General

Nexus employees took part in a series of fund-raising challenges including a 160-mile round-trip bike ride from Harrogate to Scarborough and two gruelling expeditions into the Yorkshire Dales to complete the Three Peaks challenge.

Bake sales, raffles and other internal initiatives helped to make up the total.

The partnership with The Yorkshire Air Ambulance began in June 2015 with Nexus setting out its commitment to raise £12,000 for the charity, the amount needed to keep the service operational each day.

David Brennan, CEO at Nexus Vehicle Rental said: “We are incredibly proud of our team’s fund-raising efforts and although we have taken part in some very tough challenges we have also had a lot of fun along the way.

“As a Yorkshire-based business, it’s a pleasure to be able to support The Yorkshire Air Ambulance which provides such a crucial and life-saving service in our region, and is a charity close to the hearts of so many of our staff, customers and partners.”

Kerry Garner, Yorkshire Air Ambulance regional fund-raising manager for West and South Yorkshire added: “Since our partnership with Nexus began in 2015 the staff have been amazingly enthusiastic and have been fully committed to making sure our partnership has been a huge success.

“It has been a pleasure working with such a determined team – it is businesses and groups such as this that enable us to provide Yorkshire with rapid response emergency service, 365 days a year.

“We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the employees for their support and congratulate them on such a fantastic amount raised for the YAA”

Revealed at a special evening event at PPG Canalside on Tuesday evening, this season’s route has been inspired by the journey that Huddersfield Town Head Coach David Wagner and his assistant Christoph Buehler made just over a year ago.

Echoing David and Christoph’s route, cyclists will be asked to travel from Dortmund in Germany to Huddersfield Town to raise funds for the Keep It Up campaign, which generates funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the Huddersfield Town Academy.

The journey will begin on the afternoon of Tuesday 2 May 2017, when the cyclists will depart Town’s PPG Canalside training complex on coaches heading for Hull. At approximately 7pm, they will board a ferry to Rotterdam.

Upon arrival on the following day, the coach journey will continue to Dortmund; around 160 miles in total.

Arriving at noon, the cyclists will then begin the journey home from outside Borussia Dortmund’s impressive Westfalenstadion – cycling around 45 miles to the first overnight stop of Wesel.

The second leg, on Thursday 4 May, will see cyclists cross the border into the Netherlands, with the day ending at the city of Nijmegen around 42 miles later.

Friday 5 May is the longest leg for the cyclists, spanning 88 miles across the Netherlands to Rotterdam in time for the evening ferry back to Hull.

On the morning of Saturday 6 May, the final leg sees cyclists make the return journey from Hull to Huddersfield, ending at PPG Canalside in a pie and peas celebration; around 80 miles in total.

The now traditional lap of honour will still take place at the final game of the season a day later when Wagner’s side hosts Cardiff City at the John Smith’s Stadium in a noon kick-off. Cyclists will meet up at PPG Canalside at 11am and travel to the stadium together.

The Club is looking for 120 cyclists in total, each tasked with raising a minimum of £750 for the Keep It Up campaign.

Each cyclist must pay a £250 registration fee, which will cover the cost of the ferry crossings to and from mainland Europe and the hotels on each evening.

Visit www.htafc.com to download the sign-up form and medical form.

The sign-up and medical forms, along with the £250 registration fee, must be returned to Andy Booth, either via email on andy.booth@htafc.com or hard copies to Andy Booth at PPG Canalside (509 Leeds Road, Huddersfield, HD2 1YJ). You can also drop them in at the Ticket Office at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Places on the ride will be assigned on a first come, first served basis – so don’t delay!

Club Ambassador Andy Booth commented:

“The Pedal for Pounds announcements are now one of the most anticipated dates in the calendar; I know because I get the questions!

“We always work hard to make the rides different, as we could see from the success of the ‘Shankly Tour’ last season, and I think the Wagner Way certainly fits the bill this season.

“Several fans have suggested this as a possibility since the day David and Christoph joined us in November 2015 and I’m really happy that we’ve been able to sort the organization. We’ve tried to take care of every detail to make things as easy as possible for the riders this time around.

“We expect the ride to be very popular, but it is limited to 120 riders due to the ferry bookings. As such, I’d urge anyone who is interested to complete the sign-up process as quickly as possible to avoid disappointment!

“As always, thanks to all the volunteers and staff that are volunteering their time to make the ride possible – as well as everyone who came to the launch evening at PPG Canalside.”

This season’s ride is being held in association with Made by Cooper; a local company with respected worldwide reputation for quality and design.

Based in Lion Chambers in Huddersfield, St George’s Square, the company creates enamel lapel pin badges, patches, medals, toys and much more, with a team of professional designers to help realise your ideas.

Made by Cooper ships worldwide, with about 40% of customers in the USA. It works with all types of clients, from individuals that want keepsakes for their wedding day, to international companies such as BBC, ITV, HSBC, Tate Modern, Warner Bros, and many more including the Town Foundation.

The Club’s previous Pedal for Pounds bike rides have contributed over £1 million to the total raised for the campaign since its inception in 2009.

If you want to donate some money to the ride, please visit www.justgiving.com/keepitupcampaign or text KIUP99 £5 (or any other amount) to 70070!

If you are tweeting about the ride, please use the hashtag #P4P8 and the Club’s official Twitter account, www.twitter.com/htafcdotcom, will retweet some of the best!

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.

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.

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.