Angela Brearley

In order to recieve generous donations of old textiles, clothing banks must be hosted by secure and easily accessible sites. These sites include supermarkets large and small, carparks and other public areas. Hosting these banks means that charities such as ourselves and the BIU Group are able to continue recieving and generating this service.

The BIU Group Milestone Scheme recognises the generosity and hard work of site hosts who host a BIU textile recycling bank to raise money for their local charity. The Milestone Scheme is divided into 4 categories and calculated across 12 months from the 1st January each year.

If a clothing bank on a site has over 600 bags donated they will be awarded Bronze status, an end of year thankyou certificate will be issued and displayed to bronze status sites. Silver staus is awarded when a site reaches over 1200 bags, sites of whom will then recieve social media thankyous and coverage as well as a certificate.

A site that hosts a bag that has over 2400 bags donated will be awarded Gold status. For those that reach Gold status, BIU will add photos of the bank and site, cover on social media and issue a display certificate. Finally should a site host have a bank overflowing with 3000+ bags of textiles donated that site will then be awarded Platinum status. In this case BIU Group will ask the charity partner to issue a press release to celebrate the fantastic achievment, including a photo.

This scheme is aimed at raising money for local charities, showing gratitude for local site hosts and looking after the local communities. For more information about the scheme you can contact info@biugroup.co.uk

Students at Manor CE Academy were so upset when a fellow student had an accident at school that they wanted to do something to say thank you to the people who saved him. So year 9 music students (aged 13-14) have written and recorded six new original Christmas songs to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The album, called “The Light”, features the six new songs and a hilarious new podcast by Wes, Josh and Brad Needham, triplet brothers in year 11. The album was all produced by students and staff in the music department and will be available to pre-order on the iTunes music store from 23rd November. The official release date is 5th December and all proceeds will go to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity.

Leeds Building Society will be helping to turn Yorkshire yellow next month to raise vital funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) service.

A wide range of yellow-themed fundraising events will be taking place at the Society’s Leeds Head Office and in each of its 27 Yorkshire branches on Friday July 1 – Yellow Yorkshire Day.

These include yellow-themed cake sales, treasure hunts and a special Thai yellow curry will be served up in the head office café, as an alternative to the traditional Friday fish and chips.

Leeds Building Society’s Colleague Charity Group has chosen to support YAA for the last two years and have so far raised £13,000 for the rapid response emergency service.

Robin Litten, Chief Financial Officer at Leeds Building Society, said: “I was very pleased to attend a presentation from Yorkshire Air Ambulance to hear more about the charity, and also from an accident survivor who benefitted from their work.

“I am delighted that all our Yorkshire-based colleagues are getting involved in Yellow Yorkshire Day to raise funds for this very worthwhile cause.”

Following its hugely successful Yellow Yorkshire Campaign last year, YAA is encouraging schools, businesses, community groups and organisations to have some more yellow-themed fun on Friday July 1.

Kerry Garner, YAA Regional Fundraising Manager, said: “We are really grateful to Leeds Building Society for the tremendous fundraising they have already done for us and for the way they are getting behind Yellow Yorkshire Day.

“We had a brilliant response from people across Yorkshire last year and we’re hoping for another amazing Yellow Yorkshire Day on July 1.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves five 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.

Mr Sunderland, 73, has been a Trustee of the life-saving Charity for over 12 years, with just over 9 of those as its Chairman, and has been responsible for some momentous changes at the YAA in recent years.

Mr Sunderland commented “I am overwhelmed to have received this honour from Her Majesty The Queen – it really is one of the proudest moments of my life.  When I joined as a Trustee of the YAA, I could never have imagined the journey I would embark on, but here we are over 12 years later with a remarkable Charity doing some amazing work across Yorkshire.  It truly is an honour to be its Chairman and I am touched to have been nominated for my MBE.”

Mr Sunderland joined the YAA after retiring from his role at the RMC Group PLC, where he worked for over 27 years as one of their UK Directors, bringing with him a wealth of experience in senior management, monitoring & delivering of business targets, workshops, strategic development, financial & budgetary control and project implementation.

After spending an initial 3 years as a Trustee for the YAA, he then became Chairman in November 2006, and continues to hold the position today, supported by his Vice-Chairman, Trustees and a strong senior management team.

Mr Sunderland has also been a member of the Wakefield Cathedral Council, and is a past President and Subscribers Secretary of Huddersfield Choral Society.

In 2007 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire by the Lord-Lieutenant, Dr Ingrid Roscoe.

In his time at the YAA, Mr Sunderland has always had a ‘hands-on approach’ to management and has overseen many key milestones for the Charity.  These include the purchase of the two MD 902 Explorer helicopters in 2006 and 2008, the acquisition of its Head Quarters in Elland near Halifax, the relocation of its Northern Airbase to RAF Topcliffe near Thirsk, and the development of its flagship airbase on the Nostell Estate near Wakefield.  And 2016 will see the delivery of a brand new Airbus H145 helicopter to the Charity.

