As the days grow shorter and the weather turns colder, the unwavering support of GNAAS supporters continues to shine. Across the region, your incredible efforts have been raising essential funds for our life-saving air ambulance charity.
November has been a whirlwind of activity, keeping our fundraisers and volunteers on their toes as they joined keen supporters for cheque presentations.
It’s time to take a closer look at the amazing fundraising moments that have defined the past 31 days…
Let’s get quizzical
We’re rewinding to the start of November, when our wonderful fundraiser Amanda visited the Black Swan in Belford to present a fantastic cheque for £800 – impressive, isn’t it?
And how did the Black Swan raise these funds, we hear you ask? Well, they hosted a range of quizzes over summer for locals and visitors.
We can’t help but wonder how many helicopter-themed questions made it onto the scorecards?
Pop the kettle on
Let’s hop on the ferry to the Isle of Man, where we join volunteer Barry as he visits the wonderful team at the Peel Charity Shop.
These dedicated ladies have been fundraising tirelessly over the past couple of years, raising an incredible £15,000 for our charity.
Their efforts make a tremendous difference, enabling us to continue serving the Isle of Man community; we’re always thrilled to see the growing support and generosity from the island.
Even better, Barry joined them amidst their coffee morning – so he was treated to a biscuit or two, too!
Wanders of the Wearside
Back over to Wearside now, as our lovely Bob dropped in to see how the Wearside Wanderers were getting on with their fundraising activity.
To his delight, he was able to present them with a cheque for £1,000 – not a bad day’s work really, is it?
Caravan of love
Who doesn’t love a good staycation? Especially when your holiday spot contributes to a life-saving mission.
Jodie and the fantastic team at Barrasford Park Caravan Site went above and beyond this summer, raising an impressive £5,700 through a series of fun-filled events for their happy campers.
Needless to say, we became very happy campers ourselves when we heard about this incredible sum!
Coffee and clear outs
A cup of coffee for a life-saving cause – those were the exact thoughts of the ladies from the The Acorn Group, Carlisle.
After raising £162 from their efforts, we think the coffee morning they hosted certainly paid off! Not to mention they’re also in the process of organising a clothing collection, too.
A tribute to loved ones
In November, we had the privilege of welcoming Jane Dunn and some of her family members to our base during our open day.
We were deeply moved and grateful when Jane generously donated £400, a sum collected in memory of her late husband at his funeral.
Our heartfelt thoughts are with the Dunn family, their support will play a vital role in keeping our helicopters flying.
Robin’s raffle
Time for a quick stop at The Robin Hood Inn near Carlisle, where the team has been pulling more than just pints – they’ve been hosting a raffle.
Their efforts paid off big time, raising an impressive £310, which they’ve generously donated to support our life-saving service. Cheers to that!
Medics in the making
Last month, we were thrilled to welcome a group of students from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (QEGS) in Penrith to our Langwathby base for an exclusive tour. Back in May, these incredible young fundraisers tackled the Keswick to Barrow (K2B) walk, raising an astounding £4,878.23 for our charity.
It was a joy to show them around our aircraft, share insights about life as an air ambulance medic, and answer their thoughtful questions. Their enthusiasm has only grown, and they’re now even more determined to support our mission.
In fact, our very own Dr Rachel is a former student of QEGS, she’ll soon be returning to her old school to host an assembly and Q&A session. We’re excited to see this partnership flourish and can’t wait to continue working together.
Flowers for funds
Sue Wilkinson, affectionately known to our team as ‘the pie lady’ for her legendary corned beef treats, recently joined the Stokesley Ladies Luncheon Club at their monthly gathering at the Wainstones Hotel in Great Broughton.
This month’s guest speaker was the talented Val Guest, a florist who wowed everyone with her stunning seasonal Christmas flower arrangements. The club decided to auction off Val’s creations to raise funds for our charity, collecting a wonderful £125 in the process.
A heartfelt thank you to the ladies of the Luncheon Club for their generosity and support – it’s truly appreciated!
Matt knows how to celebrate
Turning 70 is a milestone worth celebrating, but Matt Robinson made it even more remarkable by choosing to fundraise for us on his special day.
Back in 2014, Matt suffered a heart attack at home and was airlifted by our critical care team, a service he credits with saving his life. To show his gratitude, he decided to use this momentous occasion to give back and support our life-saving work.
We feel honoured he turned his 70th birthday into a means of fundraising for us.
Asby Endowed Harvest
Even the smallest schools can make a big impact, and the children of Asby Endowed School have certainly proved that! With just 14 pupils, they raised an impressive £80 for our service through their Harvest Café, where they sold delicious treats and drinks.
This thoughtful donation makes a huge difference to our work, and we couldn’t be more grateful for their amazing efforts.
Wheely fun
Fundraiser Mieke had the pleasure of speaking to the Haltwhistle Young Farmers, and she couldn’t stop praising them, saying, “They’re such a lovely bunch”.
In a fantastic show of generosity, the group raised an impressive £1,062 through a wheelbarrow race they hosted in September.
We absolutely love hearing about fun and creative fundraising efforts like this – huge thanks to the Young Farmers for their incredible support!
And that’s a wrap for November… we can’t wait to see what festive fundraising occurs next month.
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