which costs just under £6m, contains new bluetooth technology which monitors patients and cuts down hospital admittance time.

The charity is also introducing a new dedicated critical care team involving doctors drawn from hospitals including Sheffield and Rotherham.

Based in Chapeltown, Sheffield, B. Braun Medical Ltd is a member of the B. Braun Group, one of the world’s leading healthcare companies.

The life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance is to feature in a new prime time television series.

Helicopter ER will hit our screens later this year in a peak 8pm slot on UKTV’s real life channel, Really.

The new series is being made by many of the team who created Helicopter Heroes, the popular BBC programme which also showcased the work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance and ran for seven series between 2007 and 2014.

York-based Air Television have been commissioned to make 30 episodes of Helicopter ER, flying with the rapid response emergency service to capture the dramatic, life-saving work of the pilots, paramedics and doctors.

Ian Cundall, Executive Producer, said: “We are proud to have worked with the fantastic Yorkshire Air Ambulance crews for many years. We are British television’s only full-time, qualified medical helicopter aircrew so are able to shadow the medical team on the most complex rescues and to the most exposed locations.

“The access is extraordinary, the stories heart-warming and sometimes heart-breaking. We are moving from a day time to an evening prime time slot and the show will have a grittier editorial edge to reflect its new home.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The charity needs to raise £12,000 every year and are soon to replace their current ageing aircraft with two, brand new state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

These will take to the skies over Yorkshire later this year and their arrival will feature on Helicopter ER, alongside the dramatic and heart-warming stories of patient rescues.

Abby McClymont, Director of Marketing & Communications from Yorkshire Air Ambulance said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have the Air TV team back flying with us again.  They are fully trained to be very much part of our crew.

“The new series will enable our supporters to get a much greater insight into the day-to-day work of our crews and also to see first-hand where their donations go.

“The main focus will be the vital contribution our crews make to patients in often life-threatening and time critical incidents, their on-scene treatment and transfer to the best hospital for their injuries.”

The new UKTV series will also provide a more indepth look at the close working relationship YAA crews have with other emergency services such as the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust land crews, Fire Brigades, Police and Mountain Rescue teams from across the region.

Abby added: “Although the series focuses on the work of the YAA, we are just one example of the many Air Ambulance services there are across the UK, and we hope it will show the vital work we all do, and encourage people to support their local Air Ambulance charity.”

Helicopter ER will be broadcast over two series on UKTV’s real life channel Really in late Autumn and Spring 2017.

Stories featured in the first series include the dramatic rescue of a tractor driver trapped under his sinking vehicle in an East Yorkshire lake, the fight to save a mountain biker who broke his back in a bad fall in the Peak District and the life or death struggle by a flying doctor, four paramedics and two helicopters to save a teenage worker who plunged through a North Yorkshire barn roof.

Previous series of Helicopter Heroes, which finished in 2014, have been successfully repeated on Really and UKTV Deputy Head of Commissioning Hilary Rosen said: “As UKTV continues to invest in creating new and exclusive content, I’m thrilled to announce our first ever original series for Really.

“The original Helicopter Heroes is a hugely popular show. We are building on the brand to bring a compelling combination of human stories and real-life heroism, set against the arresting Yorkshire landscape.”