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
We’ve got three fantastic prizes up for grabs in our month-long raffle, which have all been kindly donated by local companies. Tickets cost just £1 each and can be bought online in books of five. Here we take a closer look at what you could win: Break away in Cumbria You could win a three-night … Continued
We had a catch-up with paramedic Jake to find out more about why defibrillators play an essential part in our critical care: What type of defibrillators do you carry on board the aircraft and rapid response vehicles? We have a corpuls3 monitor and defibrillator, which is a combined unit that monitors a patient’s condition, including … Continued
Jed Rayner, from Hebburn, was only 17 years old, when the car he was travelling in collided head-on with a tractor. Jed was the passenger of his friend James Johnston’s vehicle and they were planning to visit Carlisle when the collision happened on the A686 between Langwathby and Edenhall in Penrith. He said: “It all … Continued
Dr Mike Brooke’s career has seen him progress from being a paramedic at North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) to working as an anaesthetist at Royal Preston Hospital (RPH), and now having shifts as an air ambulance doctor at GNAAS. Mike, who lives near Preston, joined the charity nine months ago and he recently passed the … Continued
Last year we responded to 2,083 incidents across the North East, North Yorkshire, Cumbria, Scotland and the Isle of Man. A large percentage of the incidents were traumatic and medical cardiac arrests, followed by road traffic collisions, assaults, and falls. It is expected that the charity will respond to a similar number of incidents this … Continued
48-year-old Ben Sisson from Eaglescliffe worked in the hospitality sector for over 30 years before joining GNAAS in 2022 as a community fundraiser. His natural gift for networking and connecting with the community shone through and he’s since taken on the role of CSR and Philanthropy Specialist. Ben’s current job involves engaging with our corporate … Continued
In December our paramedic Hollie had the pleasure of surprising Elizabeth with the news she had won the top prize in our Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere raffle. The 80-year-old from Whickham was both thrilled and shocked and said she planned to treat her family during the Christmas holidays as well as give back to GNAAS. Elizabeth … Continued
Since January 2015, the charity’s critical care team have been able to deliver blood transfusions at the scene of an incident, to the most seriously ill or injured patients, giving them the best chance of survival. This treatment was not previously possible outside of a hospital setting, and it has now been used to treat … Continued
