Flight for Life Autumn 2013

AUTUMN 2013

Actor Ray Winstone visits the Charity Patient stories Details of our new extended service

Patient thank you’s...

“Two years ago you attended to my son. I’ve never thanked you. You treated him with respect and compassion and understood his needs (he’s autistic), and gave him space.

You will never know just how much we appreciated all that you did for him and a special thank you for the very thoughtful card you sent.”

“Blinkin’ marvellous, thank you for a fantastic service on Saturday.

Fast and effective transport of my nephew to Addenbrookes resulting in him being treated and sorted out by a fantastic hospital. He is home today...... thank you... life savers.”

“I would like to give a huge thank you to the Charity for attending my father’s accident.The HEMS team, in particular the HEMS Doctor Rik saved my father’s life. Thank you for the prompt arrival of the Air Ambulance and for the expert immediate care that was provided; words cannot describe our appreciation.”

“You saved my life and it is impossible to thank you enough.

I was today released from hospital and I asked the Doctors the difference that you made in saving me; they made it very clear that without you I would be dead. Because of you I am not only alive but I have every chance of living many more years.”

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Contents

Jane’s Welcome Welcome to the latest edition and new look Flight for Life Magazine! Earlier this year I was honoured to welcome popular British actor Ray Winstone to the Herts Air Ambulance Air Base at North Weald Airfield, where he joined Ware Joggers running club in presenting a cheque for £2,000 to the Charity! The Sweeney star chatted with our Air Crew, Fundraisers Dawn and Helena, and me about how the Charity goes about saving lives in our county week after week. We hope to see Ray again soon at our Herts Air Ambulance 5th Birthday on Friday 25th October - find out more on page 27.

I’m very excited to announce that as part of our commitment to continue to improve our service to our patients across Essex, Herts and surrounding areas, we will be enhancing our operation by the introduction of a dedicated fast response vehicle based at North Weald for two evenings a week, responding to emergency calls during the hours of darkness. You can read more about our exciting new venture on page 13. Plus find out how the Charity changed the lives of three of our airlifted patients – Tyla, Adam and Martin.

In September 2013, the Charity proudly came away with two awards at the 2013 Essex Business Excellence Awards!

We were declared winners of the Innovation Award and I was honoured to win Outstanding Business Person of the year! I feel extremely overwhelmed about winning these awards; it is a real honour for the Charity to be recognised in this way, considering the other finalists were such strong contenders. I am very privileged to be in a position of leading such a dedicated team of Air Crew, staff and volunteers. This amazing achievement would not have been possible without this fantastic team behind me.

Lastly I’d like to personally thank you, our loyal Flight for Life Lottery players, who play an integral part in keeping us operational. For your continued support over the years, you will all be entered into a fantastic new free prize draw to say thank you again – details of which are on page 6!

I wish you and your families well and once again thank you for your kind support.

Jane Gurney Chief Executive Officer Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust

Page 4/5 Page 6/7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10/11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16/17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20

Page 21 Page 22/23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26/27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31

Tyla’s Story Flight for Life Lottery Motorcycle Run Raffle National Air Ambulance Week Statistics Extended Service Runway Run Corporate Supporters Adam’s Story Meet the Team Volunteer News Tiptree Strawberry Race & Birketts Support Aeromedical Conference Tharacostomy/Meet the Team Martin’s Story Teddy Space Launch Herts Air Ambulance 5th Birthday Strictly Air Ambulance Weekend Get involved online Community Fundraisers How can you help

Contact Us • Essex General Enquiries 0845 2417 690 • Herts General Enquiries 0845 504 0055 Email: reception@EHAAT.uk.com Website: EHAAT.uk.com Lottery Hotline 0845 2417 688 Lottery Website: FlightforLifeLottery.uk.com Advertising

Printed by Editor Cover shot

To advertise in flight for life magazine call 01787 226118 Symbian Print Intelligence Ltd Holly Butler - Holly@EHAAT.uk.com Thanks to Dawn Easby

Registered Charity number: 1108989 Branding and selected photography reproduced by kind permission of Perception.co

Tyla’s Story Tyla Atkin, six, was travelling in the car with her mum, Michelle and grandmother, Theresa in April 2012 when a vehicle in front caused muddy water to splash onto their windscreen. Theresa slammed on her brakes, but a lorry behind could not stop in time and smashed into the family, who had been heading out on a shopping trip.

