A farmer who was flown to hospital after having his arm ripped off in an agricultural accident is urging local people to support Air Ambulance Week from September 8 to 16 to raise funds to keep lifesaving helicopters flying across the county.nn nnThe fundraising initiative is crucial to the continued existence of Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) which is a charity and receives no government funding. Each lifesaving mission they fly costs £1,700.nn nnJim Chapman of Long Itchington, Warwickshire was taken to Selly Oak Hospital by the lifesaving helicopter and has never forgotten how he felt when he knew it was coming to his rescue.n nn“It was the best sound I have ever heard in my life. I knew that help was on the way and the situation I found myself in was going to be sorted out. I was immediately put at ease by the kindness of the crew and the care I got was fantastic,” he says.n nnIt took just 10 minutes to fly Jim to hospital and on arrival he was taken straight into the operating theatre. Unfortunately the surgeons couldn’t save his arm and Jim had to come to terms with facing the rest of his life with a prosthetic limb.nn nnThe accident proved to be life changing in more ways than one for Jim (36) who went on to become an ambassador for the Farm Safety Foundation, National Chairman of the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs and was awarded the MBE for services to farm safety in 2012.nn nnNowadays alongside running his farm Jim gives safety talks to the farming community around the UK.nn n“I relive my accident and the part the air ambulance played in it about 10 times a year. I still vividly remember the noise of the helicopter when it came in to land and even now when it flies over I am immediately taken back to that day,” he says.nn nnJim was only 23 years old when the accident happened on a farm at Brinklow Quarry near Rugby. He was asked to empty water from underground storage tanks using a tractor and vacuum tanker. When no water was being sucked up he left the tractor engine running, got down from the cab and went to check the machinery.nn nnThe fluorescent safety vest he was wearing got caught and in a split second it was wrapped around a rotating shaft.nn nn“I was flung from where I had been standing right over the top of the tractor. The shaft had ripped my shirt, jumper and my left arm completely off. I lay with my eyes closed and I knew I had lost my arm. I began to scream,” recalls Jim.nn nnTalking about his accident is a powerful way of conveying the importance of farm safety and Jim doesn’t shy away from describing the experience in graphic detail.nn nnHe is also very keen to promote the vital part the air ambulance played in rescuing him and the speed at which the helicopter got him to the lifesaving medical treatment he needed.nn nnTo get involved in Air Ambulance Week log on to: theairambulanceservice.org.uk/give

A man “who died and was brought back to life” during a cycling festival in the Peak District is urging Derbyshire people to support Air Ambulance Week from September 8 to 16 to raise funds to keep lifesaving helicopters flying across the county.nnThe fundraising initiative is crucial to the continued existence of Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) which is a charity and receives no government funding. Each lifesaving mission they fly costs £1,700.nnFormer international basketball player, John Wilson (56) from Sheffield was nearing the end of the Eroica Britannia bike ride – just outside Bakewell – in June 2016 when he collapsed.nn“I stopped at the bottom of a hill, to wait for my wife, when I passed out. Basically I died but due to the speedy actions of medics and the local air ambulance I survived,” he says.nnJohn had gone into cardiac arrest and was given CPR by a consultant anaesthetist who was also taking part in the bike ride. An ambulance arrived shortly after and he was defibrillated. When his heart beat was regulated he was flown by the local air ambulance to the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield for urgent medical treatment.n“I am unbelievably thankful to everyone who helped me and the fact I am still alive is down to the air ambulance and the other people,” he says.nAfter being an athlete and fitness fanatic all his life, John – who works as a mechanical engineer – has had to adjust to a different lifestyle after his collapse.nnDuring his two week recovery period in hospital he was fitted with a Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator under his armpit to detect if his heart starts beating irregularly. This would give him a controlled electric shock to “zap” him back to life should there be a problem.nn“I have been competitive all my life and to suddenly be told that I cannot do things like I did before is physiologically hard to deal with. It’s been quite difficult to adapt to not having a competition to focus on but I still have many many great things to look forward to in life,” says John.nnSince his accident he and his wife Gillian have been cycling regularly, including taking part in the Eroica Britannia bike ride this year and in 2017.nn“When you nearly lose your life like I did you see the world with a different pair of goggles on. You see the things that really matter to you and you focus on them.”nn“It was emotional for us both to go back and take part in the ride, which started out as a social event and ended as a nightmare for the whole family, but it is something I feel I wanted to do. It has helped me to close a door and move forward,” says John.nnHe says he “cannot praise the air ambulance crew who came to my rescue enough” and has been to the air base at East Midlands Airport to say thank you in person to them.n“Many people don’t realise the local air ambulance is a charity which receives no government funding. By sharing my story about the part the air ambulance played in saving my life, I hope people will be encouraged to support them,” added John.nTo find out more about Air Ambulance Week log on to: theairambulanceservice.org.uk/give

