The initiative gives people the opportunity to become part of the charity’s future by having their name, or the name of someone special to them, displayed on the underside of one of the charity’s new helicopters for a minimum donation of £100.

It has already raised £100,000, and among those supporting the campaign is the family of Ronald Murray, from Darlington, who sadly passed away earlier this year.

Ronald, also known as Ronnie, previously required GNAAS in July 2017 after a motorcycle collision near Pooley Bridge.

On that occasion he was flown to Royal Preston Hospital, where an x-ray revealed his injuries weren’t as serious as first thought, and he escaped with severe bruising.

However, just over a year later in August 2018 he required the charity’s services again after he was involved in a motorcycle collision in Croft-on-Tees.

Unfortunately he sustained a broken neck, fractured skull and broken tibia and was placed in an induced coma by the paramedic and doctor team from GNAAS and flown to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Ronald made a good recovery and later visited GNAAS’ base which was located at Teesside International Airport at the time, with his family, and met the paramedic who came to his aid.

In March this year, Ronald passed away at the age of 62 and his family held a collection at his funeral, raising £721, before rounding up the total to £1,000 to support the charity.

His daughter Jennifer Murray, said: “Losing Dad this year was such an unexpected shock to us all, in our grief one of the things which has helped somewhat is to think of ways in which to honour and remember Dad.

“We cherish each one of his 62 years, and we believe that GNAAS gave us those ‘eight bonus years’.”

One of the ways the family is honouring Ronald’s memory is by having his name featured on one of GNAAS’ helicopters after they made a donation to the charity’s Written in the Sky campaign.

The campaign forms part of Operation SOS, GNAAS’ most ambitious appeal to date, which aims to raise £2.5 million to secure the deposit for a vital third helicopter.

As demand for their service continues to grow, the charity has designed the blueprints for a stronger future, investing in three state-of-the-art helicopters called Airbus H145 D2.

Jennifer said: “The campaign seemed to come to our attention soon after the passing of Dad. It just felt as though it was a given, what better way to honour and give thanks for our time with Dad than to have his name ‘ written in the sky’.”

“It will be a comfort when we see the helicopter flying above that ‘wow look, grandad’s name is up there on that helicopter!’ it gives a sense of pride that you’ve helped towards that helicopter continue its life-saving work.”

Known for his happy-go-lucky nature, Ronald was devoted to his family and always willing to help others. He had a lifelong passion for motorbikes and was equally passionate about running, completing the Great North Run an incredible 37 times for a variety of charities, often in fancy dress.

Jennifer said that he loved encouraging other runners, dancing with bands along the course and bringing smiles to those around him.

She joined her dad three times at the Great North Run, wearing fancy dress, and will be completing the course again this year in his memory.

She said: “You never imagine you’re going to need the air ambulance. But once it’s saved someone you love, you couldn’t be more grateful that the service exists. Our way of giving thanks will be to continue raising money for the charity, but I’d urge people not to wait until they or someone they love needs GNAAS before supporting it. We never know what’s around the corner.”

To find out more about Written in the Sky, including naming guidelines and terms and conditions, visit: https://gna.as/written2026