Grandmother completes the Wainwrights after serious fall

Joan Taylor, who broke her leg after falling on Calf Crag, has paid tribute to the Cumbrian emergency services who came to help her in the aftermath of the incident, on 22 December last year. Joan, 71, was supposed to be in Spain with her husband Jonathan, but with further COVID restrictions looming at the … Continued

Grandmother back on her feet after serious car crash

Sandra Lonsdale was returning from a catch-up with friends in Berwick when her car collided with a tractor, leaving her with a plethora of injuries. The 75-year-old, from Stobswood, near Morpeth, said: “It was a nice sunny day and I thought I’ll get on the A1 before it gets busy. “It was calm and I … Continued

Community effort averts tragedy

The Austin family’s walking break in the Lakes almost ended in tragedy after Toby, 44, suffered a cardiac arrest in Glenridding. Combined efforts by a community first responder, a passing doctor, the North West Ambulance Service, and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) are likely to have saved his life. Toby said: “GNAAS and … Continued

Simulation training at GNAAS

This involves creating realistic scenarios that the team may come across when they are activated to an incident, so they’ll know what to do if they end up facing a similar situation in real life. Here Jamie Walsh, assistant director – training, explains the training in more detail: “We do a simulation on base every … Continued

Rolls-Royce to be auctioned to raise funds for GNAAS

The 1974 Silver Shadow is the top lot in a sale of items belonging to County Durham businessman John Wade. Trucks, trailers, lawn mowers and a tractor will also be sold, with a portion of the sale going to GNAAS. Mr Wade, a long-standing GNAAS supporter, is working alongside Northallerton Auctions in organising the auction, … Continued

A weekend of firsts for GNAAS

Dale Clark, 14, of Blindcrake, near Cockermouth, was airlifted by the Great North Air Ambulance Service’s (GNAAS) Pride of Cumbria II aircraft just hours after the helicopter began work in the county. Dale had been riding his bicycle when his back wheel came off, causing him to take a bad fall. Our critical care team … Continued

GNAAS pilot excited to fly the Pride of Cumbria II

GNAAS pilot Phil Lambert spoke to us about the excitement of the arrival of the Pride of Cumbria II to Langwathby, and what it means for the county. “The new aircraft is from the same series as the Pride of Cumbria I. It’s a AS365 dauphin helicopter but this is the N3 version. From the outside … Continued

Our new CEO

David Stockton brings decades of experience in the commercial sector to the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). Prior to arriving at GNAAS, the 49-year-old ran his own businesses, focussing primarily on healthcare and retail in the Teesside and Tyneside areas. Recently, he also spent five years working at board level within a multi-billion pound … Continued

The Air Angels Ball is back

After a year’s hiatus the charity’s Air Angels Ball is back, promising a dazzling night of glamour, stunning entertainment, fantastic food and plenty of surprises. This will be the first big social event hosted by the charity since COVID-19 restrictions cancelled many of their plans. The event takes place at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead on … Continued

Grahame Pickering MBE leaves GNAAS

Grahame Pickering MBE, who started the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), has departed the organisation due to ongoing health issues after more than 20 years of dedicated service. Mr Pickering built GNAAS from the ground up and introduced a series of initiatives in the region that have gone on to become commonplace throughout the … Continued

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