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Northamptonshire volunteer receives platinum award from lifesaving air ambulance

Saying thank you is the theme of Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), when charities and organisations celebrate the unpaid work done by millions of volunteers across the UK.

Volunteers are the heartbeat of the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance’s (WNAA) charity. It could not operate its 24/7 frontline services and continue to save lives without the support of its dedicated volunteers – such as WNAA volunteer, Ken Percy.

Ken (83) – from Duston, Northamptonshire – has been volunteering for the lifesaving charity since 2003, wanting to help the service continue to save lives.

“The reason I started volunteering with the local air ambulance with my wife Mary, was when I had a back injury at work in the early 2000s. My GP was talking about the new charity starting up, and this struck a chord with me,” explained Ken.

“My GP asked whether I’d be interested volunteering with the charity, I very much was, and started from Day one in 2002, and the rest is history,” added Ken.

Since Ken began volunteering for the vital charity, he’s brought in a fantastic £139,329.17 for the lifesaving service through community tin collections.

Ken – along with all the charity’s volunteers – will be celebrated and thanked by the charity during this year’s Volunteers’ Week which also coincides with the charity’s celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

He will be presented with a platinum award for his long service and will be invited to the charity café tea parties and receive a special Jubilee mug- to mark the regal milestone.

Head of Volunteering for the charity, Sue Haslett commented: “Our volunteers help in a variety of different ways across the charity, whether they’re raising funds out in the community, supporting in our offices or warehouse, delivering projects, or helping in our shops – every hour that they give makes a difference.

“We couldn’t operate without them, and I’d like to say a big thank you to Ken for his incredible dedication, and to each other volunteer for their ongoing support which helps us to save lives.

“We hope our volunteers enjoy the Jubilee celebrations. Every one of our volunteers already wears a crown, which they should wear with pride, as they are our volunteer royalty.”

The charity hails over 1,200 dedicated volunteers – and with over 50 different volunteering roles- it’s always looking for more people to donate their time or expertise.

“I’ve enjoyed volunteering with the charity for 20 years now, I like helping people, raising the money to help people get quicker treatment, and getting to the hospital faster than a land ambulance.

“I like dealing with the public and helping crews on events, and I particularly like events with the aircraft as it still fascinates me to this day,” said Ken.

Read more about our volunteering opportunities here.