After tackling the toughest footrace on earth – an epic six marathons across six days in the Sahara Desert – local air ambulance supporter John Skelton is now preparing for another gruelling challenge to raise funds for the charity.From the 50C temperatures he encountered in the Marathon de Sables event last year, John (50) will be running and walking in the unpredictable mountain weather and terrain when he takes part in the 103-mileUltra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) race around the Alps peak from 31 August to 2 September 2.“I think it is going to be more difficult than the Sahara challenge as the race includes numerous sections in altitude over 2,500m, the weather conditions are more challenging, it has to be completed in 40 hours and there is also the small matter of the 10,000m of ascents – the equivalent to climbing Mount Everest!” he says.John, who runs the Engineering Team in Sainsbury’s Property Division at Ansty Park, Coventry, has taken on his latest challenge to raise funds for Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance in memory of a work colleague who died after a road accident which the helicopter attended. The charity has been chosen as the Coventry employer’s charity partner for 2018.He has been training for the UTMB event for the past three months by regularly running 50 miles every weekend including running up Snowden six times.UTMB is one of the top trail running events in the world and John had to take part in qualifying races to be eligible to be entered into the ballot for one of the coveted 2,300 places.“I am looking forward to taking part but I am very daunted by what’s ahead of me. The race is as psychologically demanding as it is physically challenging. It can be mentally very tough when you think you have reached a summit and then you look up and realise you have even further to go,” says John.But he believes the very reason and motivation for taking part in the event will inspire him to push on when faced with moments of uncertainty.“If I get into a dark place then knowing that people have been kind enough to sponsor me and thinking about the lifesaving work of the air ambulance, will motivate me and give me the impetus to continue,” he says.John has set himself a target of raising £3,000 to add to the £4,000 he raised when he did the Marathon de Sables. To support John and his fundraising effort please visitFor further information about your local air ambulance service please contact us byemail at or call 0300 3045 130999.

As the NHS deservedly celebrates its landmark 70 birthday, the local air ambulance has also reached a momentous milestone after it surpassed a total of 35,000 missions in the fight to save lives.

Richard Clayton, Director of Operations at the Air Ambulance Service, said: “We are immensely proud to support and work alongside the National Health Service. The NHS is a fantastic organisation, full of extraordinary, highly skilled and dedicated people, which has been delivering the highest levels of healthcare to our nation for 70 years. That is a remarkable feat and is envied the world over.

“Every single day for the past 15 years The Air Ambulance Service has been working alongside the NHS to save lives whether through the provision of critical care, both day and night, with our local air ambulances and critical care cars or by keeping hope alive through our national Children’s Air Ambulance service.

“I’d like to congratulate everyone involved in reaching these milestones – 70 years for the NHS and 35,000 for our local air ambulances. We are funded entirely through donations and proud that we don’t cost the NHS a penny, and therefore a huge thank you must go to our supporters who have contributed so much to so many lives.”

The Air Ambulance Service is funded entirely by donations as it neither receives nor seeks government, NHS or national lottery funding. It also helps to reduce the burden on the NHS and public purse by providing its vital services free of charge.nnCommenting on the anniversary Justin Squires, Deputy Clinical Lead at The Air Ambulance Service, said: “As part of a wider team delivering critical care, I’m very proud to work with the NHS, the hospitals, the ambulance services and, of course, the people who have made saving lives their calling.

“The NHS is something very special and we all have a responsibility to look after and protect it as it has done for us over the past 70 years.

“We employ our world-leading clinicians directly, rather than through secondment from the NHS, and this is at the very heart of the charity as we believe in supporting and not burdening the NHS.”

Covering more than 3,850 miles, with an average response time of just 13 minutes, figures show that in 2017 alone the charity carried out 3,547 missions, of which 2,026 were attended by the DLRAA, and 1,521 by the WNAA.  Out of all completed missions last year, 39% were due to road traffic collisions, 25% to medical emergencies and 9% to falls, while 5% were sports related, 5% due to industrial incidents, and 17% to other accidents.

