Incident round-up →

Andy Watson

A man with short brown hair wearing an orange flight suit is stood in front of a yellow helicopter.

Andy lives in Leeds and has been a Paramedic for four years and progressed to Team Leader, before joining Yorkshire Air Ambulance in 2022. Prior to working as a Paramedic, Andy was a personal trainer, a bodyguard, and was in the military.

When asked why he wanted to work as a HEMS Paramedic, Andy said: “HEMS is the best job within the ambulance service and it’s a job most paramedics aspire to.”

Interesting fact: In his spare time Andy enjoys scuba diving

Sam Berridge

Sam lives in Bridlington and joined Yorkshire Air Ambulance in 2022. He began his career working in the Coast Guard Search and Rescue Team for nine years and joined the ambulance service in 2016. He worked his way up to Team Leader before joining the Charity.

“I wanted to work for Yorkshire Air Ambulance because it’s the best air ambulance in the country and brings the very best care to critically ill patients and working in the fantastic small Critical Care Team will allow me to do this”, said Sam.

Interesting fact: Sam is still on the coast guard team and he used to be a fire arms instructor

Terri-ann Lonie

Terri-ann became a Paramedic in 2017, initially based out of Keighley, then Pateley Bridge, and finally Harrogate. She then completed a secondment at HART, Yorkshire’s Hazardous Area Response Team, before joining Yorkshire Air Ambulance in 2022.

When asked why she wanted to join YAA, Terri-ann said: “I wanted to work with the most amazing clinicians, Paramedics, and Pilots. The pre-hospital care they give and the speed that they can fly a patient to the hospital is incredible.”

Interesting fact: Terri-ann once got ‘The Most Improved’ on a surf camp in Australia.

Ruth Crossley

Meet Ruth Crossley, Finance Manager at Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Proudly residing in the vibrant town of Huddersfield, Ruth became an invaluable member of our YAA team in November 2020. It’s worth noting that Ruth’s journey began amidst the challenges of the second Covid-19 lockdown, which meant she didn’t have the chance to meet her YAA colleagues face-to-face for a remarkable six months!

Initially joining as a Finance Officer responsible for Purchase Ledger, In July 2021, Ruth was rightfully promoted to the position of Finance Manager, working closely with our Finance Director, spearheading Month End accounts and overseeing the rest of our talented finance team.

Speaking of why she loves working for YAA, Ruth said, “Working for YAA not only allows me to pursue what I love but also provides me with a profound sense of fulfilment, knowing that I am contributing to supporting our lifesaving missions across Yorkshire.”

Interestingly, Ruth once owned her own wedding stationery business. From designing and handcrafting wedding stationery to dressing the wedding venues, Ruth played a crucial role in making couples’ special days truly memorable.

Laura Wilson

Laura joined Yorkshire Air Ambulance in 2021, initially as HR Manager, before becoming Head of HR in February 2026. She has a degree in Psychology and Human Resources Management and is CIPD qualified. Laura has worked in a variety of HR roles within a variety of sectors during her career – housing, utilities, financial services, and construction.

Working in the charity sector for such a worthwhile cause is something Laura has always wanted to do, and she enjoys the variety of work and interacting with the wider YAA team on a daily basis.

Laura has two young children who keep her very busy – a son who loves skateboarding and a daughter who enjoys ballroom dancing. She enjoys cooking, travelling, fitness and spending time with her family and friends.

Mark Jones

Mark is a solicitor and partner at Yorkshire law firm Gordons LLP. He leads the food and drink sector at the firm and specialises in commercial disputes, data, and rare asset disputes.

Most of Mark’s time is spent advising listed or large privately owned businesses on challenging issues that they face from disputes with suppliers, regulators and how to avoid such situations entirely. That support regularly includes acting for his clients in High Court Proceedings and other forms of dispute resolution.

In addition to advising businesses in private practice, since qualifying as a solicitor Mark has spent time working in-house for businesses like Morrisons and Iceland.

Mark joined the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Board of Trustees in July 2021 to provide support, primarily on legal matters.

Mark is married to Rachel and they live in Huby, between Otley and Harrogate.

Gemma Richmond

Gemma joined the Yorkshire Ambulance Service in 2002 as a Technician and worked at Menston Ambulance Station as an AEMT (Advanced Emergency Medical Technician) until she was offered a position at HART, Yorkshire’s Hazardous Area Response Team. It was there she completed her Paramedic training and remained on the unit for eight years before joining YAA.

Gemma said: “I really wanted the opportunity to experience life as a HEMS paramedic. I spent eight years working across Yorkshire providing a HART response so now is a really exciting opportunity to provide a similar response but arriving to the emergency in a completely different way and providing my patients with a wider variety of clinical skills. I am really looking forward to working alongside the Doctors, providing a critical care response to the patients in the greatest need and hopefully learning a huge amount from the Doctors’ experience in pre-hospital care.”

Kevin Hynes

Kevin has been a Trustee since 2004 and now has responsibility for oversight of the Charity’s Aviation and Operational activities, working closely with Steve Waudby (Director of Aviation) and Neale Jacobs (Director of Operations).

Professionally, Kevin is now retired but his early career was in the motor industry and subsequently the banking sector, specialising in business delivery methods, regulatory risk, and colleague engagement. Before retiring to focus on Yorkshire Air Ambulance and being a Parish Councillor, Kevin owned a property management and sales business in Leeds.

Kevin lives in the East Riding of Yorkshire on the glorious Yorkshire Wolds with his wife Jan. He has a keen interest in motorsports and archery, together with regular travel experiences.

Dr Judith Parker

Judith became a Trustee for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) in 2016 and is a retired GP, having worked in General Practice in Huddersfield for 26 years. During this time she also had a variety of senior clinical management roles and was active in delivering post-graduate education to all grades of frontline health professionals.

Judith enjoys her role in the charity, liaising with The Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and members of the Critical Care Team.

Judith was born and educated in York before attending Leeds Medical School where she met her husband, who was also a GP. They have two grown up children and continue to live in Huddersfield.

Richard Marsh

Richard is a Chartered Accountant with over 35 years’ experience of professional practice in South Yorkshire. Until his retirement in 2018 he was a partner in Hawsons Chartered Accountants, a firm he joined in 1986.

Richard has been a Trustee in a number of charities since 1993 and joined the Yorkshire Air Ambulance in 2020.

Richard lives near Wetherby in West Yorkshire and is married with a daughter and a step daughter.