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Courageous Charlotte Leighton is taking her fundraising for Yorkshire Air Ambulance to new heights!

The 21-year-old, who suffered serious head and facial injuries in a childhood road accident, will be skydiving from 15,000ft later this month to support the charity she loves.

Charlotte and her family have already raised over £100,000 for the rapid response emergency service since she was knocked down near her Tollerton home in March 2006.

The impact caused devastating head and facial injuries and her life was only saved thanks to treatment at the scene by Air Ambulance medics and the speed she was airlifted to specialists at Leeds General Infirmary.

“If Yorkshire Air Ambulance had not been there I would not be here. It’s as simple as that,” said Charlotte, who along with Mum Sue, is a registered volunteer for the charity.

“They are a massive part of my life and we all, as a family, try to do as much as we can to raise money but also to raise awareness of the work the air ambulance does.”

Charlotte suffered multiple fractures to her forehead, eye sockets, jaw and leg and underwent pioneering facial reconstruction surgery following the accident.

She is still undergoing treatment, recently having surgery which involved breaking her upper jaw and fitting a titanium plate. She is now awaiting further bone grafts and implants.

“It is hard. You have one operation and recover and get back to how you are and then you’re down again with the next one. It does wear you out a bit but hopefully I can now see some light at the end of the tunnel.”

Despite her many operations, Charlotte has lived life to the full becoming a talented equestrian rider, competing with her younger sister Serena for York and Ainsty South Pony Club and at British Show Jumping events throughout the country.

Earlier this month she beat off the challenge from 90 other riders to win individual and team novice prizes at a coveted area event.

But next month Charlotte, Serena and Dad Colin will be taking on a different challenge – the UK’s highest skydive. The trio will tandem jump from 15,000ft above Lincolnshire and hope to raise a sky-high sum for the YAA.

Charlotte added: “It is something we’ve really wanted to do for a long time and so, at the moment, we are all really excited about it and hope to raise a lot of money.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million 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.

If you would like to support Charlotte, Serena and their Dad go to their Just Giving Page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/leightonsskydive

Masham-based I’Anson has pledged to donate £60,000 over three years to the air ambulance charity, to support its vital, lifesaving work throughout the county. The company will fund the donation out of the savings it is set to make from replacing its old style conventional lighting with state of the art LEDs.

The changes are set to be implemented in the firm’s mill, the hub of the 7.5 acre site where feed for beef and dairy cattle, sheep, lambs, horses as well as for a range of other farm animals are manufactured, along with ingredients for pet foods. The new £35,000 lighting system will see 320 modern LED bulbs replace over 800 conventional fluorescent fittings in a move which will reduce CO2 emissions while also saving both energy and money.

Calculations performed by the installer have shown that the older lighting system used 260,000 Kilowatt hours (kWh) per annum, while the new system will only use 80,000 kWh a year – a saving of 70 per cent. The 180,000 kWh saving is equivalent to around £20,000 in energy costs. The reduction in energy usage will reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 98.5 tonnes.

The new lighting system will also lead to greatly reduced physical waste, as the average LED light has a lifespan of 50,000 hours, compared to the 8,000 hours offered by fluorescent bulbs.

Along with supporting general running costs, some of the donation will go towards the provision of night vision goggles for air ambulance pilots, allowing the helicopter to safely operate in hours of darkness.

Chris I’Anson, Managing Director of I’Anson, said: “We’re a Yorkshire company through and through and we believe in putting something back into the local community. In a large county like this, where much of the countryside operates as an open air factory, a fully functional air ambulance is a real necessity.  Some of the more remote areas are very difficult to access by road and in an emergency the air ambulance can literally mean the difference between life and death for a casualty.

“To be able to make this donation as a direct result of taking action to reduce our carbon footprint and our energy consumption is particularly pleasing. The drivers in our transport fleet criss-cross the region every day and often see the distinctive air ambulance in the skies so , as a company, we have a real pride in knowing that we are making a contribution to keeping the service operating. I’ve known Paul Gowland and Helen Callear from Yorkshire Air Ambulance for a while now and my thanks go to them for helping make this donation possible.”

In 2016, Yorkshire’s two air ambulances flew 1,390 missions, equating to almost four a day, and treated 855 patients. The helicopters are based at airbases which allow them to access any part of Yorkshire within 20 minutes flying time.

Agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous industries in the UK, with 27 people suffering fatal injuries during the course of their work in 2016.

