General

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The new aircraft – each costing around £6m – offers exceptional flight performance and will have significantly lower operational and maintenance costs. The H145 is night capable, enabling longer flying hours, and is used by military, police and air rescue services throughout the world.  The purchase and fitting out costs have been met through planned savings, grants, careful budgeting and the amazing generosity of the people of Yorkshire.

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

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

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

Yorkshire Air Ambulance still needs to raise £12,000 every single day to keep its helicopters flying. The charity serves 5million people across Yorkshire, attending on average, more than 1,000 incidents a year.  The only help it receives is the secondment of its paramedics and Doctors from the Yorkshire Ambulance NHS Trust.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was the largest act ever to have taken to the stage at York Barbican last Saturday, as nearly 800 Rock Choir members had the audience up on their feet to the sounds of well-known, uplifting classics such as ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, ‘Rather Be’, ‘Proud’, including a surprise performance by Founder and Director, Caroline Redman Lusher singing Labi Siffre’s ‘Something Inside So Strong’.  The evening was also supporting the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and raised a fantastic £1,120.

York Rock Choir leader, Steve Brown said “All of the hard work that the choir members have put into this event has led to an incredible performance and an amazingly connected audience. I am so very proud to be a part of Rock Choir and know that there will be many more great events happening over the coming years. Huge well done to all that took part, and thank you to those that helped put it all together.”

Rock Choir members from the UK’s largest contemporary choir, conducted by four Rock Choir leaders who run fun rehearsals in local communities across the Yorkshire region, gave a sensational rendition of Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’.

Community Fundraiser for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, David Hebden said “We were absolutely delighted to have been chosen as the Charity for this amazing performance.  The choir’s performance was phenomenal and they should all be commended.  The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an independent Charity which needs to raise £12,000 each day, so we rely on the support of events such as the Rock Choir’s performance to help us raise the vital funds we so desperately need.  We would like to thank everyone at Rock Choir for choosing to support us, and also the audience on the evening for their generous donations.”

Rock Choir is the UK’s largest contemporary choir, with in excess of 23,000 members in over 320 local communities. There are no auditions and no requirements to read music or have any previous singing experience. Rock Choir members get together each week to attend fun, friendly rehearsals where they are taught specially arranged pop, rock and chart songs. There are lots of exciting performances throughout the year and many of them help raise money for charity.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5 million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The charity are soon to replace their current ageing helicopters with two, brand new state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.  These will take to the skies over Yorkshire later this year and in Spring 2017.  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.

Big hearted staff from the Leeds office of business advisory firm Deloitte have raised a staggering £10,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Last June, the rapid response emergency service was selected as Deloitte in Yorkshire’s charity partner for the next two years after a vote by the 480 staff in the firm’s City Square offices.

Since then, staff have been raising much needed funds through a range of activities from the traditional dress down days and bake sales, to the more adventurous including a sponsored 14-mile canoe challenge.

Helen Kaye, partner and corporate responsibility lead at Deloitte in Yorkshire, said: “I am delighted to have supported Yorkshire Air Ambulance as our local office charity for the last year.

“From the 480 people based in our Leeds office we have seen some fantastic fundraising efforts to help Yorkshire Air Ambulance in their mission to save lives across the county.

“Through our corporate responsibility programme at Deloitte our aim is to play a proactive role in helping our local charity deal with key organisational challenges, not just raising funds, but also by providing time and expertise through volunteering and pro-bono support.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves five million people across the county and attends more than 1,000 incidents a year. The charity has so far airlifted more than 6,800 people to major trauma centres across the county.

Kerry Garner, Regional Fundraising Manager, said: “It has been a pleasure working with the Leeds Deloitte team over the last year and we would like to sincerely thank their staff for their amazing fundraising efforts!

“£10,000 is a huge amount of money for the Charity and will certainly help to keep saving lives across Yorkshire.  We are an independent Charity and rely on support from people such as the staff at Deloitte to help us raise the vital funds we need every day to keep both of our helicopters in the air and helping to save lives.”

The rapid response emergency service has recently 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.

The latest generation Airbus H145 helicopters will give paramedics a much more modern medical fit-out to treat and transport often critically injured patients.

The hoist-equipped aircraft, part-funded by the £1m Treasury donation from the Libor Fine Funds, will allow the charity to reach patients in remote or inaccessible places, while the increased range, payload and cabin space will enable YAA to provide critical care and transport across Yorkshire’s 5 million acres of territory. The 4-axis autopilot, full night flying capabilities and availability rates of roughly 95% will help YAA increase life-saving missions by 30% and make the H145 an iconic sight over the skies of Yorkshire.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance will also benefit from a unique long-term, comprehensive support arrangement, specifically tailored to the projected 800+ flying hours per year the charity plans to fly. The agreement, which covers material management and 24/7 Airbus Helicopters support across the UK, will provide value for money over the duration of the contract and help optimise the aircraft’s availability.