Mr Sunderland added “It is a true honour to be Chairman of such a fantastic organisation, and we have only been able to achieve everything we have with the support of the wonderful people of Yorkshire.  To those people, I will always be eternally grateful.  The MBE is just the icing on the cake for me.”

He is supported by his wife Margaret and three sons, Richard, Matthew and Nick.

The Yorkshire Rows team Helen Butters, 45, Janette Benaddi, 51, Niki Doeg, 44, and Frances Davies, 47 are racing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Antigua, in the Caribbean, as part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

The mammoth challenge will take the quartet between five to ten weeks to complete and will see them battle 30ft waves, sharks, exhaustion, sleep deprivation and sea-sickness, as well as chafing in all manner of places.

Christmas and New Year will also be spent away from their families, with pineapple chunks and tinned sardines replacing the traditional Christmas dinner.

Hailing from York and Selby, the team met four years ago at York’s Guy Fawkes Boat Club and made the brave decision to enter the race over a glass of wine at the boat club dinner.

Since then, they have spent the past two years juggling both physical and mental training with their full-time jobs and busy family lives, with two children each.

With just two weeks left until the biggest challenge of their lives, the team said a final goodbye to their families at Manchester Airport today as they flew out to La Gomera for last minute preparations before the race starts on December 15.

The team is hoping to raise more than £100,000, which will be split between the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) and Maggie’s cancer centres who hope to open a new support centre in Leeds in 2017.

Helen Butters, a communications expert in the NHS, said:

“This row to me is about empowerment – showing that ordinary women can achieve extraordinary things with hard work and determination. It has been an intense two years of planning and organising and it will be a doubly intense two months with no sleep and rowing continuously on an ocean that really scares me – but this challenge will have a huge impact and make a difference to so many people’s lives. We never expected this much support and we really just want to get in the boat and do it now.”

Maggie’s Chief Executive, Laura Lee added:

“I’d like to say a big thank you to the Yorkshire Rows team for choosing to sign up to this incredible challenge. The team’s fundraising efforts will make a huge difference in helping us to build the new centre at St James’s University Hospital. We wish them the best of luck when they start the challenge in December.”

Paul Gowland, Director of Fundraising at YAA said:

“We wish the Yorkshire Rows team every success for what is an unbelievable challenge. It shows an amazing amount of strength that whilst these brave ladies are rowing across the Atlantic, they are thinking of others and helping to save lives across Yorkshire. Our very best wishes are with them and we are grateful they are supporting the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.”

Welcome to Yorkshire is supporting the team throughout their challenge.

Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive said:

“The Yorkshire Rows are an inspiration to us all and prove that if you put your mind to something anything is possible. We’re proud to be supporting the Yorkshire Rows during their incredible challenge and we wish them the very best of luck – we will be with them every stroke of the way!”

The team will be writing a regular blog documenting their journey. To follow their progress visit blog.mailasail.com/yr

To follow the race live, download the Yellow Brick Race Viewer app available for both iPhone and Android. For more information visit www.ybtracking.com

Printing company, instantprint, support YAA as part of their Christmas campaign

South Yorkshire based online printing company, instantprint are helping us to raise funds through their beautifully designed Christmas cards. As fellow Yorkshire folk, instantprint wanted to support a charity that saves lives in their community.

To help with fundraising, instantprint have dedicated the Christmas card section of their site to YAA. Simply select a Christmas card design you love, and the YAA logo will automatically be uploaded to your card using the ‘design online’ tool.

For each order placed, instantprint are donating £5 to YAA. instantprint are big fans of what YAA do, and they would like to help us continue to do good throughout Yorkshire by fundraising.

James Kinsella, co-owner of instantprint said: “The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is such an important service that has helped save the lives of many people. We’re so excited to be contributing towards such an amazing cause and raising those all-important funds to keep YAA in the skies.

“We’re donating £5 to Yorkshire Air Ambulance for each order placed. What’s more, you can help raise even more for your favourite charity by sharing your generosity on social media using #IPcharitycards.”

The campaign will be running from 22 October – 21 December in the hope of raising as much as possible for YAA. Prices start from £21, and cards can be bought in packs of 25, 50, 100, 250, 500, 1,000 and 2,000. Can we count on your support?

185 fans walked the 19 miles from Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Air Support Unit at Nostell Priory in Wakefield to the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday 21 March in aid of the unique fundraising campaign, which benefits both the Huddersfield Town Academy and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity.

Walkers included Chairman Dean Hoyle, Commercial Director Sean Jarvis, Academy Manager Mark Lillis and Club Ambassador Andy Booth.The event, which was sponsored by HTAFC club partners Thornhill Dental Surgery, was the fourth sponsored walk which the Club has organised, with the previous three events raising a combined £60,000 for the campaign.

Andy and James Tattersfield of Thornhill Dental Surgery joined HTAFC Club Ambassador Andy Booth and Supporter Partnerships Manager Robyn Deegan and YAA Partnerships Manager Katie Collinson for the photo at PPG Canalside.

