The Events Team is gearing up for another busy summer. From physical challenges such as Total Warrior and the Great North Run to less strenuous social events such as the Roflow Ladies’ Race Evening and the CornShed festivals, our job is to ensure there is plenty of variety and a good measure of fun for our fundraising participants!
Events such as our annual North East and Cumbria Balls (4 June and 24 September respectively) are months in the planning and are only possible through the generosity of our loyal volunteers, corporate and individual supporters who lend their time and skills to create fabulous experiences on a very small budget. The event planning itself is like a military operation and with just three weeks left until our North East Air Angels Ball, it is all systems go. Designers are finalising artwork, final arrangements are being made with the evening’s entertainment and the last few tables are being booked.
We have also just witnessed over 300 cyclists participate in the gruelling Hamsterley Beast last weekend. Well done to everyone who took part, if you’d like to help us promote it for next year by sharing your experience with us, we’d love to hear from you! Next up is the Ali Brownlee Riverside 5k and 2k fun run on June 5.
The nature of what we do means that the connection supporters and organisations have with our charity can be highly emotive, and often as a direct result of tragedy or loss. It is incredible that despite their grief and suffering they still feel compelled to invest their energy into helping us save lives.
One such person that stands out in my mind is Will Clark, who along with a team of twelve friends and family, managed to raise an incredible £10,000 for the charity by participating in the Great North Run in 2015.
Will chose to raise money for the Great North Air Ambulance as a thank you for the emergency response he received when he was thrown from his cycle during a charity ride in 2012, leaving him paralysed from the neck down.
His mother Angela Clark said “The life-saving trip for Will cost £2,500. The money raised will pay for four more lifesaving journeys in the air ambulance – four more lives may be touched by the wonderful service they offer.”
Other supporters such as The Simpson Group, who lost their beloved colleague and friend Graham McGregor, continue to support us year after year, producing some incredible events props for our balls (you can expect, gold, glitter, clouds and helicopters this year!) They even support our various campaigns and are also participating in this years’ Great North Run, honouring Graham’s memory and saying thank you for the service we provide.
We will see many of you throughout the summer no doubt, so please pop by and say hi. There is nothing more rewarding than getting to share the experiences of our events with those who participant in them.
To take part, share your experience of an event or simply feedback, contact us any time on 01325 487263, or email events@greatnorthairambulance.
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