General

Following a visit from their CAA Flight Operations Inspector, Paddy Connelly, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) were granted approval to extend their operational hours into darkness earlier last week, bringing further benefits to the people of Yorkshire.

The Charity, which operates two fully night capable Airbus H145 helicopters, will now be available to respond to incidents from 6am until midnight during the week, and 10pm on weekends initially, with crews wearing latest generation night vision goggles.

Captain Andy Lister, Director of Aviation at the YAA commented “This really is a great step forward in the operational developments of the YAA. Our Pilots and crews have worked extremely hard over the last few months to undertake and learn the processes involved in NVIS flying.  It is a complex process for our operational team to have embarked on, however I am pleased to report that we now have a fully capable NVIS team at the YAA.  I am very proud of them all, and know we are moving forward together to provide the best possible service for the people of Yorkshire.”

Working in partnership with Yorkshire Ambulance NHS Trust, the YAA now offers extended flying hours into the night, as well as two state-of-the-art H145 helicopters which carry the latest generation of medical equipment, advanced clinical practices, alongside the ability to give blood at scene, where required.  Two highly trained paramedics fly alongside skilled Pilots, and the Nostell helicopter also carries a Consultant specialising in pre-hospital care.

Cpt Lister continued “The YAA will commence NVIS operations with immediate effect, now we have been granted approval by the CAA.  This will mean our crew will be operational for longer periods each day, enabling them to respond to incidents into the hours of darkness.  This will be particularly beneficial in the winter months, when the nights come in much quicker.  Our Pilots and navigational crew will wear the NVIS goggles in the front of the helicopter which will enable them to identify any hazards or obstacles when approaching a landing site.

The Charity are also committed to the ongoing safety and development of its staff, and will be continually training and reviewing our NVIS operations.   Whilst we have a number of paramedics already NVIS approved, we are continuing to train the rest of the crew, and expect to have everyone approved for NVIS operations by the end of October, when we will then become a fully night-capable operator.”

The YAA serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The Charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.  They also feature in the TV documentary series ‘Helicopter ER’ which is currently airing on digital channel Really, on Mondays at 9pm.

The exclusive dinner, which was held at his home in Boston Spa, was organised to celebrate the special milestone in his cricketing career and to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, of which Geoffrey is a Patron.

Around 180 people attended the dinner, which was hosted in a marquee in the garden of the home where he lives with his wife Rachael, and attended by friends, associates and supporters of the cricket legend.

Geoffrey commented “This was a very special anniversary for me – I was the 18th Batsman in the history of the game to score a hundred first class centuries, but the first to do so in a Test Match.  I knew we needed to do something special to mark the occasion, and as a Patron of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance I couldn’t think of anything better than a celebration dinner at our home to raise money for the Charity.  I left it to my wife Rachael to organise, and what a splendid job she did.  It was a cracking night!”

Kevin Connelly, best known for his appearances on the popular TV and radio show ‘Dead Ringers’ compered the evening, and an auction was run by Yorkshire auctioneer Caroline Hawley, best known for her appearances on BBC’s ‘Bargain Hunt’ and ‘Flog It’.  Six ‘money can’t buy’ prizes raised over £22,000 alone.

The pinnacle of the evening, was Geoffrey taking to the stage with long-time friend, and BBC Look North presenter, Harry Gration, to talk about the highs and lows of his cricketing career, and re-live that moment at Headingley 40 years ago.  Archive film footage was shown spanning Geoffrey’s cricket career, and included a recent stint in the media when fellow cricket commentator Jonathon Agnew played a prank on him over the special anniversary live on air.

The catering management of the evening came from the Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey, who also have adopted the YAA as their Charity of the year for the last two years.  The hotel went above and beyond on the evening by donating a further £1,000 to the event, when the initial figure raised was £49,000, bringing the total to over £50,000.

Adam Dyke, General Manager of the Devonshire Arms added: “It was both a privilege and a pleasure for ‘The Dev’ to cater for such an amazing event – a Yorkshire evening good ‘n’ proper….. supporting our chosen Yorkshire charity, as well as paying tribute to one of Yorkshire’s most iconic sporting personalities, Geoffrey Boycott. He and his wife, Rachael, are such generous hosts and support the charity so well with their tireless input and dedication.”

