THIS IS WHY WE FLY

What should have been just another day on the track. A final lap, a routine jump, and then home, turned into a traumatic incident with only one thought giving Paul hope—the sound of rotor blades cutting through the sky.

An amateur event horse rider from Leicester credits the team at the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) for helping to save her life after a freak fall at Aston Le Walls Equestrian Centre.

Retired teacher Rae Scott was enjoying her daily exercise and sketching at Croft Quarry in Leicestershire when she slipped on muddy ground and dislocated and broke her right ankle.

Leaving work on his motorbike in November 2018 is the last thing former engineer Glyn Ellis remembers before a van pulled out and collided with him at Paudy Lane crossroads near Sileby in Leicestershire, causing life-changing injuries.

A walker in his seventies, who suffered a cardiac arrest in a remote coastal location in Lincolnshire, has praised the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) for the part it played in his survival.

A training exercise became a real-life emergency when diving instructor Robin Norman lost consciousness during a 30-metre dive at Stoney Cove in Leicestershire.

Adrenaline junkie Megan Reeves had completed over 300 skydives when she had what she describes as a “freak accident” after jumping out of a plane at 13,000 feet.

Student Matthew Rea was a week away from taking his GCSEs when he came off his motorbike in May 2022 during practice at the Moto101 motocross track in Grantham and was rushed by air ambulance to the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham.

The part played by the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) in the chain of survival has been highlighted in the case of a Worksop grandfather who suffered a cardiac arrest when he was officiating at a football match.

A few months after cycling the length of Wales - and previously having completed the London Marathon twice and cycled from John O’Groats to Land’s End - super fit David Whitehouse had a cardiac arrest after playing a round of golf.

A Hinckley man who survived multiple cardiac arrests after being treated by the local air ambulance critical care crew hopes his story will encourage people to support the charity he believes made the difference for him between life and death.

When self-confessed adventurer Michelle Bray took to the skies with a paraglide, a whole new challenge was set to unveil itself. An unexplained freak accident sent Michelle crash landing to the ground, leaving her with changing injuries.

The air ambulance flew to the assistance of heart attack victim Mark Metcalfe when he collapsed at home in Bilsthorpe, Newark.

Experienced motorcyclist Howard Singer says he is “lucky to be alive” after being seriously injured when his motorbike collided with a tractor. The force of the impact caused his helmet to come off and he was launched upwards and 20 feet forward.

Working for the local air ambulance charity, Claire Duncombe is very proud of the difference it makes to the outcome of people needing critical care at the scene of accidents, but when her 5-year-old son suffered a life-threatening asthma attack.

The medical interventions performed by the local air ambulance critical care crew at the scene of the incidents they attend make a significant difference to the long-term outcome of the patient.

When motorcyclist Chris Rollings lost control of his bike and seriously injured during an amateur race at Cadwell Park Circuit, it was a very lucky coincidence for him that the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance were already at the track.

Jael Rowles from Old Brampton near Chesterfield and her family credit the critical care crew from Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance with saving her life.

In what she describes as “a freak accident”, Jill (70) broke her left femur and right wrist when the horse she was riding slipped and fell down.

As a medical professional, Coalville GP Sean Ottey knows exactly what difference being flown to hospital by the local air ambulance made to his recovery after he suffered a cardiac arrest whilst exercising.

Being treated by the local air ambulance critical care team, at the scene of his accident, when he fell off a roof has proved crucial for Shane Clark’s long-term recovery.

Pip Peacock, a former teacher from Bakewell, was walking her dog at Magpie Mine near Sheldon when she was attacked by a herd of cows in September 2019.

After being attended by the critical care crew of the local air ambulance when he had a cardiac arrest in Coalville town centre, Mick Bishop (72) was admitted to Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital.

Kevin Snodgrass was airlifted by Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance after he fell onto a hard concrete surface, was knocked unconscious and broke his pelvis, 19 ribs and three bones in his back.

Jim was cycling up a hill in the Peak District when he was involved in a collision with an oncoming motorcyclist who was overtaking a car.

In October 2015 Nigel Turner suffered life-threatening injuries when his car – which was stationary at the time - was hit by a van travelling at 60 miles an hour.

Nadine Sowinski has no recollection of being flown by the helicopter in May 2019 after she was involved in a horrific road traffic collision, but she recognises the difference being attended by the critical care doctor and paramedics made to her recovery.

Roofer James Turner was working on top of a 12 storey block of flats in Northampton city centre when he had an accident with a disc cutter.

Helen Nuttall from Loughborough is under no illusion that being attended by Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) saved her life.

