A BUSINESS owner from the Yorkshire Dales is cooking up batches of jam in aid of the air ambulance after he survived being trampled by a rampaging cow.
David Clarke, 56, from Redmire, near Leyburn, is donating all proceeds from his homemade jams and marmalades to the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), which airlifted him in August 2015.
Mr Clarke was rescued from a remote area of fields near the village where he lives after being knocked down by a cow. He was out walking his dog, Bodger, in farmers’ fields when the incident happened.
He said: “I was walking in the field and my dog ran ahead. The cows came towards me and surrounded me. The next minute, one of the cows charged at me head down and head butted me, knocking me to the ground.”
Mr Clarke, who runs the Old Town Hall bed and breakfast, got back to his feet and managed to clamber over a wall and onto a road. He was able to call the ambulance before putting himself into the recovery position.
GNAAS was called to the incident due to the aircraft carrying a doctor on board and its ability to transfer to hospital quickly from remote areas.
Mr Clarke sustained six broken ribs, a punctured lung and cuts and bruises. He was taken to James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough. The flight to hospital took just 11 minutes. The same journey would have taken over one hour by road.
The 56-year-old decided to make 250 jars of various flavours of marmalade and jam for GNAAS which raised a total of £380 for the charity, which is wholly dependent on public donations.
He said: “People love the jam, they keep coming back for more and I’ve made another 50 jars as a result of the excellent sales.”
Mr Clarke has now fully recovered and has returned to work at his B&B in Redmire.
He said: “The aircrew were excellent, they scanned my chest and ribs before they took me to hospital. They couldn’t have done any more for me.
“This accident has made me become more adventurous and it’s made me realise that life is so precious.”
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