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Family raise thousands of pounds doing Miles 4 Missions


The family of a man who sadly died in a collision have raised thousands of pounds in his memory from a charity challenge.


Richard Bell, known as ‘Richy’, from Ormesby, Middlesbrough, was riding his motorbike on the A174 near Greystones roundabout when he was involved in a collision with a vehicle in October 2015.

The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) was called to the collision, which occurred at around 8am, and a paramedic and doctor drove to the scene in a rapid response vehicle.

They worked alongside the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) to assess and treat Richy and accompanied him to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Despite everyone’s best efforts, Richy sadly died from his injuries a day later at the age of 30 years old.

Speaking about Richy, his fiancé Chantelle Scott, 36, said: “Richy would seem like a quiet person unless you knew him. He was easy going, with a great sense of humour. He enjoyed the simple things in life, like a walk on the beach with Abigail or a pint in the pub with friends. He would much rather spend money on a day out making memories with his family and friends rather than saving for a rainy day.

“Richy was a real geek behind closed doors, always tinkering around with some new computer or gaming, and he was a keen biker. When he put on his leathers, he had a certain glint in his eye that you wouldn’t see with anything else.

“Richy was an all-round lovely person with a good heart, he would do anything for his friends and family. He was always there if you needed him for a chat, rant or hand with something, although he wasn’t too great with DIY but he did try.”

Richy’s daughter Abigail Bell, who was nine years old at the time of his incident, has since fundraised for GNAAS in his memory, including cycling 300 miles to celebrate Father’s Day, which raised £1,500.

To mark her dad’s ten-year angel anniversary, Abigail, who is now 19, signed up to GNAAS’ fundraising challenge called Miles 4 Missions, which was a virtual daily challenge where participants needed to cover the distance in miles which reflects the number of missions responded to by the charity the previous day.

Abigail’s mother Nicola Briggs, 37, and stepmother Chantelle who was due to marry Richy in September 2016, also took part in the challenge and they collectively raised £2,100.

They recently visited GNAAS’ base where they had the opportunity to meet Dr Phil O’Donnell, the medical director at the charity, who responded to Richy’s incident.

Abigail said: “One of the reasons I support GNAAS is because of all the help my dad received while he was in their care. My dad was in a motorbike accident that caused him to have catastrophic injuries, which unfortunately were not survivable. The treatment and care provided by GNAAS made it so his family could say their goodbyes. I was only nine at the time of the accident so I was sheltered from a lot of the details. But recently, after 10 years, I visited the base with my mam and step mam and got to meet the doctor who helped him.

“The charity has helped me and my family with our grief in ways I cannot describe, by explaining and answering questions about his injuries and what was done for him. Unfortunately, he did pass away the following day. This is still heartbreaking as I am no longer able to make new memories with my dad, but those days of going to Redcar for secret ice creams and a go in the amusements will always be special to me.”

Nicola added: “The service that GNAAS provides to the community is second to none. Without them other families may not have had the same opportunity we had to say our goodbyes, and many others are fortunate enough to have a happier outcome because this service exists.”

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