Northampstonshire woman raises over £4,000 to support lifesaving service

Karen Badcock from Northampton has raised more than £4,000 to support the lifesaving missions of the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA), as the charity celebrates 20 years of vital service.

Karen began her fundraising journey in 2020 during lockdown by creating and selling facemasks on social media to raise vital funds to support the local charity.

“As all the charity shops were shut and no fundraising events were taking place due to lockdown, I wanted to raise funds to support the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance as it’s always been a charity I have supported in the past, and during that time I knew I could do even more to help,” said Karen.

Due to Karen’s severe rheumatoid arthritis, she enlisted the help of her daughter Caitlin, who would add the elastic to the facemasks and tie the cotton ends, while Karen would cut and sew the masks on the sewing machine.

Together, they managed to sell over 450 facemasks, raising an amazing £4,112 to support the charity.

Not stopping at just selling facemasks, she decided to make and sell microwaveable wheat bags, with the wheat donated by a local company and even received a range of hand sewn items from another local lady to help her raise further vital funds.

Karen has a large range of hand sewn items that she continues to sell at community events and craft fairs, including keyrings, glasses cases, bears in a bed, and facemasks.

“I am so pleased that I have currently raised £4,112 and I will continue to keep making and selling hand sewn items to raise even more funds for the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance – I feel like I am doing something worthwhile for a vital charity,” added Karen.

The Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance crew are available 24/7, 365 days per year, providing lifesaving pre-hospital care to those who need it the most. The charity receives no government or NHS funding and relies solely on generous donations from its supporters to fund its vital missions – without this they wouldn’t be able to continue their lifesaving missions across Northamptonshire and further afield.

Karen Hughes, Community Fundraising Executive for Northamptonshire, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Karen and her daughter Caitlin for the amazing amount they have raised to support the charity which this year celebrates 20 years of service.”

“Without the support from the local community and people just like this, we wouldn’t be able to continue our lifesaving missions throughout Northamptonshire and further afield.”

The charity is celebrating its 20^th anniversary of providing its lifesaving service across Warwickshire and Northamptonshire in 2023, and is encouraging people to show their support by attending WNAA’s Open Day on 04 August at Chester House, Northamptonshire.

For more information, please visit: www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk or call 0300 3045 999.