When Michelle turned around she saw Tyla’s eyes had rolled back into her head and desperately cried for help. The emergency services were duly called with land crews from the London Ambulance Service and the HEMS Team on board the Essex Air Ambulance attending the scene.

It had been a particularly stormy day and Pilot Richard had to use his experience and expertise to navigate us through some difficult weather conditions including lightning but arrived safely on the hospital roof helipad in a fraction of the time it would have taken a land vehicle to drive there.”

Upon arriving at the Royal London hospital Tyla was met by the largest trauma team Dr Jonty had ever encountered; consisting of Emergency Consultants, Paediatricians, Anaesthetists, Neurosurgeons, Orthopaedic and General surgeons, and all of their accompanying teams. Dr Jonty handed Tyla over to the hospital giving them an appraisal of her condition and the treatment that she had been given.

HEMS Paramedic Laurie Phillipson recalls:

“The day we were called to Tyla we landed on an athletics track close to the carriageway. As HEMS Doctor Jonty Robinson and I ran to the scene we got a feel for the seriousness of the situation by the reactions of those standing around the land ambulance that had already arrived.

The situation was very grave but the care the HEMS team started continued in hospital giving Tyla further infusions to try and further reduce her brain swelling and she underwent a CT scan before being transferred into the care of specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital for surgery.

The Ambulance crew provided us with a quick description of the accident before Dr Jonty began his assessment and I set up the monitoring equipment. We found Tyla to be in a bad way with a significantly reduced level of consciousness and other clinical signs indicating a serious head injury.

In order to protect her brain from further damage we optimised her airway and breathing by delivering a pre-hospital anaesthetic and taking over breathing for her. We also delivered other advanced therapies aimed at reducing swelling to the brain and pre-alerted the Royal London Hospital Major Trauma Centre that we were bringing Tyla to them.

4

Tyla recovering in the Royal London hospital

The crash with a seven tonne lorry had left Tyla in a deep unconscious state with life-threatening head injuries and top neurosurgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital warned Michelle that her daughter might never wake up.

Even when it became clear she had won her fight for life, Michelle was warned the youngster could have suffered life-changing brain damage. Medics said Tyla could be suffering from similar effects to a severe stroke, including difficulty walking, talking and even smiling.

Ten months on from the incident and against all odds Tyla has made a remarkable recovery, walking and talking normally and back to her usual happy self.

On Valentine’s Day this year Tyla, Michelle and Theresa were invited to the Essex Air Ambulance Air Base and Visitor Centre in Earls Colne to be reunited with Dr Jonty and Laurie and thank their HEMS heroes in person. After being told by surgeons that she might never smile again, Tyla gave Laurie and Dr Jonty a photograph of herself with the message...

Dr Jonty said: “It was amazing to see Tyla at the

Air Base that day; running around and playing like a girl of her age should be. From initially assessing her, the extreme seriousness of her situation was very apparent and she had suffered a potentially catastrophic and fatal head injury. She required the most advanced level care that medicine can provide which we were able to initiate.”

To top off what was a really memorable visit for everyone; as Dr Jonty and Laurie made their way to the aircraft to depart on an emergency mission and Tyla waved goodbye to her heroes,

a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky.. a magical moment.

‘You Saved My Smile.’

As a Lottery member you will be entered into our Free Prize Draw!

To celebrate the Flight for Life Lottery reaching its 100,000 membership, our loyal Lottery members will all be entered into a free prize draw with three exciting prizes up for grabs!

1st Prize

A visit to the Shard in London for two and a 3 course meal at The Oblisck restaurant which includes a bottle of wine!