Robyn commented:   “It’s great that the latest Walk for Pounds event has generated such a terrific amount of funds for the Keep It Up campaign, taking the total for the event past £80,000 over the course of four seasons. Thanks and well done to everyone who took part and helped us reach the sponsorship total.

“Six years after the launch of ‘Keep It Up’ in 2009, the success of this event shows that Huddersfield Town fans are being as generous as ever towards the cause. “On behalf of the Club I would also like to thank Andrew, James and the rest of the team at Thornhill Dental Surgery for their sponsorship and for hosting a feed stop during the event!”

Andy from Thornhill Dental Surgery added:   “We’re delighted that Walk for Pounds 2015 has raised so much money for the ‘Keep It Up’ campaign. “The YAA is a special organisation because it gives people hope in desperate times. It is a cause that the practice team has a personal gratitude to for assistance they have given to close friends and family members in times of need.

“We are delighted that we were able to be part of such a successful event and wish the campaign long and continued success!”   Any individuals who still have funds to hand in for the ‘Keep It Up’ campaign in 2014/15 must do so by Tuesday 30 June.

Cheques made payable to the ‘Keep It Up’ campaign can be posted FAO Robyn Deegan at PPG Canalside, 509 Leeds Road, Huddersfield, HD2 1YJ. Cash can be handed in at the John Smith’s Stadium Ticket Office.

Following the success of last year’s Yorkshire Pedalthon event, which raised £15,000 for charity, national property consultancy Carter Jonas is once again planning a second legacy cycling event in the region, and is delighted to announce that The Yorkshire Post will again offer its support as media partner.

Cycling enthusiasts from the business community will take part in Carter Jonas’ own version of the Tour de Yorkshire on Friday 8 May. The Yorkshire Pedalthon 2015 is being co-ordinated by cycling event company, Iconic Cycling Events, will again raise funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance as well as LandAid, which supports disadvantaged and vulnerable youngsters in the UK.

Starting and ending at Ripley Castle, riders will have the choice of a 90 mile challenge ride, 70 mile scenic ride or 40 mile social ride.  The 90 mile challenge riders will take on White Horse Bank near Kilburn, one of the country’s top 100 cycle climbs.

Last year’s event attracted more than 67 business teams from across the region and Carter Jonas hopes to exceed that this year.

David Aspland, Carter Jonas’ head of Commercial in the northern region said: “The Yorkshire Pedalthon promises to be a great networking cycling event for enthusiastic cyclists in the business community with the shorter route giving those who want to “have a go” some fun cycling in the spectacular Yorkshire countryside, whilst raising money for charity.  The ride will also showcase the very best of Yorkshire food and drink at feed stations along the route.”

Richard Best from Iconic Cycling Events added: “We are delighted to be working with the team from Carter Jonas and their Yorkshire business network as well as British Cycling and Cycle Yorkshire. Our aim is to capture the essence of Yorkshire in a series of rides which take riders to parts of Yorkshire they may not know.  Starting and finishing at one Yorkshire’s finest stately homes, the event represents a real legacy event of the recent visit of the Tour de France”.

The Carter Jonas Yorkshire Pedalthon is open to both individuals and corporate teams, with individual entry costing £150 and teams of four costing £600 each.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) is breaking new ground in the Air Ambulance industry having just become the first Air Ambulance in the UK to apply for and obtain their own Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from scratch.

The Yorkshire based charity, which owns and operates two MD 902 Explorers, learned last week that after nearly a year of hard work to produce and submit the complex application, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have granted and approved the YAA to operate under their own AOC.

Bruce Burns, Vice-Chairman of the YAA commented “We are all so proud of this achievement! It has taken so much hard work by our team for us to be able to achieve our own AOC, in particular our Chief Pilot, Captain Andy Lister who alongside myself, as the Accountable Manager, compiled and coordinated the application.

This now means that we have complete autonomy over the operations of our two helicopters. Not only do we now own both of our aircraft, but we will control them directly too, without the need to operate under a third party AOC. This will provide significant benefits including more control over our maintenance and operational costs, which will be of great help to us over the coming years. The Charity took the decision to apply for its own AOC in 2011, after deciding it was the next step forward in the development of its operations.

Bruce continued “Although this is great news for the YAA, there is still a lot of hard work to be done to maintain our AOC. However, we have a great team around us at the YAA and I know they will work extremely hard to sustain all that has already been achieved.”

The granting of the AOC concludes what has been a busy year for the YAA operationally.

Earlier in year the YAA took up residency at a new base in North Yorkshire. Their helicopter G –CEMS now has a new home at RAF Topcliffe near Thirsk, and has been successfully operating from there since February.

Facilities at Topcliffe include hangar space for maintaining and housing the helicopter, dedicated crew accommodation, and office and training facilities.

There was also the exciting news that the Charity has been granted planning permission to develop a new air base and operating facilities for its other helicopter G-SASH. The new base will see the relocation from their existing premises at Leeds Bradford International Airport to purpose made facilities on the Nostell estate near Wakefield. Plans are now coming together to develop similar facilities at Nostell to those that are available at Topcliffe.