Transport Minister Robert Goodwill MP said, “Air ambulances play a vital role in saving lives. As a Transport Minister and a Yorkshire MP I am delighted to be here today to see Yorkshire Air Ambulance receiving their new state of the art helicopter. The money for this helicopter comes in part from fines levied on banks. It’s only right that funds from those who have demonstrated the worst values should go to those, like the brave air ambulance crews, that show the best on a daily basis. This brings the total fund given to air ambulances across the country to over £10 million.”

Peter Sunderland, Chairman of YAA, said, “We are extremely excited to be formally accepting our second H145 from Airbus, and Farnborough Airshow is an absolutely fitting surrounding to do so. Our new H145’s will provide the people of Yorkshire and its visitors with a much enhanced, state-of-the-art medical service, befitting of the support they show towards us. Airbus Helicopters has been a pleasure to deal with during the purchasing process and we are now looking forward to the H145’s taking to the skies of Yorkshire and helping us to continue to save more lives.”

Colin James, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters in the UK said, Yorkshire Air Ambulance will benefit from the enhanced capability this innovative and fully supported H145 solution provides. We are proud to be associated with the delivery of such an important mission which touches the lives of people across Yorkshire on a daily basis”.

The Leeds office of business advisory firm Deloitte are delighted to announce they have raised a fantastic £10,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance since the beginning of their charity partnership in June 2015.

The rapid response emergency service was selected after a vote by the 480 staff in the firm’s City Square offices. Since the partnership began staff have been raising much needed funds through a range of activities from the traditional dress down days and bake sales, to the more adventurous including a sponsored 14 mile canoe challenge.

Helen Kaye, partner and corporate responsibility lead at Deloitte in Yorkshire, said: “I am delighted to have supported Yorkshire Air Ambulance as our local office charity for the last year. From the 480 people based in our Leeds office we have seen some fantastic fundraising efforts to help Yorkshire Air Ambulance in their mission to save lives across the county.

“Through our corporate responsibility programme at Deloitte our aim is to play a proactive role in helping our local charity deal with key organisational challenges, not just raising funds and also providing time and expertise through volunteering and pro-bono support.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves five million people across the county and attends more than 1,000 incidents a year. The charity has so far airlifted more than 6,800 people.

Kerry Garner, Regional Fundraising Manager, said: It has been a pleasure working with the Leeds Deloitte team over the last year and we would like to sincerely thank their staff for their amazing fundraising efforts!  £10,000 is a huge amount of money for the Charity and will certainly help to keep saving lives across Yorkshire.  We are an independent Charity and rely on support from people such as the staff at Deloitte to help us raise the vital funds we need each and every day to keep both of our helicopters in the air and helping to save lives.”

Hunky firemen from across West Yorkshire have proved to be red hot fundraisers for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Over the last 12 years, firefighters from across the region have featured in the ‘Red Hot Dates’  calendar which has so far raised more than £100,000 for a range of charities.

The sizzling 2016 version has so far pulled in £1,400 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance bringing the total donated to over £17,000.

The Red Hot Calendar was the brainchild of West Yorkshire Fire Service Assistant Commander Dominic Furby.

“I can’t believe how popular the calendar is now,” said Dominic, who is based in Calderdale. “Although most of the interest is in the UK we have sales throughout the world, especially in Australia, Canada, Scandinavia and Europe.

“We have a huge following on social media. One photo we put up on Facebook a couple of weeks ago got 20,000 views. It has just been amazing.

“We support mainly local charities and have donated proceeds several times to Yorkshire Air Ambulance over the years. We work very closely with them, both at incidents and with their fundraisers, and know the brilliant work that they do.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million 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.

YAA West Yorkshire Regional Fundraising Manager Kerry Garner said: “We have received fantastic support from the Fire Service over the last 12 years.  They have raised a phenomenal amount of money which is vital to the Charity.

“It is so important for the emergency services to work in partnership and this just shows what a fantastic relationship we have, working together to save lives.

“The calendar has gone from strength to strength and we cannot thank the Fire Fighters enough and wish them all the best for the 2017 edition!”

Dominic and his team are just putting the finishing touches to the 2017 version of the Red Hot Dates calendar which will, for the first time, be interactive. Scrolling a free App over each image will generate a fire safety message from each firefighter featured.

The world’s fastest woman has made a special return to Yorkshire to thank air ambulance medics after surviving a terrifying motorcycle crash at more than 200mph.