The evening was supported by many wonderful companies such as Laurent Perrier UK, who donated the champagne, Bleikers of Catterick who gave smoked salmon for the starter, Pontefract based Dovecote Park who donated the beef for the main course, Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate who supplied Geoffrey’s favourite brown bread ice-cream, along with their famous coffee and tea, Wensleydale Creamery from Hawes, who supplied the cheese course, oatcakes and chutneys,  Whittakers Chocolates of Skipton who supplied the after dinner mints, Hull based Aunt Bessie’s who donated the Yorkshire puddings, water from Huddersfield based Ice Valley water and local beer from Rudgate Brewery, just down the road near Thorpe Arch.  Philip & SallyAnn Hodson generously sponsored the wine and beer for the evening too.

Peter Sunderland, Chairman of the YAA also added “This really was an exceptional evening for the YAA.  To raise over £50,000 in a few small hours for the YAA is just phenomenal.  We really cannot thank Geoffrey and Rachael enough for organising the evening, and making us their beneficiary.  Geoffrey is a wonderful Patron of the Charity, and Rachael is an equally wonderful ambassador – we were privileged to have been involved in what was a most special evening.  We would also like to congratulate Geoffrey on the anniversary of his hundred first class centuries – a truly marvellous achievement.”

A total of over £50,000 was raised for the YAA from the evening.

Les Clark suffered serious chest and spinal injuries when a former military Alouette aircraft crashed at Breighton Aerodrome, near Selby, last July.

The accident features in Monday’s episode of Helicopter ER, the UKTV series which follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Les, from Wheldrake, was a front seat passenger in the helicopter which was carrying four passengers when it crashed at a vintage aircraft weekend run by the Real Airplane Company at its Breighton base.

The decision to take the ten-minute flight was a last minute one near the end of the day. “It was just an unfortunate combination of small things which, singularly, would not be a problem,” said Les, an experienced fixed wing and commercial helicopter pilot.

“But, when they come together – like the holes in a Swiss cheese lining up – you have a problem. I just remember there was a loud crack and one second I was looking at the sun and the next at shadows with the ground coming up really quickly.”

Les and the helicopter pilot and good friend Nigel Feetham were both airlifted to hospital by Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Les was treated at Hull Royal Infirmary for injuries including a fractured sternum and three fractured vertebrae.

Mr Feetham, from Hedon, East Yorkshire, suffered similar injuries and was taken to Leeds General Infirmary where he seemed to be making a good recovery but tragically died eight days later.

Vintage aircraft enthusiast Les, 60, had to wear a spinal brace for three months and endured a painful recovery but is back flying the vintage aircraft he loves.

Breighton Airfield, a former Second World War heavy bomber base and cold-war nuclear missile launch site, is home to the classic aircraft collection of the Real Aeroplane Company and the Real Aeroplane Club, an active flying club whose members own and operate unusual, classic and ex-military aircraft.

Les, and other members of the Club, as well as family and the many friends of Mr Feetham, have so far raised more than £16,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance to thank the rapid response emergency service.

Les, a former car body repair shop owner, added: “The air ambulance is just a fantastic charity. You never know when you, a friend or family member might need them but when you do they are just brilliant.

“As they are not Government funded it’s really important that people support Yorkshire Air Ambulance. I cannot speak highly enough about the pilots, paramedics and doctors and what they do every day.”

Both Yorkshire Air Ambulances attended the crash scene and their role is highlighted on Helicopter ER at 9pm on Monday, September 11, on Really.

The episode also features a couple on a cycling holiday in the Yorkshire Dales who were catapulted 30ft after a collision with a van and a man who suffers a serious head injury following a fall from scaffolding.

Helicopter ER is made by York-based Air Television, which recently won two Royal Television Society awards for their work on the compelling series.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

Shaun Wilson was schooling his horse on the cross-country course during an open day at the Red House Estate, Moor Monkton, when the accident happened.

He came off at one of the fences and was crushed twice as his horse tried to get back on his feet. The incident was witnessed by Shaun’s shocked Mum Alison and twin brother Ben.

