“My hair will grow back, but without the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), many people’s lives will be affected more permanently.”
At GNAAS, we’re fortunate to have passionate individuals on our team who go above and beyond to support our life-saving mission.
One of these kind-hearted people is Jaye, our individual giving marketing officer, who will shortly be shaving off her hair to raise vital funds for our charity.
Our PR team had a little chat with her, to discover the motivations behind the buzzcut, what she does on a daily basis, and her fundraising goals. 
Why did you decide to shave your hair off?
“It might sound silly, but I’ve always been someone that wants to experience different things, and I’ve had quite a few different hairstyles and colours over the years.
“But the thing that really lit a fire within me was reading a quote that said, ‘Every woman should experience shaving their head at least once in their lifetime’. For some reason, it stuck with me, and I couldn’t get it out of my head.
“I threw the idea out to my colleagues at GNAAS, I got nothing but unwavering support and enthusiasm back from them and so it was a done deal!”
How long have you been at GNAAS and what does your job entail?
“I’ve been at GNAAS about a year now. I’m the individual giving marketing officer, which means I’m in control of all of our appeals, raffle, lottery and regular giving.
“It’s quite a creative role, which I really love. My favourite part of it is speaking with our critical care team about their work in order to relay the details to our supporters. I find it fascinating, and I am always amazed by their experiences.”
Why was it important for you to support GNAAS?
“Before I got the role here, I knew I wanted to work for a charity that I could care about and get behind their cause.
“I have definitely found that here and that’s the reason I want to raise money for GNAAS.
“The work our critical care team does in the region is so impactful, it literally changes people’s lives.
“Even if I can just raise awareness of what they do and the fact that they are a charity, I will count this as a success.”
How has your opinion changed of GNAAS since working here? Was there anything you were surprised to learn since joining the charity?
“Before I joined the charity, I had no idea that they were not government funded. It blew my mind to learn that they rely entirely on donations to operate this life-saving service across the North.
“Another thing I learned whilst working here that I found really interesting was the reason why this service is so
important. It isn’t just that the helicopter can get to injured and seriously ill people fast, it is that, with the level of skill and experience in our team, we are essentially bringing the hospital to the injured person. That’s why it is so important that we continue to receive funding and donations.
“My hair will grow back, but without GNAAS, many people’s lives will be affected more permanently.”
If you’d like to support Jaye’s journey, you can watch the haircut live on Thursday 13 July via our Facebook page, or, donate towards her JustGiving page here: gna.as/jayeschop
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