Within an hour of being knocked unconscious, fracturing his left femur, both wrists and his jaw in a road traffic collision, Dafydd Lee, from Northampton, was being treated for his injuries at a major trauma hospital.

When Sue Clark set off from her home in the Peak District village Litton near Buxton to take the dog for a walk it was a pleasant February day.

Neil Granger (48) was attempting to reverse his Land Rover Discovery up a slippery slope when the throttle cable snapped. The vehicle lost power and drive which, in turn, caused it to shoot forwards.

Wedged under a car after she was involved in a road traffic collision, motorcyclist Debs Morley was in excruciating pain as she felt the skin on her right ankle being burnt by the heat from her bike’s exhaust pipe.

DLRAA has been described as “an absolute necessity” which “should get all the money it needs to keep operational – even during the current Covid-19 crisis,” by a patient who was flown in the helicopter five weeks ago.

Motorcyclist Andre Oliveira says “no words can express” the gratitude he has for the crew of Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) who treated him when he was involved in a collision with a car at Barton Seagrave near Kettering.

NHS support worker Ellie Milner was on a camping holiday, celebrating being with her partner Joe for a year, when she had the worst asthma attack of her life.

When Oakham man Grahame Hooper collapsed at the wheel of his car and collided with another vehicle in July 2014, Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance attended the scene and flew him to hospital.

A former patient flown by Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) credits the speed with which he got to hospital with saving his eyesight.

Former dental nurse, now university student, Katie Pease had to be cut out of her car after it was involved in a head on collision with a truck on an icy road at Ashfordby Hill near Melton Mowbray.

It was snowing and the roads were slippery when keen cyclist Ian Lewis and eight fellow members of his cycling group set off on a 100km ride to prepare for a charity event later in the year, but it was a decision that Ian was to later regret.

Motorcyclist Liam Cobain was in horrendous pain after being badly injured when he was involved in a collision with a van on the main road out of Baslow in The Peak District.

When retired retail manager John Putt (83) collapsed at Compton Verney in Warwickshire he was amongst a crowd of thousands of people.

Belper project manager Nick Forsyth has always been sporty; playing hockey for the local town team and enjoying games of five-a-side football with his work colleagues.

Lying on his bedroom floor, after suffering a cardiac arrest in his sleep, Phil Hulland showed no signs of life for 26 minutes.

Former patient Lawrence Brimm (21) believes he owes his life to the local air ambulance that flew him to hospital after he sustained serious head injuries when his car crashed after he swerved to avoid hitting an animal in the road.

Lying in a puddle in a rural location on a cold March day with a badly broken leg after a riding accident, Karina Tape could feel herself beginning to lose consciousness.

Ryan Mullins (13) sustained a serious brain injury and nearly lost his life when he was involved in a collision with a car whilst riding his bike home from school in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

Peter Corbett nearly died when his car crashed during a banger racing event at Buxton Raceway.

To mark the second anniversary of being flown by Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance 13-year-old Rosie Jeffs climbed to the top of Mount Snowdon to raise funds for the charity she – and her family – credit with saving her life.

The speedy response of Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance was crucial to the recovery of teenager Laura Palmer after she sustained life threatening head injuries when her car crashed into a wall.

Professional musician Jane Gaskell was found lying face down and unconscious in the water during a diving training course.

Print manager Simon Glover is known as “the miracle man” to his friends and family

Retired lorry driver Mick Tennant sends his daughters a text message every Valentine’s Day to tell them how much he loves them.

Teenage cyclist Ben Venskus thought it was safe to cross a busy road near his home in Little Eaton near Derby but his view of the traffic was restricted due to a nearby parked car.

Keith Mosley was sitting on his golf buggy waiting to play a shot on the 17th fairway at Chesterfield Golf Club when he collapsed and slid to the ground.

When farmer Jim Chapman was lying on the ground in agony having had his arm ripped off in an agricultural accident the sound of the local air ambulance flying to his rescue was, he says, “very reassuring”.

Schoolboy Jack Simons was airlifted to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham after he was knocked off his bike, dragged under a bus and trapped for over an hour on a busy main road in Leicester.

Former international basketball player and captain of the Sheffield Sharks team, John Wilson (56) was nearing the end of the Eroica Britannia bike ride – just outside Bakewell – when he collapsed.

Every time she sees or hears the local air ambulance flying above her, Letitia Hayward thinks of what might have been had it not come to her rescue.

When Dave Farmer was driving in a remote location in the Peak District he saw a car speeding towards him on the approach to a bend in the road.