“They made a mistake at the fence and the horse had tipped over backwards onto Shaun and then, as it tried to get back on his feet, slipped back again, hitting Shaun twice,” said Alison from Birstwith.

“Both Ben and I ran towards him. I was trying to grab the horse and Ben grabbed his brother by his body protector and pulled him out.

“Ben was absolutely brilliant and so was Shaun. He was so calm with the medics when they arrived whereas I was just in pieces.”

Shaun was stabilized at the scene and airlifted by Yorkshire Air Ambulance to hospital where scans revealed he had shattered one of his vertebrae. Surgeons at Leeds General Infirmary fitted titanium rods in his back and the 16-year-old was in a back brace for several months.

But that didn’t stop the Rossett School pupil, who wants to be a doctor, from getting excellent GCSE results and he is now also back in the saddle.

Alison added: “Thankfully Shaun is absolutely fine now and I am so grateful to the air ambulance service. They were brilliant, letting me fly with Shaun to hospital.”

Shaun’s accident features in Monday night’s episode of Helicopter ER, the UKTV show, which follows the life-saving work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The episode – which can be seen on Really at 9pm – also features a car that careers into a bus queue killing a pensioner and badly injuring her friend out celebrating her 90th birthday and a Mum who is feared to have serious spinal injuries after a rope swing prank goes wrong.

Helicopter ER is made by York-based Air Television, which recently won two Royal Television Society awards for their work on the compelling series.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

Rebecca Beaver was on a family walk in woodland near her home in Queensbury with her sister, nieces and ten-year-old son Lewis when they came across a make-shift rope swing across a beck.

“Everyone had a go, but when it was my turn the thing snapped and I just came crashing down onto my back.,” said Rebecca, 32.

“At first, I could not feel my legs which was quite scary, and then it was really very painful. When the paramedics and air ambulance arrived you do worry what you’ve done.”

Rebecca’s rescue from the remote spot features in this week’s episode of Helicopter ER, the UKTV series which follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Mountain rescue volunteers were drafted in to help get Rebecca to the aircraft which flew her in minutes to trauma specialists at Leeds General Infirmary.

Fortunately, Rebecca only suffered a snapped a disc in her pelvis and after a period on crutches, the grateful Mum-of-two has now fully recovered. But she won’t be having a go on any more rope swings.

“We all do this kind of thing when we’re kids but perhaps not now. I was very, very lucky. It could have ended very differently.”

Rebecca’s rescue can be seen on Helicopter ER at 9pm on Monday, September 4, on Really.

The episode also features the tragic case of a car that careered into a bus queue killing a pensioner and seriously injuring her friend, and a young showjumper crushed by his horse after a fall.

Helicopter ER is made by York-based Air Television, which recently won two Royal Television Society awards for their work on the compelling series.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

The dramatic rescue of a cyclist after an horrific high-speed crash features in the new series of the award-winning reality TV programme, Helicopter ER.

The UKTV show, which follows the life-saving work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, starts its second series at 9pm on Monday, August 28, on real life channel Really.

Experienced triathlete, cyclist and endurance runner Tom Phillips was on a 130-mile cycle ride through the Yorkshire Dales when he lost control on the steep Buttertubs Pass descent and smashed into a drystone wall.

The impact caused multiple injuries including a broken neck, spine, sternum, several ribs and a collarbone fractured in three places.

“Buttertubs Pass is a very steep descent and I just wasn’t concentrating. I remember this corner coming up and thinking why I am going this fast,” said Tom, from Arnside in the South Lakes.

“I threw the bike into a speedway-style slide but both wheels hit a kerb at the same time which catapulted me off the bike like a pole vault and I did a Superman impression straight into a stone wall.

“The next thing I was lying by the wall struggling to breathe. Everything after that is a bit like being in a dream world.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance paramedics stabilized Tom at the remote scene before airlifting him to James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, in just 20 minutes. The journey by road ambulance would have taken a grueling hour-and-a-half.

The superfit 53-year-old underwent seven hours of surgery to repair his back and collarbone, with metal rods inserted on either side of his spine.

