The Yorkshire Air Ambulance provides a life-saving rapid response emergency service 365 days a year to five million people across 4 million acres of Yorkshire and helping spread the word about the Charity is an army of dedicated volunteers.
To help celebrate National Volunteer Week, which commences on June 1st, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) are shining the spotlight on just a few of the many volunteers which help keep the life-saving charity flying across the region.
Helen Murray Sharpe from Leeds has been volunteering for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance since 2014, and over the last six years, she has completed over 100 talks and raised more than £15,000 for the Charity – more than a day’s running costs for the YAA.
“As I was working in a charity supporting volunteers and giving awareness talks I thought it would be interesting to be on the other side and become a volunteer myself, giving some talks about a service I felt was really important to support”, said Helen.
Helen was also an avid watcher of Helicopter Heroes, the original format of the reality TV show following the work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The show is now called Helicopter ER. “The information I heard about the YAA on Helicopter Heroes made me want to support the work of the air ambulance in my home county”, said Helen.
When asked what she enjoys the most about volunteering for the YAA, Helen said: “I enjoy going out to a wide variety of groups to give the talks and meet some lovely people who are always very interested and supportive of the charity. I get lots of interesting questions and enjoy being able to tell people about the work of the YAA. It’s also given me the chance to visit lots of different parts of West Yorkshire.”
Throughout the last six years, Helen has attended presentations held by a variety of organisations across Yorkshire. “I feel I learn something from each group I attend”, She said.
Speaking of her volunteering experience, Helen said: “The support from the staff has been great and I really feel appreciated for the small amount I do.”
To find out about Volunteering opportunities for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, please visit: https://www.yorkshireairambulance.org.uk/news-patient-stories/news/volunteers-create-over-10000-paper-angels-during-lockdown-for-ripon-cathedral-charity-project/