Becci Ellis was trying to beat her own land speed record of 264mph at Elvington Airfield, North Yorkshire, last August when the high-speed accident happened. After reaching an astonishing 254mph her powerful turbo-powered bike was hit by a gust of wind sending her veering off the track.

Spectators – including her husband and former racer Mick – watched in horror as Becci’s Suzuki Hayabusa careered out of control for a quarter of a mile before, still travelling at around 90mph, the mother-of-two was thrown off.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance was quickly on scene and airlifted Becci to hospital in Leeds within minutes. Thanks to armour-plating inside her racing suit, the 49-year-old IT analyst miraculously escaped with a broken ankle, severe bruising and whiplash.

After an eight-hour hospital stay, she was trackside at Elvington again the following day to watch other competitors and to help raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Becci said: “I had just gone through the speed gate at 254mph when the wind caught me and in less than a second the bike had gone onto the grass.

“I managed to keep the bike upright but I was still doing around 90mph when the bike finally dug into the dirt and I was catapulted off. I don’t remember coming off or hitting the ground, but I landed on my front sliding for about 70 yards and blacked out briefly.

“The air ambulance was called and the paramedics were there very quickly. I was in Leeds hospital fifteen minutes after the crash.”

Becci’s recovery has been painful and slow, but with the help of a sports therapist and the support of her family she is now ready to ride again – although on a completely rebuilt bike.

The mother-of-two from Scunthorpe took the new bike to Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Nostell Air Base, near Wakefield, to show air crew and paramedics and to thank them.

Becci added: “Mick and I have been collecting for the Air Ambulance for about 12 years and the day after my accident we raised £500.

“The paramedics and pilots are just fantastic and I taking the new bike up was my way of satying thank you for being there for me that day.

“I know, not just from what happened to me, but having seen what they do at events they have definitely save lives. Accidents happen but it is so reassuring to know that we have this amazing service on hand to look after us.”

Becci set her world record of 264mph in October 2014 Elvington Airfield, beating the previous title-holder by more than 20mph. She is considering returning in August to make a further attempt to break her record again.

“I’m having another couple of test and tune days next month and if weather conditions are perfect we aim to get as close to 270mph as possible. But it is totally down to me, I’m not going to put my life at risk for this, it’s not worth it, and I have nothing to prove.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves 5million 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.

Caption: Becci Ellis (front) and husband Mick (behind left) meet Yorkshire Air Ambulance pilot Capt Garry Brasher (behind right) and paramedics Matt Syrat and Sammy Wills.

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.

Geoffrey Boycott has officially unveiled Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s landmark new, state-of-the-art helicopter that will take to the county’s skies later this Summer.

The rapid response emergency service is replacing both its current ageing aircraft – G-SASH and G-SEMS – with the latest generation Airbus H145 helicopter.

Geoffrey, who is a Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) Patron, joined charity staff, supporters and volunteers to get first sight of the first of the new aircraft which flew into the charity’s Nostell Air Support Unit near Wakefield.

It will become fully operational in a couple of months following a full medical fit-out and crew training. A second H145 has been ordered from Airbus and will be in service by Spring 2017.

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.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance has been planning the replacement of its existing aircraft for several years. The purchase and fitting out costs have been met through planned savings, grants, careful budgeting and the amazing generosity of the people of Yorkshire.

YAA Chairman Peter Sunderland said: “This really is a landmark day for the charity and for Yorkshire. This amazing new helicopter is the result of the hard work and dedication of the tremendous team we have at the charity and the wonderful generosity of the people of Yorkshire.

“This helicopter belongs to the people of Yorkshire and will do for the next 20 to 25 years. I am very proud to say we now have a level of service which is probably the best of any air ambulance charity in the UK.”

Air ambulance doctors and paramedics have been involved from the start in the medical fit out of the H145s which provide a much larger cabin area to treat patients in flight, and will carry the latest medical equipment.

YAA Clinical Operations Manager Pete Vallance said: “The open cabin allows clinicians to have full access to the patient inflight and we have future-proofed the specialized medical equipment that is being fitted.

“We believe we have now got the best aircraft and the best equipment available to enable us to provide top-level clinical care across Yorkshire for many years to come.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance still needs to raise £12,000 every single day to keep its helicopters flying. The charity serves 5million people across Yorkshire, attending on average, more than 1,000 incidents a year.

Its two current YAA helicopters, MD902 Explorers G-SASH and G-CEMS will have a phased retirement once the new H145’s are in operation and will eventually be sold to aid the replacement costs.

Paul Gowland, YAA Director of Fundraising, said: “For the people of Yorkshire to raise the amount of money they do to enable us to buy these new aircraft is just astonishing.

“The H145 will enable us to fly an increase of 30 per cent more missions a year, to take an extra 30 per cent more people to major trauma centres and potentially 30 per cent more people will be alive.”