Newsletter. Read more about signing up to next year s. on pages 06 and

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1 April 2017 Giving the gift of time Newsletter Read more about signing up to next year s on pages 06 and North West Air Ambulance Charity nwairambulance

2 02 2,104 missions were completed because of your support. Between 1 st January and 31 st December 2016, you helped us to take advanced medical care to more than 2,000 people in need. A fresh new look for 2017 This spring sees the launch of our new look Home & Gift Catalogue. From decorative art to brighten plain walls to jewellery in the most fashionable colours or shot glasses for a party animal, our products will help you refresh your home or brighten the day for a loved one. All products are available now. You can take a look at the range in our brochure or on our online shop at Whirlybird takes off A new ale, which has been brewed in our honour, is now available in local pubs across the region! Whirlybird, which is described as a deep amber ale with subtle raisin and dark fruit character, has been created for ale fans by the amazing team at Bowland Brewery. 10 pence And with 10p donated to us for every pint sold, it s a unique and tasty way for you to help brew funds!

3 03 days a year Our helicopters are in operation every day, even on public holidays and weekends. This is something that Tania and Judith are all too grateful for. Tania s story Tania Chadwick injured herself while out walking on Boxing Day last year. During a short break in Barbondale, my friends and I took a walk in Blind Beck, but along the way I slipped and twisted my knee. I couldn t walk and because I was in a secluded area, the air ambulance was my only hope of rescue. When the team arrived, they talked me through exactly what would happen to reassure me, then flew me straight to Lancaster Hospital. As a way of saying thanks, I gave a donation to the charity. I never thought to support it before my incident and I d encourage others to donate to make sure that it can continue to be there - you never know when you will need its help! Judith s story Judith has experienced what a difference we can make, not once, but twice in her life. In 2006, the North West Air Ambulance Charity saved my daughter s life when she was airlifted to hospital following a horse riding accident. Then last year, I found myself in a similar situation when my horse threw me off down a country lane. I was quickly airlifted to a specialist unit at Stoke Hospital for severe pelvic injuries. The damage was so severe that the surgeon gave me just a 5% chance of survival. I had five operations and was in the ICU for six weeks but I m now in recovery. Without that rapid response, neither my daughter nor I would be alive today. Share your story Have you or a loved one been helped by your North West Air Ambulance Charity? If so, we d love to hear your story. Get in touch through our website or phone

4 04 Saving lives in your community Meet your local hero Name: Debra Millican Role: Fundraiser for Cheshire Why you love your job: The charity means a lot to people I meet every day. It s their passion that drives me to help them with their fundraising. Top fundraising tip: Always set a target to keep you motivated and celebrate when you do hit it! In Cheshire, you helped give the gift of a lifetime to more than 350 people in 2016 At home in Wilmslow Last July saw the opening of our biggest store to date Wilmslow at Home. It was also the first to include a drive-through donation station which has helped us get off to a flying start. So far, you ve generously donated 1,500 bags 1,500 bags of clothing and bric-a-bric, weighing more than 10.5 tonnes - the equivalent weight of seven helicopters! 671 items 671 items of furniture, enough to fill more than 26 three-bedroomed houses United Utilities helps create a flood of funds! It s not just our stores and community fundraising activity that help us; many companies across the region nominate us as their charity of the year. United Utilities (UU) has been amongst some of our most big-hearted corporate supporters over the past five years. The team has raised more than 320,000 in unique events such as UU Does Strictly and even a world record toilet roll stacking challenge! It hasn t just been about the fundraising either for the UU team. One employee, Ben Thompson, became a regular volunteer for us, organising events, speaking on our behalf at events and helping us at our office. Ben was so inspiring that 71 year old Paul Heaney signed up to do his first ever skydive following one of his talks! We will be sad to bid farewell to United Utilities as the company s support comes to an end but we would like to thank the incredible team for the donations and memories over the past 5 years. Find your nearest store using the map to the right or visit