The rapid response of the local air ambulance saved the life of a Leicester man who was engulfed in flames.

Climbing onto a single storey sloping roof at his home in Warwick ended in disaster for Roy Scott (aged 64 at the time). He fell 20 feet headfirst to the soft ground below and on landing was struck by a scaffolding plank he had been using to stand on.

Leicester builder and lifelong motorcyclist Dave Hutchings (53) raised £200 for the local air ambulance by riding from John O’Groats to Land’s End in June 2017.

When David Brocklehurst slipped on icy rocks and sustained a head injury on the moors above Hathersage in the Peak District he was airlifted to hospital by Derbyshire Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA).

A Coventry University Professor took part in the Rugby Half Marathon in October 2018 to thank the people of Rugby and emergency services who came to his aid when he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Teacher Kathy Bly was 35 weeks pregnant when the car she was driving was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle on black ice.

Motor cyclist Stuart Best was seriously injured when he was thrown off his bike whilst riding around the track at the Rockingham Motor Speedway stadium.

Working with disabled people has made Leicester charity worker Georgina Riggall very aware of the daily challenges many face as a result of their disabilities.

When Michael Wye sustained horrendous burns whilst lighting the gas grill at the bottom of the outdoor oven in his garden, the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance flew him to the specialist care he needed in just 15 minutes.

Volunteering for Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance is Ruth Wilkinson’s way of thanking the charity for air lifting her to the urgent medical treatment she needed after she was seriously injured in a car crash.

Married couple Stacey and Conor Price from Corby have a very special reason for making regular donations to the local air ambulance charity – they have both been rescued by it in separate incidents seven years apart.

Coach driver Roy Tabberer was airlifted to hospital by Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance after he was knocked unconscious when his vehicle ploughed into a bungalow in the village of Welford on the Leicestershire/Northamptonshire border.

Motor racing marshal Tony Knell was knocked unconscious and propelled 30 feet when a rally car travelling at 60 miles an hour crashed into him during at event at Fulbeck Airfield near Grantham.

Farmer’s wife and mother of two Heather Atkinson (43) experienced the worse pain of her life after falling from a horse when it bolted at high speed. She landed on her hip and fractured her pelvis in three places. She was bleeding internally and had ligament damage.

Cassandra Jameson enjoys an active lifestyle with her teenage son Luke and partner Matt, but things could be very different now if Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance hadn’t flown her to hospital when she fell off a horse.

Retired university administrator Pauline Dainty says “it’s like a miracle” that after having a heart attack whilst walking in the Peak District she suffered no long term damage and now leads a full and active life.

“The speediness of the helicopter and the expert care I received from the crew was amazing. Without them, who knows what might have happened to me.

Oliver Wright was just 15 years old when he had his air ambulance flight.

Mum-of-two Angie Crompton was on her way to pick up her husband Paul when her life was changed forever by a horrific crash.

Micheal was out enjoying his favourite hobby when he was hit by car. His injuries could have potentially ended his dreams of football stardom.

Emily was enjoying a day trip with her school when she took a nasty fall.

It was early August 2009 when Emma took a drive that would change her life completely.

It was a normal Saturday morning for Tony, when his world was turned upside down by a medical emergency.

Patrick was in bed when his heart stopped early one Friday morning. His partner, Yvonne, took swift action to save his life.

It’s every parent’s nightmare. Daisy Rughoobeer, just seven years old, was on her way downstairs when she suddenly lost her footing and slipped, falling the rest of the way and hitting her head on the corner of a wooden radiator cover.

Jess and her family had been on their way home from a christening when the unthinkable happened. Unexpectedly, Jess ran out into the road – straight into oncoming traffic.

Guy (49) suffered multiple life-threatening injuries – including head injuries – when his car aquaplaned, rolled and hit a tree on the M45 near his home when he was driving home from work on a rainy January afternoon in 2014.

One Friday afternoon, Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance flew to the rescue of 10 year old Annabelle Orrit. As Annabelle walked home from school with her friends, she was involved in a terrible accident.

Jamie Burnett was taking a rest after a hard day of work when he was involved in an accident that would change his life completely.

Jess and Keith Wheatley have supported the air ambulance for many years, never thinking that one day they would need us.

On Sunday 26th May 2013 we received a call to say a little girl had been seriously injured – six minutes later we were in the helicopter and en-route to the scene.

A cycling accident left 14 year old Kieren Brown with multiple life-threatening injuries – but he’s now a fundraising hero.

When serious injury strikes, every second counts. This is Ross’ story.

An ordinary day at the office ended with Ben Linnett fighting for his life.