Despite his injuries and significant nerve and muscle damage, Tom was back on a bike within three months and has since raised £3,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Just a month before his accident Tom witnessed an air ambulance in action when he was first on the scene of a nasty cliff fall in Cornwall.

“Within an hour of coming off my bike I was in hospital. That quick transfer made the difference between being in hospital a few days or being in a couple of months.,” added Tom, a website designer and organizer of walking, cycling and running holidays in Spain.

“I remember being really impressed seeing the air ambulance in action in Cornwall and now I know at first hand just how vital they are, and what a difference they can make to peoples’ lives.”

Tom’s rescue appears in the first episode of the new series of Helicopter ER which also features an elderly dairy farmer attacked by one of his own herd and a bizarre crash on the A1 after a car careers over a bridge and bursts into flames on the motorway below, trapping the driver.

Helicopter ER is made by York-based Air Television, which recently won two Royal Television Society awards for their work on the compelling series.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

Photo caption: Cyclist Tom Phillips being treated at the scene of his accident and back on his feet just 10 weeks after the crash.

A team of four from Yorkshire-based leading integrated communications agency, CreativeRace, is taking part in the Prudential Ride London–Surrey 100 event on Sunday 30th July, with their goal being to complete the 100-mile route in six hours.

CreativeRace’s Repro Manager, John Lee, Senior Artworker, Damian Holt, Senior Designer, Simon Newsome and Account Executive, Joe Dowson will be joining 30,000 other cyclists to complete the route from London to Surrey to raise money for CreativeRace’s chosen charity of the year, Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Evans Cycles, who appointed CreativeRace to handle all integrated marketing campaigns in March this year, is an official partner of the RideLondon cycling festival.

The Prudential RideLondon–Surrey 100 starts at 05:45am, with the cyclists beginning the route at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and finishing on The Mall in Central London. The route follows closed roads through central London, which lead the riders into Surrey’s countryside.

You can sponsor the CreativeRace team, and raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, by donating at the following link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/creativerace-2017

PHOTO CAPTION (L – R): Damian Holt, Simon Newsome, John Lee, Joe Dowson.

Nearly 200 tractors have taken part in the 15th Beadlam Charity Tractor Run helping to drive the total raised for Yorkshire Air Ambulance to more than £100,000.

The event – now one of the biggest annual tractor runs in the country – was launched in 2003 by retired local builder Bernard Simpson.

Just 35 tractors took part in the first run, raising £1,700 for the fledging Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity. The following year the number of vehicles and the amount raised more than doubled.

Bernard, 88, and his family now organise what is a major annual event that attracts around 200 tractors. The run takes them on a 50-mile route through 19 North Yorkshire villages, with some off-road highlights, and a hearty lunch provided by Bernard’s wife Olive and a team of caterers and volunteers.

This year’s event raised just over £10,000 bringing the total donated to Yorkshire Air Ambulance to more than £100,000.

Bernard’s son, Malcolm, an estate worker from Kirbymoorside, said: “I do a lot of the organising now, but this is still very much my Dad’s event.

“We get people coming from all over the place – including Scotland, Liverpool and Nottinghamshire – and get fantastic support from a team of local volunteers.

“Most of the money we raise comes from street collections in the local villages and it’s fantastic that we have got to the £100,000 mark for our local air ambulance charity.”

The tractor run starts each year from Beadlam Grange Farm, owned by the Rooke family, who themselves have twice needed Yorkshire Air Ambulance after separate horse riding and roof fall accidents.

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

Bob Smailes at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance said: “The Beadlam Tractor Run is now a firm fixture in the Yorkshire Air Ambulance events calendar. The support we receive on the route is wonderful.

“Bernard is a true ambassador for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and I cannot thank him enough for his support and dedication over the years, and of course Olive for her wonderful catering, which is always a real treat!  Having Malcolm on board now is great and the Beadlam Tractor Run continues to go from strength to strength.”

Bernard was recently recognised by the YAA for his fundraising efforts when he and Olive were presented with a special Supporter’s Award at the charity’s annual recognition awards ceremony.

A grateful cyclist has swapped pedals for walking poles to thank Yorkshire Air Ambulance a year to the day after a life-changing accident.

