Ben Hunt, 46, from Eaglescliffe, kickstarted his ‘Chasing Rainbows’ challenge in April 2020 to encourage people to get active and raise vital funds for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). He said: “I have run several races for the charity including two Great North Runs and the Yorkshire Marathon in 2021, although the biggest … Continued
34-year-old Ally Hogg from Edinburgh joined the Great North Air Ambulance’s (GNAAS) team of skilled doctors last year. Holly Taylor caught up with him to find out more about his work and life outside of GNAAS. Ally, tell me a bit about your life growing up? I grew up in a small-ish town near Edinburgh … Continued
The campaign invites people from across the North to write a dedication and make a donation in memory of their loved ones and join the charity for a remembrance evening. Laura Simmons, legacy and in memory fundraising officer at GNAAS, said: “We have a Christmas tree in the charity’s HQ featuring the names of those … Continued
A 75-year-old man from Spennymoor has been told that ‘keeping fit’ saved his life following a cardiac arrest during a football match. Bill Cunningham was in goal during a friendly match last month at Spennymoor Leisure Centre when he began to feel unwell. Bill said: “The lads always get together twice a week, and we … Continued
But how and why do we train them the way we do? Our rigorous and gruelling training courses are designed to put each and every clinician to the test and make sure they are performing at the top of their game. GNAAS welcomes clinicians from all over the world to our training courses and our … Continued
And what better way to tell you all about our Christmas goings-on than through a Christmas sing-along? So, warm up those vocal cords and defrost the Michael Bublé CD because it’s time to get into the holiday spirit. Deck the Halls But not just with bells and holly, be sure to adorn your home with … Continued
Paul Newman joined the charity earlier this year and is currently making the four-hour commute from his home in Buckinghamshire to complete his flying shifts with the organisation. Paul said: “I am really looking forward to my new role here at GNAAS. I think it’s great being able to help people and give something back. … Continued
It currently costs £7.7m a year for GNAAS to remain operational and during the financial year 2021/22 there was a total of 1,732 call-outs to critically ill or injured people in the region. To help keep the service flying into the new year, the charity has launched their ‘Wrap Your Window’ campaign in the lead-up … Continued
Jake Gunn, from Durham, joined GNAAS in January of this year as the critical care team’s newest paramedic recruit. Holly Taylor interviewed him to find out more about the opportunity that he said he’d been waiting a lifetime for: Jake, how does it feel to be part of the team at GNAAS? It feels unbelievable … Continued
A 76-year-old man has said he ‘received wonderful care’ from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) following a serious fall from the side of a mountain in the Lake District. John Hughes from Cambridge was enjoying a holiday in the Borrowdale Valley, Keswick, with his wife Jo back in June of this year when … Continued