Paul Gowland, Director of Fundraising at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said:

“This is a very generous and much appreciated gesture by I’Anson that will help us to continue providing our much needed service. It’s particularly appropriate that one of Yorkshire’s best known and longest established rural businesses should be helping an operation that does much of its work in some of the county’s most remote corners. We are very proud that our principal supporters are local, family-owned companies and I’Anson is a perfect match and we welcome them to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance family.”

Following the donation, I’Anson has rebranded its already distinctive fleet of delivery vehicles with new Yorkshire Air Ambulance livery.

Now one of the UK’s most successful specialist suppliers of farm feeds, micronized ingredients and horse feeds, with customers in over 30 countries worldwide, I’Anson is an independent, fourth generation, family-owned and managed company. For more information visit www.ianson.co.uk.

Yummy Fest, which takes place on the 15th & 16th of July, has seen over 20,000 visitors flock to site since its inaugural year in 2015 and 2017 promises to be even better. 2017 sees Yorkshire Air Ambulance return as the festivals named charity partner, with a helicopter landing scheduled for the Sunday the 16th of July 2017, subject to operational requirements.

Yummy Yorkshire will also welcome Wakefield Grammar School Foundation on site as the main sponsor.

Yummy Fest pays homage to the ice cream company’s farming heritage with a display of vintage tractors but that forms only a small part of this family friendly event. Visitors will be able to enjoy FREE entertainment across the course of the weekend, with plenty to keep the littlies and grown-ups busy, including:

·         hands on craft and chocolate workshops,

·         interactive dance sessions with StarMovers,

·         pizza cooking demonstrations with DeliVita Ltd,

·         Wakefield Grammar School Foundation, Yummy Fest’s main sponsor, will also be on site encouraging visitors to take part in a little healthy competition in the shape of a swing ball contest (or two),

·         a dedicated kids zone with children’s fairground rides, a small steam train ride and of course the Yummy Yorkshire Ice Cream trailer,

·         a variety of live music and entertainment from local bands and artists.

In keeping with Yummy Yorkshire’s culinary passion, there will be an abundance of street food producers on site selling their amazing produce along with a Stancill Brewery Bar in the main event tent.  Add to this a Made and Found Market showcasing some of the best local artisan producers and Yummy Fest offers something for all the family to enjoy!

Visitors are also invited to carry on the fun as Ordinary Men ROCK the Saturday evening party at Yummy Fest 2017! Adult entrance tickets cost £7.50 and are available from The Parlour or online at www.yummyyorkshire.co.uk/shop.

Yummy Yorkshire’s owner Jeremy Holmes commented:

“We’re very excited about Yummy Fest 2017, last year’s event was really well received and we hope to build upon its success offering visitors a relaxed festival feel that has something to offer all the family”.

“We are delighted to be able to support Yorkshire Air Ambulance again this year, the work they do is invaluable, especially in the rural community in which we live”.

“We’re gearing up for a festival atmosphere with lots of family fun, think excellent acoustic music sets, craft and chocolate making workshops, cooking demonstrations and may be even some raw milk sampling, there really will be something for everyone to enjoy.  Gate entry into the event is FREE, visitors will simply be asked to make a minimum donation of £2 for parking with proceeds being donated to Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Camping will be available onsite and we welcome Ordinary Men who promise to rock our Saturday evening party!”

“We really look forward to welcoming visitors on site for this family festival!”

Anybody interested in showing a vehicle should contact Yummy Yorkshire direct or visit our site to download a registration form; www.yummyyorkshire.co.uk/tractor-fest.

Since May 2016, the 100-strong team has hosted a huge range of fund-raising events from the usual bake sales, quizzes, raffles and organised sweepstakes, to sponsored mountain climbing, a beard growing competition and a pie-in-the- face game!

The team succeeded in raising £3,681 which was then matched by Clarion, enabling the firm to donate over £7,000 to Yorkshire Air Ambulance, massively beating its £5,000 fundraising target.

“The Clarion team has really risen to the challenge, coming up with lots of weird and wonderful ways of raising much-needed funds for this great Yorkshire charity,” explains Roger Hutton, managing partner of Clarion.  “Many thanks to everyone for their generosity and enthusiasm – it’s been great fun as well as helping Yorkshire Air Ambulance to continue saving lives throughout the region.”

Kerry Garner of Yorkshire Air Ambulance: “We rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations to enable us to operate our two air ambulances and provide lifesaving state-of-the-art care to a population of around five million people across four million acres; a service which costs £12,000 a day to run.  We really appreciate Clarion’s efforts on our behalf.”

To date, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance has rescued over 7,000 people in the region.

