Air Ambulance

Leo Shirley suffered a fractured back after the car he was in crashed through a hedge and was admitted into University Hospital Coventry for two weeks as a result.

The Air Ambulance service flew him to the hospital after the incident on January the 19th, which was just a day before his birthday.

A few weeks earlier, two customers at Leo’s mum’s workplace, The Obelisk Centre, had managed to raise £1,000 for the Air Ambulance.

Two regulars at the centre took on individual challenges to raise the funds with one, Steve Rich, growing a beard, and the other, Stuart Dibb, an Afro.

The manager of the centre, John Fulcher, is keen to support the service, especially after he discovered that they came to the rescue of the son of one if his employees.

“You never know when you might need it. When I worked as a welder I travelled all over the country, 100 miles or more every day. If I’d had a bad accident I knew they could get me away quickly. I was shocked when I heard about Leo’s accident”.

The cheque was presented to the Air Ambulance service by Leo, Mr. Fulcher, and the fund-raisers from The Obelisk Centre.

Leo was a passenger, travelling with three friends when the accident occurred. One of those friends was also taken by the air ambulance to Coventry, although he didn’t’ come off as bad, with a broken nose.

Air Ambulance

Staff at both the Air Ambulance Charity and Breme Care Home helped with the fund-raising by assisting with the raffle sales.

Breme will be investing the money into their welfare fun for the residents in order to enhance their social calendar of activities with summer seaside trips and activities. The Air Ambulance Charity will use the funds to assist in operating its three helicopters during rescue missions, providing them with more stability in their life-saving rescues.

Julie Carter, the landlady at the Queens Head, is grateful to her customers devotion to local charities in spite of the harsh financial times they, along with the rest of the country, are forced to confront.

The manager of the care home, Karen Keen, is over the moon with the contribution and what it will mean to the residents.

“Being given such a huge amount of money is overwhelming. It will enable us to continue to take part in trips and activities which give our residents so much pleasure – it really will make a big difference to our home”.

air ambulance

There will be a raffle with the first prize being a vintage tractor donated by farmers Alistair and Duncan Fisher. The raffle will be drawn when the event takes place on Easter weekend.

Fellow farmer, William Pollock, restored the tractor with assistance from members of the committee, for which Pollock sits as chairman. They began working on the tractor before Christmas.

The road run will take place on April the 7th at Hornby Hall in Penrith where the tractors will be on display. The next day will see them go on a 25-mile mystery drive around Cumbria.

Stacey Kane, who is one of the organisers, is intending the event to be just as much about fun as it is about fund raising.

“We’ve got 250 tractors signed up already. At last year’s event at Haverfordwest, there were 770 tractors – we hope to at least match that. We’ve got tractors coming from Ireland, Ayrshire and Cornwall as well as lots of Cumbrian machines. It is about raising money and having fun”.

Modern tractors can also get involved with an entry cost of £16.

Hornby Hall will see trade stands on Saturday night, along with entertainment and a hog roast. The raffle will be drawn on the same night featuring prizes donated from local businesses.

air ambulance

The Air Ambulance service has estimated that the thieves are costing them £1,000 per week. The criminals are targeting North West towns, informing the general public that the clothes will be picked up on a particular day but these items are not going where they should.

The Air Ambulance charity has film which shows the clothing being stolen and transported in the back of transit vans. The charity never sees any of the proceeds from the sales of these items, however.

The charity, to maintain the cost of its two helicopters, needs to raise £4.2 million each and every year, and is thinking about putting a stop to collections on a temporary basis, intending to stop the criminal activity.

Lynda Brislin, the chief executive of the charity, is clearly very disappointed over the situation and the measures they may be forced to take.

“We are appalled people are taking these clothes knowing full well they have been donated to a charity. We are sadly thinking of taking the drastic measure of halting our collections for one month in the hope the police and trading standards officials could flush out the people who are hurting the charity financially. I am extremely saddened by this situation”.

Air Ambulance

Rachel attends South Dartmoor Community College where she studies GCSE Photography. The prize enabled her to pursue her main passion which is taking photographs of animals. She got up, close and personal with giant tortoises and meerkats at Paignton Zoo. The Western Morning News funded Mr. Auston’s tuition fee for which he taught her to take the best photographs using high-tech photography equipment.

She enjoyed not just the experience but the time she spent being taught be someone with so much experience from whom she says she learned a great deal. In turn, he praised her concentration and enthusiasm, saying that they are necessary qualities in the business.

Phil Knowling, spokesman for Paignton Zoo, was also clearly impressed.

“Rachel was a keen student and clearly has a good eye. The day gave her a great opportunity to work with an old master and to get her hands on some top quality camera equipment”.

The fundraising director for the air ambulance service said that they managed to achieve their target of £60,000 and that total has now climbed to over £742,000 as things stood last Friday.

The funds will enable the local Air Ambulance to buy a second air ambulance, which will arrive in 2013.

air ambulance

The 72-year-old Ann Strabel was hiking along the beach, just like any other day, when she fell on to the logs below St Marys Well Bay.