UK outdoor retailer, Mountain Warehouse, has designed a range of 5 canvas tote bags, where 100% of the profits from each bag sold will go to local charities around their stores across the UK and Republic of Ireland. We at the DLRAA, have been so lucky to be the chosen charity for the Mountain Warehouse Leicester Woodlands Garden Centre store.nnThe DLRAA and Mountain Warehouse are passionate about supporting the local community, so we hope you will join us in this exciting campaign and pay a visit to the Leicester Woodlands Garden Centre store to check out the new canvas bag collection.nnFor more information head to https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/community/charity/mountain-warehouse-charity-bags/

The Air Ambulance Service is celebrating after proudly picking up two awards at this year’s Charity Retail Awards.nnCharity stalwart Moira Jackman won the Volunteer of the Year Award and staff from the Children’s Air Ambulance shop in Stow on the Wold walked away with the WOW! Factor Best Shop Interior Award.nnThe Air Ambulance Service was also shortlisted in the top three for the Outstanding Charity Retailer of the Year.nnCommenting on the announcement, Emma Peake, Director of Retail and Trading for The Air Ambulance Service, said: “We are hugely excited and honoured to win these prestigious titles and to be recognised by the Charity Retail Awards.nnnn“Our teams are very committed and dedicated to our charity, and work tirelessly to achieve as much income for the charity as they can.nn“Our shops are manned by over 350 wonderful volunteers so this is a real testimony to their work they do for us alongside our professional store management team.”nnRobin Osterley, Charity Retail Association CEO, said: “The Charity Retail Awards is a showcase for our members to tell the story of the fantastic work they do across the county and this year is no different.nn“There was a varied range of entries which exemplified the passion and innovation we see across the charity retail sector every day.”nnThe winners received their awards at a ceremony at the Colwick Hall Hotel in Nottingham on Monday 25 June as part of the Charity Retail Association Conference and Exhibition.

The Air Ambulance Service (TAAS) is mourning the loss of one of the most influential people in the charity’s history after Alexandra Pope, Deputy CEO and Director of People and Organisational Development, passed away last month.nnAlexandra, mother to Anna and Viktor, sadly lost a long and courageous battle with cancer. She was just 49-years-old.nnDuring her eight years with the charity, Alexandra helped thousands of people through her work. She was very patient focused and strongly believed in doing good and doing the right thing, no matter how difficult it would prove.nnAlexandra was responsible for many great innovations within TAAS. She created and implemented the model of employing paramedics directly, which enabled more specialist care to be delivered at the scene of trauma, and this approach is now widely adopted nationwide. She created the core values of Courage, Creativity and Compassion, things she herself held in abundance. Alexandra also created the staff forum to ensure that everyone in the organisation had a voice.nn“As a Line Manager Alexandra challenged you to become the very best version of yourself. She encouraged life-long learning, self-improvement and to think more creatively and resourcefully,” said Jo Payne, the longest serving member of staff at TAAS.nn“For those that were privileged to work with Alexandra and got to know her, she was a very caring woman. Often the first to take you to one side to check on your welfare or that of your family if she knew they had been taken ill. Yet never burdening you with her own circumstances. She gained respect and was a very charismatic woman; she embodied our core values of courage, compassion and creativity, and the charity has lost a much valued colleague, friend and leader”.nnOne of the greatest testaments to Alexandra’s dedication and determination is the Orange National Business Award the charity won in 2012 following her successful pitch. The organisation is still the only charity to have won this prestigious award.nn“Alexandra was a truly remarkable woman,” said Charity CEO Andy Williamson. “She was the quiet, unassuming brains behind much of what we do and most of what we have achieved as a team. Those of us involved in the charity knew her skills and ability, and the huge difference she made to everything. This is a truly devastating loss to the charity and to everyone who knew her.”

The Air Ambulance Service is celebrating after proudly picking up two awards at this year’s Charity Retail Awards.

Charity stalwart Moira Jackman won the Volunteer of the Year Award and staff from the Children’s Air Ambulance shop in Stow on the Wold walked away with the WOW! Factor Best Shop Interior Award.

The Air Ambulance Service was also shortlisted in the top three for the Outstanding Charity Retailer of the Year.

Commenting on the announcement, Emma Peake, Director of Retail and Trading for The Air Ambulance Service, said: “We are hugely excited and honoured to win these prestigious titles and to be recognised by the Charity Retail Awards.

“Our teams are very committed and dedicated to our charity, and work tirelessly to achieve as much income for the charity as they can.

“Our shops are manned by over 350 wonderful volunteers so this is a real testimony to their work they do for us alongside our professional store management team.”

Robin Osterley, Charity Retail Association CEO, said: “The Charity Retail Awards is a showcase for our members to tell the story of the fantastic work they do across the county and this year is no different.