2nd Prize

A family ticket (2 adults & 2 children) at Southend’s Cliffs Pavilion for the opening performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs including chauffeur driven travel, an overnight stay at the Holiday Inn Southend including dinner and breakfast!

3rd Prize

Afternoon tea for two at Hanbury Manor in Ware, Hertfordshire.

The draw will take place on Friday 8th November 2013 but don’t worry you do not need to take any action! Winners will be notified in writing and the winner’s list will be published on the website. For full terms and conditions visit EHAAT.uk.com

Check out some of our recent Superdraw winners... could it be you next?

Carol North from Grays won £5,330 in the Superdraw and has very generously donated the winnings back to another Charity close to her heart. Carol is an active member of the Baptist Church in Grays and organises weekly charitable table top sales in aid of Faith, Hope and Love; a Charity, which in turn supports the local community and raised funds for chosen charities including the Essex Air Ambulance.

Robert Prior from Colchester won £14,012 in the Superdraw and was invited to the Essex Air Ambulance Airbase to be presented with his cheque! Speaking about his win, he said: “I was in

utter shock and disbelief when I received the call to say I had won. We look forward to enjoying a holiday to Spain this month which has been brought forward because of the win. I hope my win encourages other people to join the Lottery and support their local Air Ambulance as it is such a vital service for the community”.

Tony Turner from Berkhamsted won £2,465 in March 2013 and the Lottery team invited him and his lovely family to visit the Herts Air Ambulance Airbase to meet our Doctor, Paramedic and Pilot and see the helicopter up close!

7

5,000 Bikers take part in Essex Air Ambulance Motorcycle Run 5,000 bikers turned out to support the 14th annual Essex Air Ambulance Motorcycle Run and Harwich Family Festival on Sunday 8th September, sponsored by Woodland Group and Cofunds. The event was a runaway success; so far raising in excess of

£35,000 for the county’s life-saving helicopter!

Before they set off on the 60 mile run from Ford Dunton bikers were treated to more entertainment than ever before with explosive performances by ‘Sparky Stunts’ including a special demonstration with the Essex Air Ambulance Air Crew. Plus, Moto X Riding Displays by Southend & District Motorcycle Club.

The atmosphere on Harwich Green was electric and the 7,000 strong crowds were treated to live entertainment throughout the afternoon with guest appearances by local bands Rebels of Rock and Stone the Crows and the return of regular bands Soulved and Squabbler, plus plenty of attractions for bikers and families alike.

Heart Breakfast presenter Martin Day joined VIP’s at the front of the run with the Essex Wings to lead the bikers into Harwich. Martin then took to the stage to announce the winner of the pre-registration Star Prize. Congratulations to Phil Smith from Thorpe le Soken, who is the now the proud owner of £1,500 worth of Ducati Performance Kit courtesy of Parkinson Motorcycles.

Martin also hosted an exclusive Charity Auction live on stage and got the crowds bidding against each other to win goodies signed by MotoGP riders which raised an astounding £800 on the day!

The star of the show was of course the life-saving helicopter with a constant stream of people gathering to see their local Air Ambulance and meet the Air Crew.

The Essex Police Helicopter also made an appearance landing on the beach beside the Air Ambulance giving the public the unique opportunity to view it up close.

Spring Raffle 2013

Thanks to all of you who played the Spring Raffle this year; the total raised for the Charity was over £98,000!

First prize winner of £2,000 Mr Paul Ferriby visited the airbase with his wife Gitte Ferriby from Bicknacre near Chelmsford.

Paul joined the Lottery via a canvasser at his door in October 2011.

“We contribute to the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust as it provides a very fast and professional life-saving assistance to all of us in Essex and Hertfordshire, should we find ourselves unexpectedly in need of urgent medical help.

Furthermore since visiting the airfield and meeting some of the Air Crew and Fundraising Staff it only further endorses the fact that we have made the correct decision to support them.”

Second prize winner of £1,000 Mr George Foord kindly donated £200 of his winnings back to the Charity.

