An army colonel has backed Air Ambulance Week after witnessing one life-saving charity in action.
Colonel David Fuller, of Imphal Barracks, York, has expressed his support for Great North Air Ambulance Service after a young cadet that was under his command needed the air medics.
The 15-year-old girl, from Harrogate, was airlifted from Matterdale Common, near Great Dodd in Cumbria, after she became unwell while walking with a party of Air and Army Cadets in July this year.
The cadet became short of breath and was treated by a GNAAS doctor and then flown down the fell to a waiting road ambulance.
Colonel Fuller said: “GNAAS was tasked with flying to her position where speed is of the essence. Once the helicopter landed I knew that she was in the best possible hands in terms of treatment and evacuation.
“The service from GNAAS was, without a doubt, far quicker than any other means of evacuation from the mountain and ensured she received professional medical care in the shortest possible time.”
This is not the first time Colonel Fuller has seen the work of air ambulance services up close, after one of his officers suffered a heart attack on a training area in Norfolk in 2010.
He said: “Air Ambulance Week is a time to support the work of the charity, to get behind them and raise awareness of the life-saving cause.”
GNAAS, which operates three air ambulances across Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the North-East, hopes to enlist 100 regular givers during Air Ambulance Week, which runs 23rd to 29th September, in order to encourage lasting giving and raise vital funds for the charity.
Mandy Drake, head of fundraising at GNAAS, said: “We hope people get involved in any way they can, from holding their own events to signing up to our regular giving scheme to show their support for this life-saving local service.”
For more information please call 01325 487 263.
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