Mother raises nearly £20,000 for GNAAS after they tried to save her son’s life

Nicola Wright’s 13-year-old son Mason was riding his off-road bike at the former motocross site in South Bank, Middlesbrough, when he was involved in a collision with another rider on 19 June 2021.

Nicola, from Middlesbrough, said: “From an early age of three years old, Mason had loved motorbikes alongside his big brother Lee and dad Steven, then came his little brother Kenton who loved them too.

“They were always safe when riding on a track and wore the correct bodywear and helmet and they lived for bikes and quads.

“That day, we will never get it out of our minds. I was at home just sorting out their dad’s Father’s Day presents for the next day and I received a call from my husband Steven screaming down the phone, Mason’s been killed.”

The Great North Air Ambulance Service’s (GNAAS) critical care team, including a doctor and paramedic, were alerted to the incident and they flew from their base near Eaglescliffe to the scene of the incident in seven minutes.

Nicola said: “My son came for me, and we headed over to the tracks. My poor boy was lying there on the floor while the critical care team were all around him doing their very best to save him. It was all hands on as family and friends who were there were all taking turns doing chest compressions whilst the critical care team were doing their job.”

Mason was airlifted to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, but despite everyone’s best efforts, he sadly died later that day.

Speaking about Mason, Nicola said: “Mason was a beautiful kind-hearted boy. He loved his smart clothes and his jewellery and always had a smile on his face. His favourite place to go was Manjaros in Middlesbrough and the tracks on his motocross bike.

“We would never in a million years think that we were going to lose him at such a young age of 13 years and 11 months but we can say that he had an amazing short life, and we have some amazing memories.

“He was a popular boy in school, his teachers thought the world of him, and he had a lovely group of friends who miss him too. Life is so hard without him, we miss him so much, but we are so grateful that his friends still go and visit him at his forever bed.

“Mason and his dad Steven were best friends and they did everything together. Steven has lost his best mate and his life will never be the same without him.”

To honour his memory, Nicola began fundraising for GNAAS in November last year and has taken part in a variety of activities, including Sober November, a sky dive with family and friends, a charity walk with stops at 10 pubs, and a fundraiser day at Middlebeck Social Club.

In addition to this, her friends and colleagues Michelle and Gary Hamilton took part in the Great North Run.

More than £19,000 has been raised in memory of Mason, and Nicola has vowed to continue fundraising for GNAAS.

She said: “Doing something for GNAAS keeps me going as I can’t thank them enough for their determination on the day. They tried their very best but unfortunately, they couldn’t save Mason. We will be forever grateful for their help.

“They will always hold a special place in our hearts so by doing my bit, I know it’s money well spent, maybe trying to save another person’s life.

“Until I take my last breath, I will always keep my boy’s memory alive, and I know that will be possible with all my family and friends of Pallister Park, who we love so much.”