The actor suffered multiple injuries and a cardiac arrest after the crash on the A59 near Skipton last September.

Martin was returning to York on his bike after visiting a friend in Keswick when a car pulled out of a side road in front of him.

The collision caused serious injuries including 17 broken ribs, a severely lacerated liver, two punctured lungs and a badly broken ankle.

Martin stopped breathing but was successfully revived by paramedics before being airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary where he was placed in an induced coma for several days.

The 61-year-old spent over two months in hospital before starting a long physical and psychological recuperation.

During a visit to Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s air base at Nostell, near Wakefield, Martin met the two paramedics who treated him at the scene.

“The fact that I’ve survived is a miracle. If I had not got immediate care at the roadside and then flown so quickly to hospital I don’t think I would have made it.

“Meeting the people who actually saved my life was one of the greatest days of my life,” said the father-of-two.

“It was very emotional and they could not believe that I had come through. Apparently, the survival rate for someone who punctures both lungs is just one percent and I also stopped breathing for quite a long time.”

Martin is now hoping to organise fundraising events for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, including a charity celebrity cricket match at Heworth Cricket Club in September.

Abby McClymont of the YAA added “We were delighted to be able to welcome Martin to Nostell to see first-hand the work we do and what will have happened on the day of his accident. 

“It’s remarkable to hear Martin’s story and how ill he was, but to see him now looking so well is fantastic.  We are glad we were able to help Martin in his time of need.”

The rapid response emergency service serves 5million people and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. It 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.

Martin is back at work having recently finished a run playing the Lord Mayor of Hull in a production of The Hypocrite for the Hull Truck Theatre Company and Royal Shakespeare Company.

After missing last year’s panto at York Theatre Royal, he will be back this year and is sure to receive a rapturous reception from audiences.

A York man is prepared to run through fire, ice and mud to raise money for the air ambulance service that saved his Dad’s life.

Guy Kilner, Director at Energi Trampoline Park and three other staff members are tackling the Dirty Heroes Obstacle Race at Duncombe Park, Helmsley.

The event involves a gruelling 10-mile course with more than 30 obstacles including ice pits, electric shocks, scaling walls, strength tests, squeezing through tunnels and of course lots of mud.

Guy, 40, is putting himself through this endurance test to raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance who saved his father’s life at Energi York in May last year, just three days after the Park opened.

Experienced cleaning contractor Michael Kilner was working for his son on site when he fell off a ladder onto a concrete floor suffering a major head injury.

“It was a huge shock,” said Guy. “He had fallen from six rungs up and when I got there our first aiders were with him and had called the emergency services. He didn’t look good.”

Michael, was stabilised at the scene by air ambulance medics and flown to Leeds General Infirmary. During a five-hour operation neurosurgeons had to cut away part of the left side of his brain to release mounting pressure and swelling.

The 66-year-old was in hospital in Leeds and York for 10 weeks before transferring to Goole Neurorehabilitation Centre for a further 12 weeks.

Guy added: “The air ambulance doctor and paramedics being there and their quick decision-making made the difference. He was anaesthetised at the scene and flown to Leeds in 10 minutes and quite simply my Dad would not have survived without them. I cannot thank them enough.”

Michael, from Wheldrake, has no recollection of the accident but knows just how lucky he was to survive it. The grandfather had a titanium plate fitted in his head last December and is still recovering.

“I’ve always wanted to fly in a helicopter but not in these circumstances,” he said. “I don’t remember the journey at all but I know I’ve been very lucky. If I had not got to hospital so quickly I would not have made it.

“I still get very tired and my short-term memory is not great, but I’m getting there and I’ve had great support from my family and friends.”

Guy has been raising money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance since the accident through collection boxes at Energi Park. He and three other staff members are taking on the Dirty Heroes Obstacle Course on July 22. If you would like to sponsor them a Just Giving page has been set up: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/enzoenergiheros

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. It 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 family-owned water producer and bottler has placed the charity’s iconic yellow helicopters on the back of two trucks that deliver its own-label Ice Valley water across the region.

Shepley Spring is the UK’s largest independent bottled water company manufacturing over 250 million bottles per year at its two purpose-designed plants in Shepley and Kirkburton.

The company has chosen Yorkshire Air Ambulance as its official charity partner for the last four years but has also been supplying free water for the rapid response emergency service for considerably longer.

Managing Director James Smith said: “I am a keen cyclist and motor cyclist – both activities which are high up the risk list and so I know just how vital a service Yorkshire Air Ambulance provide.