5 Meet your local hero 05 Name: Sarah Thompson Role: Fundraiser for Cumbria and North Lancashire Why you love your job: Living in an isolated area, I know how the service is crucial to communities like mine. It s great to meet all the dedicated people in rural hotspots and see the ways that they re helping to make a difference. Top fundraising tip: Shout about it! You re doing a great thing and the more people you tell, the more you ll raise! In Cumbria, we airlifted more than 400 people in need during 2016 Kendal opening We re excited to announce that we ll be opening our second Cumbrian store in Kendal this summer. We re working hard to make sure that it will be a beating heart in the community and in the run up to the opening, we need your help. Retail Store Butterflies pupils spread their wings with fundraising Many schools across the region fundraise for us because their pupils love seeing our helicopters in the air. Butterflies Preschool in Heysham raised more than 3,000 through Christmas parties, seasonal fayres and collections. The pupils that fundraised the most were rewarded with a special treat, a visit from Paramedic Pup! If you have unwanted furniture or clothes that you could donate to us, simply give us a call on and we ll collect them from you you don t even have to leave the house! Furness helps build funds Affinity Account partnerships provide a vital source of our income. Not only are they an easy way to save pennies, but allow your building society to donate at no extra cost to you. Thanks to savers in Cumbria this year, we have received over 150,000 from Furness Building Society. This takes the total to 1.26m since our partnership began in 2005!

6 06 Join us on this year s Mission Walk, which will take place on Sunday 17th September at Wyresdale Park, Lancashire Sign up to be a part of this year s walk at

7 Thank you More than 170 people accepted our mission last September and helped raise more than 15,000 while enjoying the great outdoors. The event brought new and loyal supporters together in a 10km or 8.5km family route in the spectacular surroundings of Wyresdale Park. In the event village, walkers got a glimpse into how our paramedics, doctors and pilots help to make a difference. But the mission doesn t stop there! Will you accept our 2017 mission and join us on 17th September at Wyresdale Park? What motivates you? I wanted to challenge myself during my recovery and raise vital funds for the North West Air Ambulance Charity. This was a great way of saying thanks for its help. Andy Price 07 I feel like I ve been given another chance at life. I wanted to raise money for the charity to say thanks and the Mission Walk seemed a natural choice, seeing as I was airlifted after injuring myself on a walk. Graham Sumner We wanted to raise money for the charity as without it, it is likely that my daughter would have died. Plus this was something we could do as a family! 89metres - Those that took on the full 10km mission climbed 89 metres to the summit of Nicky Nook Fell! Sarah Rigby 1,713km - Supporters walked 1,713km, enough to walk the radius of the moon! 15,000 - You helped raise over 15,000 for our lifesaving service. To learn more about Sarah s story, watch our highlights video from the day at

8 08 Saving lives in your community Meet your local hero Name: Lynne Whittaker Role: Fundraiser for West Lancashire and Merseyside Why you love your job: I meet amazing people and I enjoy helping them to achieve their goals. Top fundraising tip: We have a huge amount of experience and know what works so lean on us for ideas and advice. In West Lancashire, you kept us in the air to help more than 700 people in 2016 Spring clear-out We are always in need of quality used items to stock our stores, so why not have a Spring clear-out and donate your unwanted goods to a deserving cause? Fiona s story With a little help from her friends, Fiona Dugdale from Preston has raised an amazing 7,000 for us over seven years after seeing first-hand how important our service is. We airlifted Fiona s brother from an industrial incident back in Sadly, he passed away in hospital but Fiona wanted to pay us back for the time we gave him by fundraising. Fiona went on a mission to bring her community and local businesses together to help collect donations and create annual lunches in our honour. Thanks to Fiona and her community for their continued support! Not sure what s cluttering your home? Just follow the 12 month rule. If you haven t used something in a year or more, you probably never will. So drop it in a box and send it our way! Simply bring your goods to one of our stores or book a free collection either by phone or by completing our form online. Plus, if you re a taxpayer and Gift Aid your donation, it will be 20% more valuable to us. Find your nearest store online at