Third prize winner of £500

Mission brief Male patient trauma incident in Buntingford, treated

by HEMS Doctor Clare Park and HEMS Paramedic Dan Firmin – flown to scene by Pilot Garry Brasher.

Mrs M Smith from Stanford le Hope joined the Lottery in May 2004.

Look out for your Christmas Raffle tickets in the post!

Lottery Team Don’t forget you can call Jen, Jenny or Janice in the Flight for Life Lottery team weekdays 9-5pm on 0845 2417 688 or email them at Lotteryadmin@EHAAT.uk.com

9

National Air From the 23rd to the 29th September 2013 the Charity once again looked to the people of Essex and Hertfordshire to show their support for their local Air Ambulance by taking part in Go Red and Go Yellow.

Go Red 2013 Classic Cars Launch!

Twenty eight red cars descended on the Herts Air Ambulance Airbase at North Weald Airfield recently including a Mini, Mustang and a Ferrari to launch Go Red 2013!

GO RED

A big thank you to all the classic car owners for taking time out to drive their cars to North Weald for the photo shoot, North Weald Aviation for allowing the photo shoot to take place outside their hangar, Gill’s Snacks for supplying refreshments, Mr Plant Hire for loaning a boom lift to take the photograph from and to Spike Brown of Blue Feather Photography, a former airlifted patient who kindly offered his time to take photographs for the Charity.

Ambulance Week Go Yellow 2013 Launched at Stansted Airport!

The Essex Air Ambulance fundraising team took to the Terminal building at Stansted Airport and Sabi Blyth Fundraising Coordinator was dressed as a bumble bee and painted from head to toe in yellow body paint to launch Go Yellow 2013! Massive thanks to Cherry Berry Face painting of Leigh-on-Sea for providing the body paint.

Go Red and Go Yellow is such a fun and easy way to support the Charity; the list of fundraising ideas is endless! What could you do to Go Red or Go Yellow in 2014?!

Here are some ideas...

• Red/yellow fancy dress • Hold a red/yellow themed quiz • Red/yellow onesie day at school or work • Paint your nails red or yellow • Wear red/yellow day at school or work • Red/yellow cocktail night • Hold a red or yellow themed fun run Or take a look at previous year’s activities for some inspiration!

GO YELLOW

TUESDAY

STATISTICS

Which hospitals did we land at most frequently top 4 ...

34 £200 33 178 32 271 29 for jan 2012 to dec 2012

Fuel for one hour’s flight

How many under 16’s have we treated

Romford

Broomfield

What is our busiest day of the week

31 How many cardiac arrest’s did we attend

How many equestrian incidents did we attend

Royal London

How many rtc’s did we attend

Basildon

An Extended Service for the People of Essex, Herts and Surrounding Areas

In the near future the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust will be enhancing their operation by the introduction of a dedicated fast response vehicle based at North Weald Airfield for two evenings a week to respond to emergency calls during the hours of darkness. It is a fact that during the hours of darkness, people still suffer major trauma or life threatening medical conditions. The Charity recognise that in order to continue to improve our service to our patients across Essex, Herts and surrounding areas who need our highly trained Doctor/Paramedic HEMS teams, they need to be available to be tasked by the East of England Ambulance Service to those who need it the most.

The Doctor/Paramedic HEMS team will be operational in a rapid response emergency vehicle which carries the same advanced drugs and equipment as the helicopter.

Due to the road network in Essex and Herts, and the times of operation, the teams will be able to rapidly reach locations that data showed the majority of incidents occur in our region. Enabling life-saving treatment to be started at the earliest opportunity; bringing the hospital to the patient.

Specific training will be given to both the Doctor and Paramedic teams to enhance safety whilst driving under blue light conditions. This service is going to be provided at a relatively low cost and will make a real difference to the most seriously injured and ill patients across Essex, Herts and surrounding areas.

Mission brief

Male patient trauma incident in Southend, treated

by HEMS Doctor Ross Davenport and HEMS Paramedic Louise Rosson – flown to scene by Pilot David Kerr-Sheppard

Runners Take Off for Stansted’s First Charity Runway Run! Stansted Airport has kindly made the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust their Charity of the year! During the year, airport staff are taking part in a number of events to raise funds and awareness for the life-saving Charity.