“We, as a family, have had members and friends who have needed their services and so have a very clear understanding about just how important this charity is to Yorkshire.

“We, as a company, also do as much as we can to support Yorkshire so we are even more proud to support Yorkshire Air Ambulance, a brilliant charity that saves lives across the county.”

Shepley Spring produce their own Ice Valley brand as well bottling many Supermarket own-label spring waters – including those for Morrisons, Sainsbury, Aldi and Lidl.

As a leading supporter of Yorkshire Air Ambulance the company has its logo on the charity’s two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

Now those helicopters make a striking sight on the back of the two Ice Valley Trucks as James added: “The trucks do a lot of their deliveries in Yorkshire and we thought this would be a great way to raise the profile of the Air Ambulance and to remind people that they have this great charity in their area.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. It needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep its two aircraft flying.

Director of Marketing and Communications Abby McClymont said: “Shepley Springs have been a great supporter of the YAA and we are delighted to work with them.

“The two trucks look absolutely amazing and really help us raise awareness of the charity across the region.  Seeing the image of one of our helicopters on the back doors is a great reminder to people of the work we do.

“We’d really like to thank James, his family and everyone at Shepley Springs for their continued support.”

Picture caption: One of the two Shepley Spring lorries which are carrying the Yorkshire Air Ambulance message throughout the county.

The Deputy Community Banking Director in Yorkshire for Barclays Bank will visit 45 bank branches on his route and will be joined daily by Barclays colleagues who are also raising funds and sponsorship money.

David, from Nidderdale, said: “I did Land’s End to John O’Groats ten years ago and wanted to do another major walk that would link Barclays across the North and raise a lot of money for charity.

“Barclays has a fantastic Colleague Community Programme that encourages employees to get involved in the causes we care about in the communities we serve. 

“It’s about giving back skills, time and energy and I’m thrilled to be undertaking this challenge and to have had so much support. There’s been something of a movement that is gathering pace which is lovely.

“I wanted to pick a charity that people can relate to locally. I’m supporting five air ambulance services on the route, although given my roots, I expect the largest amount of fundraising will go to Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

 “Most people assume that they are Government funded but that is not the case and, certainly across Yorkshire, there are many people who know first- hand just what an amazing service the air ambulance provides.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million 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.

David, 54, will be visiting 13 Barclays branches in Yorkshire during his Great North Walk including Leeds, Sheffield, Doncaster, Bradford, Skipton and Harrogate.

He has set up a JustGiving page. If you would like to support David please go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/davidpenngreatnorthwalkyaa

Jean, 80, has helped to raise more than £500,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance over the last 11 years by running two stalls and a card shop at the old market hall with her team of volunteers.

The market’s refurbishment meant a move to the lower ground floor vaults, but the YAA now has an extra two units which have been combined to create a large, dedicated clothing shop selling high-quality fashion donated by dress agencies.

Jean said: “We moved down to the vaults when the refurbishment project started and now have a larger presence – with a proper clothing department – which will hopefully attract more people to come downstairs.

“Everything we sell is donated and we have such tremendous support in Scarborough from local people and visitors which we hope will continue.  We would like to thank everyone in Scarborough and the surrounding areas for their continued support and their donations to the stalls.  The support we receive is overwhelming and enables us to keep running our outlet.”

Jean ran her own business at Scarborough Market for 40 years. But after only a few weeks of retirement in 2006, she took on an empty stall and started raising money for the charity she loves.

Over the years, Jean has also attended hundreds of events, cheque presentations and talks helping to spread the word about the work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance in Scarborough and the surrounding area.

To honour her amazing contribution, Jean received a special award in 2015 from the charity, which serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year.

Due to their expansion into the Market Vaults, Jean is also now looking for some extra volunteers to help her keep the outlets running.

“We have a lovely team of volunteers now that work with us in the Market Vaults and with the busy summer season fast approaching we are now looking out for some extra helpers.  People can commit to as much or as little time as they can spare.  A few days, one day a week or a morning or an afternoon would be a fantastic help to us.”

The YAA 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.

The £2.8m refurbishment of the Grade 11 listed Scarborough market building was unveiled earlier this month and was made possible through a grant from the Coastal Communities Fund, administered by the Big Lottery Fund.

The market makeover incudes new units on the main floor and the addition of a mezzanine level above to create new shops, offices and a food court.

Paul Cording, a roads policing sergeant with North Yorkshire Police, had no doubt about which charity to support when entering his first ever marathon.