Mike Hudson suffered a spinal crush injury when he crashed into the back of a van less than a mile from his Harrogate home, after a day’s cycling in the Yorkshire Dales.

“I don’t really remember anything about the accident, but understand I basically head butted the back of the van which crushed my spinal cord,” said the 55-year-old.

“I came around about 10 or 15 minutes later and was surrounded by medics, police and my family. I was just laid on the ground and couldn’t move, which was pretty scary, and when I heard the air ambulance land I knew I’d done some serious damage.”

Mike, a surveyor with the National Grid in Leeds, was airlifted in minutes to specialists at Leeds General Infirmary for treatment.

The experienced cyclist and time triallist has recovered well, although has been left with muscle weakness. He added: “I know I’ve been very lucky. I was only doing about 10mph and I was also able to get the medical attention I needed very quickly thanks to the air ambulance. It could have been a lot worse.”

To mark the one year anniversary of his accident Mike joined a group of family and friends to climb the 950m Lake District mountain Helvellyn, the third highest peak in England.

The mountain challenge is set to raise around £2,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, the rapid response emergency charity that serves 5million people across the region, flying over 1,250 missions every year.

Mike, a father of three, added: “It was quite a challenge because I can trip over things more readily now as my feet don’t pick up, but it was a great day.

“When I realised how much the air ambulance need to raise each year to keep on providing what is a vital service in Yorkshire, I wanted to do something to help pay my fare!

“When you talk to people it is surprising to find just how many have either been helped by Yorkshire Air Ambulance or know someone who has benefitted. It is a brilliant service and charity.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep flying and has just replaced its two, ageing aircraft with brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

The Leeds office of business advisory firm Deloitte has raised £31,00 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The money was collected through a range of fundraising activities as part of a two-year partnership between Deloitte and the charity, whose two helicopters serve more than five million people across the county and attend more than 1,000 incidents a year.

Almost £8,000 came from Deloitte employees donating an hour’s salary, while a raffle at the firm’s Summer Ball produced nearly £3,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Other events organised by the Deloitte fundraising team included a Halloween lunch, a 14-mile canoeing challenge and a Tax team tuck shop.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance was chosen as the firm’s charity partner after a vote among all 480 employees in the Leeds office.

Kerry Garner, West & South Yorkshire Regional Fundraising Manager for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “It has been a pleasure working with the Deloitte team in Leeds over past two years, and we are hugely grateful for their amazing fundraising efforts.”

Helen Kaye, partner at Deloitte added: “Organising so many events has been extremely rewarding for us. Everyone knows about the fantastic, life-saving work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, but without the fundraising efforts of individuals and organisations it wouldn’t be able to keep its helicopters in the air.”

He should have been at the show with his stock of Ayrshires. Instead, they presented a trophy in his memory. Michael Spink was in New Zealand – living the dream, his friends said – when a vehicle hit him from behind as he walked along a state highway. He was 24.

In March, two months after the accident, his fellow members of Knaresborough Young Farmers organised a 120-strong tractor run which raised £8,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Yesterday, some of them watched as the Yorkshire Agricultural Society presented the Michael Spink Memorial Perpetual Trophy for the first time. It went to Richard Baynes from Hexham, Northumberland, who was with a team of 11 showing Ayrshires and dairy Shorthorns, including the champion Ayrshire heifer, Marleycote Lily. “It’s a particular honour in the circumstances,” he said, after the presentation by the ring steward and a friend of the Spink family, Michael Warren. Michael’s parents, his brother and two sisters watched with mixed emotions as the silver cup was handed over. “He would have been here today but he wouldn’t have been showing in the ring, said his father, Graham. “He was shy that way.” His son had bought some Ayrshire calves before he went to New Zealand, which would have formed the core of his own herd when he returned.

He had owned Ayrshires since he was eight, when his dad bought him some for the family farm at Scotton. “He would have loved to see his name on an Ayrshire trophy,” said his mother, Jane. “This is something really positive for us and we are so honoured to have a trophy dedicated to him.” Mr. Warren paid his own tribute in the judging ring. “He was a very good stock judge,” he said.