Leigh Taylor was working at a brewery in Workington when he was engulfed by a fireball and badly burned in a violent blast. Recalling the incident, he said: “I remember being blown across the room and looking at it in disbelief. My ears were ringing, and smoke was billowing, and then I just crawled out … Continued
Here he gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what a typical day as a GNAAS dispatcher looks like… Being a dispatcher at GNAAS is a crucial role—it’s all about keeping a close eye on emergency calls and making those all-important decisions about where we go and who needs us the most. 6 am Rise and … Continued
Ruth Cork, 38, from Shrewsbury, was riding her motorbike on the A65 near Kirkby Lonsdale, when she collided with a car in August 2022. Her injuries included a broken femur, sacrum, jaw, cheekbone, skull, pelvis, and displaced and crushed vertebrae. She had serious internal bleeding, a bleed under her chin, a sub arachnoid haemorrhage (a … Continued
Since 2015, pubgoers have taken part in the pALEgrimage, which is a yearly event, where they travel far and wide to collect a cask or pin of ale kindly donated from different breweries and get it back to The Golden Smog. The catch is it cannot be transported using a motorised vehicle. Over the years … Continued
To celebrate this remarkable total, we hosted special appreciation events at our headquarters near Eaglescliffe and our base in Langwathby, Penrith, to celebrate and thank local companies who have supported our charity throughout 2024 and into 2025. The events featured talks from GNAAS staff, including a member of our critical care team, as well as … Continued
Since March 2022, we have trialled operating alongside the Isle of Man’s existing fixed wing air ambulance service, to transfer patients to trauma or other specialist centres in the North West, so they can receive vital treatment in the shortest time possible. The service was commissioned by Manx Care supported by the Isle of Man … Continued
If you ever needed urgent medical help, who would you want to come and save you? For thousands across the North, that answer has been the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). Last year we responded to 2,083 incidents across the North East, North Yorkshire, Cumbria, Scotland and the Isle of Man in 2024. A … Continued
His childhood passion for flying has led to an exciting and varied career which has seen him fly into the battlefield in Afghanistan to take injured soldiers back to safety and winch casualties off the side of a mountain in a snowstorm. After nearly ten years of commuting from Teesside to Prestwick, Iain jumped at … Continued
John Wilson, 70, who is originally from Bolton, Appleby, required the help of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) in October 2009 following a fall from his roof while trying to repair his chimney. He said: “My first wife was seven months into recovery from open heart surgery and advised me strongly not to … Continued
Matthew Heath, 18, from Marske, was driving along the B1269 road, travelling between Dunsdale and Guisborough in July 2008 when the Aprilia motorbike he was riding collided with a Land Rover Freelander. The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) flew to the scene but unfortunately Matthew died from his injuries. Matthew’s brother Tom Heath, 37, … Continued