“There was a varied range of entries which exemplified the passion and innovation we see across the charity retail sector every day.”

The winners received their awards at a ceremony at the Colwick Hall Hotel in Nottingham on Monday 25 June as part of the Charity Retail Association Conference and Exhibition.

Aqua Park Rutland launches at Rutland Water for its third super soaking season with a pledge to raise vital funds for local charity, The Air Ambulance Service.nnOn 23 May 2018, Aqua Park Rutland welcomed over 200 people from local sports teams, businesses and schools to be the first to splash out on this year’s wet and wild obstacles, including a brand new super slide, aptly named The Rutland Mammoth by competition winner Olivier Delavaloire from Corby.nnWith the goal of raising £1,700 for The Air Ambulance Service, the cost of funding a mission, Aqua Park Rutland is encouraging visitors to donate whatever they can to this much needed local cause, as they enjoy the thrills and spills of the park this summer.nnnnOpen to the public from 26 May until the 23 September 2018, the park is a staggering 100m wide and features climbing walls, trampolines, balance bars, rockers, rollers and the UK’s biggest slides. Whatever the weather, Aqua Park Rutland will offer one of the most entertaining ways to enjoy the Great British outdoors this summertime.nnDue to the high interest already received, visitors are encouraged to pre-book at www.aquaparkrutland.co.uk to avoid disappointment. Tickets for the park are priced at £20 off-peak and £22 peak for a 50-minute session.nnAs an active attraction, visitors to Aqua Park Rutland will need to be ready for the physical challenge! To take park, visitors need to be aged eight and over, 1.3m tall and able to swim 50 metres unaided in a buoyancy vest. Buoyancy vests are provided, and wetsuits are included in the ticket price.nnJo Payne, National Partnerships Manager for The Air Ambulance Service, said: “We’re delighted to be supported for a third year by something as exciting as Aqua Park Rutland.nn“We’re looking forward to another successful season at Rutland Water and I’m sure it will be a very popular and thrilling attraction that people can enjoy while supporting the local air ambulance.”nnRichard Drinkwater, co-founder of Aqua Park Rutland, said: “We have supported The Air Ambulance Service as our chosen charity since we first launched Aqua Park Rutland in 2016. It is our pleasure to continue to support this vital local service and encourage visitors to join us in our efforts.nn“This year’s Aqua Park is brimming with fun and challenging obstacles, and we are expecting to see lots of people enjoying this awesome experience as the summer rolls out. There really is no ‘wetter’ way to have fun and raise money for a life-saving cause at the same time.”nnMake a splash and pre-book your tickets today!

A group of riders is looking to break charity records when they gather at the home of Triumph Motorcycles for the local air ambulance Ride In 2018.

Riders are invited to join a convoy of hundreds on Sunday 12 August for a fundraising Ride In which starts at Triumph in Hinckley, Leicestershire before heading to the Brackley Festival of Motorcycling in Northamptonshire.

Those involved, on bikes of all shapes, sizes and manufacturers, will be able to enjoy the Triumph Visitor Experience (no factory tour), Triumph store and Triumph 1902 café from the start of sign-in at 8.30am to departure for Brackley at 10.30am.

The event last took place in 2016 when around 700 riders gathered at the Bruntingthorpe circuit in Leicestershire, performed a mass two-mile lap of the track and rode to the Brackley Festival. They raised £10,000 for the local Air Ambulance but this year’s organisers are hoping the figure will be surpassed.

“It is an amazing sight to see such a large cavalcade of bikes,” explained local Air Ambulance National Partnerships Manager Jo Payne. “We have had great support in the past from all areas of the motorcycle industry and I’m hoping we can raise record amounts this year.

“Motorcyclists are very vulnerable on the roads, and over the years we have had some amazing patient stories of rescues we have attended.  I know how passionate bikers are about the Air Ambulance and I really hope they get behind us this August.”

Riders will assemble at Triumph HQ (Normandy Way, Hinckley, Leicestershire. LE10 3BZ) and tickets include entry to both the Ride In and the Brackley Festival along with designated parking close to all the action. Advanced ticket sales are £17.50 for a single rider, or £35.00 for rider and pillion on the day prices are £20 and £40 respectively.

The festival takes place in the historic town of Brackley and attracts crowds of more than 25,000 people with stunt riders, display teams and an array of classic bikes and road racers.

Online bookings for the event will close at noon on Saturday 11 August although riders will still be able to sign up on the day from 8.30am. If you’re keen to take part, secure your place today!

Full terms and conditions of Ride In 2018 can be found here.

Photo by volunteer Rob Hitchman.