9 Meet your local hero 09 Name: Liz Greenwood Role: Fundraiser for East Lancashire and Greater Manchester Why you love your job: I love the variety. I get to meet passionate people and help make their fundraising events a success. In fact, supporters have inspired me so much that I ve taken part in a few charity challenges myself! Top fundraising tip: Fundraising is supposed to be fun so relax and remember to give yourself a big well done when it s all over. In East Lancashire, we helped save more than 600 lives in 2016 Accounts that save lives Affinity account holders raise 54,000. Affinity account holders with Chorley, Manchester and Marsden Building Societies have raised more than 54,000 in If you re interested in a North West Air Ambulance Charity Affinity Account, you can find out where you can open one at Another store flying into Blackburn Helicopter Base Retail Store Co-operative Bank partnership flies high The Co-operative Bank nominated us as its charity of the year in Staff raised an impressive 11,000 through events such as football matches and office challenges. What s more, the bank boosted the total by match funding. Blackburn, you ve been so good to us that we re opening another store in the area! We will be launching a new store on Preston Old Road in late April which will offer clothing and homeware bargains. As is the case with all stores, we re always in need of donations to help stock our shelves. With this being a new store, we need extra help from you. We really need furniture so if you re giving your home a makeover, think of us and give us a call to let us know what you can donate. We ll collect if from you too!

10 10 Meet a hero Name: Gaynor Lanceley Role: Legacy officer Why you love your job: I ve seen the difference the service makes as it came to the rescue of two of my closest friends in separate motorcycle accidents. I enjoy hearing how the charity has helped others too. Did you know? One in six of our missions are helped through our supporters remembering us in their Will. If you d like to learn more about leaving a legacy to your North West Air Ambulance Charity and how it could make a difference to someone s life, contact Gaynor on We are discreet and will always keep any conversations completely confidential. Get in touch Running to Greatness Our HEMS Paramedic Caroline Pearce will be leading Team NWAA in the Great Manchester Run on 28th May. The countdown is on! Whatever your ability or experience, it s time to grab your running shoes and get active to help save more lives. I d love for you to join me in Team NWAA. You can apply for one of our charity places in the 10km or half marathon, or if you ve already secured a place why not choose us as your nominated charity? Visit for more details.

11 11 1st prize Lancashire Challenge yourself There are so many ways for you to keep our heroes in the air. Whether you are a runner, cyclist, swimmer, triathlete or daredevil, there are hundreds of events taking place across the country that you can get involved in. We can help you find the perfect event and will be with you every step, pedal, or jump along the way. Here s a flavour of how you can make tracks for our charity in 2017 High-flying winners Heather Arrowsmith, our CEO, joined crew and staff at our base in Barton on 26th January to pick the lucky Annual Prize Draw winners. Over 75,000 tickets were sold which helped raise over 96,000 this could help fuel one of our helicopters for more than two months! Thanks to everyone who took part! 6th May 2017 Take to the Skies Challenge, Black Knights Parachute Centre 28th May 2017 Great Manchester Run 10K, Manchester City Centre 28th May 2017 Great Manchester Run Half Marathon, Manchester City Centre 10th September 2017 Great North Run, Newcastle 17th September 2017 North West Air Ambulance Charity Mission Walk, Wyresdale Park For the full list of this year s winners and for more information on our Lift off Lotto, visit For a list of events, visit If you re in need of information on an event or would like some advice, get in touch with our fundraising team on or fundraising@nwaa.net

12 Give our heroes a head start Our crew requires specially adapted helmets to carry out lifesaving missions every day. So we need your help to keep our new recruits safe. As the 1 coin is starting to be replaced, your old pounds will soon become worthless. However, to us they can still be heroes! Donate today with our coin card. Give our heroes a head start Our crew requires specially adapted helmets to carry out lifesaving missions across the region. Donate your old pound coins and help us to save lives. Please return to: North West Air Ambulance Charity, North Mersey Business Centre, Woodward Road, Knowsley, L33 7UY