She was crying for help for almost an hour after coming around.

The workmen, who were thankfully in the area finally heard her plea and ran to her side before the air ambulance arrived.

The paramedics believed that there was a possible injury to her neck and so immobilised her immediately before proceeding to airlift her to the Universal Hospital of Wales.

She suffered severe bruising on her neck, shoulders, and back as well as a cut to the head and realises just how lucky she was to survive without further serious injury.

“It was bad luck more than anything I think, and I don’t remember much of what happened. I obviously fell a fair distance and was knocked unconscious. It’s amazing I didn’t break anything. It could have been the shock as much as any pain that caused me to lose consciousness. When I came around I knew I was in trouble. I was in severe pain and all I could do was shout ‘help, help’. Luckily some workmen overheard me and comforted me with blankets until the air ambulance arrived”.

air ambulance

Norman Lamb, North Norfolk MP, talked to the air ambulance crew at the base as he wanted to know more about what kind of incidents they attend to in his constituency and how they work together to make available the highest quality of care to patients before they reach the hospital.

He also called upon Norwich International Airport to capitalise on an opportunity to address Tim Page, the chief executive of the air ambulance. He spoke to Mr. Page regarding its plans.

They have recently signed a contract for seven years for new aircraft and have plans to introduce flying at night time later in the year. This will allow year-round operation of the aircraft during busier periods.

Mr Page is clearly proud of the service the air ambulance provides and welcomes the support shown by Lamb.

“For those unfortunate enough to be involved in serious accidents or medical emergencies, the likelihood of full recovery, perhaps even of survival, can depend on the level of specialist medical care they receive and how quickly they receive it. The air ambulance plays a vital role, bringing highly skilled doctors and paramedics to the scene of incidents, even those taking place in remote locations, quickly. I’m delighted that Norman Lamb has made time to come and see our operational base here in Norwich. Local support means a lot to the charity”.

air ambulance

Brenda Hills began playing the lottery of the charity in 2009 and finally won the jackpot in last Wednesday’ draw.

She is not the only recent winner from Bexhill, however, as Roy Dear also won the life-saving charity’s lottery in October of last year so it clearly an area enjoying its fair share of luck at the moment.

Now she is planning to spare no expenses in marking the milestone occasion in 2012 with a party far in excess of what she would have without her lottery winnings, clearly intending to take full advantage of the situation.

“It’s a big one so I can probably afford a party. I’m not usually a very lucky person and I’ve never won anything before so this is a lovely surprise. I like to support these charities and the Air Ambulance is a wonderful service that does so much good. I thought the lottery was a good idea and signed up straight away. I’ve got a string of dental appointments coming up and the money will help pay for them”.

The Air Ambulance lottery is just £1 to play and sees 12 winners each and every week. Winnings range from between £25 and £1,000.

There is also a Superdraw which again, costs £1 a week but with a much larger jackpot of £25,000. Last week failed to see a winner and rolled over to £14,006.

air ambulance

The Manx Heart Support Group made the donation which the air ambulance has used to fund a new and top of the range stretcher.

The air ambulance transport approximately 350 patients each and every year from the Isle of Man and is available all day and every day.

Their new acquisition will ensure that they are able to transport patients safely and easily onboard the aircraft which is well-matched with the life support systems they have.

The Department of Health believe that an additional stretcher will allow them to transfer patients faster when they are required to deal with multiple patients. Previously a stretcher would need to be returned from the United Kingdom to the hospital prior to the next patient transfer taking place.

With the new stretcher, the next person needing attention can be made prepared for the flight and leave the moment the aircraft has landed in the Isle of Man.

The Manx Heart Support Group Chair, Win Kewley, is pleased that they can contribute to such a worthy service.

“We don’t actively fund-raise but instead provide people affected by heart disease or heart conditions with support, advice and the opportunity to talk in a friendly environment. Despite not actively seeking funds we do receive donations from time to time as well as bequests so it’s great to see that money being put to such good use for the people of the Isle of Man and in a service that really does make the difference”.

air ambulance

The grandmother from Wilmslow was on the trip with a primary school based in Cheshire and took a walk with her camera but ended up the subject of her own photography after she fell and broke her leg in three places.

Calder Valley mountain rescue team made the first move by taking her back to base on a stretcher before an air ambulance made its way to a farming field and picked her up from there. However, throughout the entire event, she asked the rescue team to take photographs.

Mrs Acton said the rescue team were only too happy to help her capture the memories of the rescue.

“I walked quite a way and hadn’t told anyone where I was going. I thought I’d be back before anyone was up. I got some great pictures but then on the way back, and about 20 minutes from the site, I fell. I knew straight away I’d broken my leg. And to be honest, I panicked. I thought what if nobody finds me. It’s good to be able to look back at it. The rescue teams were keen for pictures too so they could use it as an example of what not to do in the hills”.