“With my job, I am on the scene of quite a lot of fatal and life changing road traffic collisions and I see at first hand the amazing work the Yorkshire Air Ambulance do,” he said.

“I cover the whole of North Yorkshire which has 6,000 miles of road covering everything from very rural areas to major towns and coastal resorts and the air ambulance can get everywhere in such a short period of time.

“I see on a weekly basis the benefits the service brings in getting patients to major trauma centres within that first golden hour so they have the very best chance of survival and recovery.”

Paul, 45, is a regular hockey player rather than runner but completed the 26.2 miles in under five hours and would recommend the experience to everyone.

He added: “It was a really great day, and such a humbling experience. I have been just blown away by people’s generosity. I had an initial target of £500 and I’ve raised nearly £6,000 with Gift Aid which is just amazing.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million people across Yorkshire 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.

Linda Stead, North Yorkshire Community Fundraiser for the rapid response emergency charity, said: “We work in very close partnership with all the emergency services and we are very grateful to Paul for his amazing achievement – not just in running 26miles but in raising so much money for us.”

Photo caption: North Yorkshire policeman Paul Cording presents his cheque from running the London Marathon to (from left) Yorkshire Air Ambulance paramedic Pete Vallance, Pilot Capt Ian Mousette and paramedic Matt Syrat.

Former top advertising executive Tara Stewart is aiming to raise £50,000 for the rapid response emergency service following the accident near her family’s North Yorkshire home three years ago.

The 45-year-old tetraplegic also wants to raise a further £50,000 to support pioneering research into spinal cord regeneration. “I firmly believe that discovering a cure for paralysis will be the next great medical breakthrough of the 21st-century.”

Tara’s accident happened in July 2014, when she was thrown from her horse while riding near the family home at Stearsby, near Helmsley. She landed on her head, with the impact breaking her neck.

“I heard my neck snap and was instantly paralysed from the chest down,” said Tara, who endured a five-hour wait on the ground before a passing horse rider spotted her riderless mount and called the emergency services.

“I was a couple of fields away from home,” added Tara. “There was no road nearby and so my horse actually saved my life by staying with me.

“Stranded as I was in the middle of nowhere, it was impossible to get an ambulance to me and I knew, from the moment I hit the ground, that the only way to get me out would be by helicopter.”

A neighbouring Air Ambulance carried Tara in minutes to trauma specialists at the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough as both YAA aircraft were attending other emergencies in the region.

Following an eight-hour operation to rebuild and stabilise her neck and two weeks in a medical coma, Tara spent a month in high dependency before being transferred to Pinderfields spinal unit in Wakefield where she remained for a further six months of physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

It was in hospital that Tara, and her internationally-renowned artist father David Howell, came up with an idea to raise money.

David Howell, a past President of the Royal Society of Marine Artists, has exhibited throughout the world. His work focuses on landscape and marine subjects, but he is also well known for his equestrian racing pictures, and so they decided to create a one-off, original racehorse oil with limited edition prints.

The painting is called ‘A Dirty Day at Duncombe Park’ and each print is one of a limited edition of 750, numbered and signed by David. Framed prints are £275 and unframed £150 with the proceeds being split between the YAA and Spinal Research.

Greeting cards are also available and come in packs of ten, costing £12.75.

Tara added: “My entire focus is on raising money. Obviously, I am passionate about supporting the amazing work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance. They are my local Air Ambulance and no one ever knows when they might need their services.

“As a tetraplegic, paralysed from the chest down, I also believe very passionately in the work of Spinal Research to fund a cure into spinal cord injury. I have a first-hand understanding of the absolute devastation to a life an injury like this can cause.

“Getting out of bed alone takes two hours. I used to be incredibly inpatient but I’m having to adjust to the fact that life now moves at a different pace.

“But, I am confident that we are very close to finding a cure for spinal injuries. Previously considered medically impossible, the last few years have seen some big breakthroughs in this area and more money is needed to keep pushing the frontiers of science.”

Abby McClymont, Director of Marketing & Communications added “Tara has been through a life-changing few years since her accident and she really is an inspiration to us all with her grit and determination.

“We are so grateful to both Tara and her father for choosing to support us through the sale of these beautiful prints.  It’s a wonderful way for them to be able to raise vital funds and showcase David’s fantastic work at the same time.”

Tara’s fundraising is also being supported by close friend Kate Rangeley who knows only too well just how vital Yorkshire Air Ambulance is after herself being airlifted after a horse riding accident.

For more information and to buy cards or prints please visit www.buckinghorses.co.uk