In May a team of pedal-pushers from the airport took part and raised funds at the Essex Air Ambulance Colne Valley Cycle Ride and in September a range of events were planned to celebrate National Air Ambulance week.

Also as part of their fundraising plan they held an EXCLUSIVE ‘Runway Run!’ ....

At 3am on a cold and blustery Monday morning, 70 airport staff and Air Ambulance supporters sprinted, jogged and walked the 6km course for the inaugural fun run along the airport’s 3048 metre long runway.

Stansted Airport Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Marcella M’Rabety, said: “This is the

first time ever the airport has opened up its runway for such a unique event. It allows staff and our business partners the chance to run along one of the busiest runways in the country, all in aid of our wonderful charity partner, the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust.”

Well done everyone!

Corporate Supporters Epson UK Ltd has chosen to support Herts Air Ambulance as their official charity partner for two years. The company has already donated a state of the art projector to the office which the Fundraising Team and Volunteers are already making good use of. In addition, the company came to the rescue with a desperately needed new printer for the Trust’s Flight for Life Lottery Team!

After being approached by one of Herts Air Ambulance’s youngest and most enthusiastic supporters Poppy Young, Stevenage FC showed their support by allowing Bucket Collections at their match Vs Yeovil Town.

Sadly the team lost 2-0 at The Lamex Stadium on this occasion but the lovely Stevenage FC Supporters were very generous, Pilot Pete had a half time outing, and we raised nearly £500!

Paul Wesley and four of his colleagues from NewsPrinters set out on an epic 500 mile charity bike ride taking in each of News International’s manufacturing plants: they cycled from Glasgow, to Liverpool and finally home to Broxbourne.

The cyclists raised nearly £11,000 between them for various charities with Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust due to receive one fifth of this after Paul kindly chose us as his Charity. Pedal power!

Colin Nobes of Terrific Value Office Supplies Hoddesdon has raised £205.16 so far for the Charity through recycling printer cartridges, he donates 10% of the profit from this to us! He’s aiming to raise £5000 for Herts Air Ambulance over the next five years so if you work in an office and would like to help raise money for Herts Air Ambulance through printer cartridge recycling, please call 01992 465267 or email sales@terrific-value.co.uk MotivAction have made the Herts Air Ambulance their Charity of the Year for 2012/2013! Not only have they raised over £600 so far from fundraisers such as the Spartan Race, sales of surplus kit, cake sales and tin collections, they also generously donated their time and resources to us free of charge so we could have some great outdoor fun activity equipment at our events across the year, including: Inflatables at Red Fun Run,Giant Football Tables at the Dunton to Harwich Motorcycle Run and a Bouncy Castle at the Chequers Pub Bike Ride based in Woolmer Green in June 2012.

Also thanks to Woodland Group, Cofunds and Parkinson Motorcycles for sponsoring the Dunton to Harwich Motorcycle Run 2013.

Essex Audi Group for sponsoring the Acrobatics Day in Chelmsford High Street.

Fenton Solicitors for sponsoring the Essex Motorcycle Show 2013.

Maldon Salt Company for sponsoring the Great Essex & Herts Feast 2013.

Hills Toyota who have donated the use of a Toyota Yaris Hybrid car for the fundraising team and were sponsors of the Red Fun Run and Snowflake Ball 2012!

Fairlands Valley Park who are our partners in our annual Red Fun Run!

15

Farmer’s Near Death Experience Inspires Fundraising Challenge “The angle grinder had knocked my face mask off and hit me in the face. I touched my neck and found a gash...”

In May 2009, 26 year old farmer Adam Brown (above far right) was repairing a large cultivator on the remote family farm – Dairy House at Great Holland in North Essex. He was all kitted out with a full-face visor, safety gloves and overalls.

“The angle grinder I was using was new and had all the safety guards in place,” explains Adam.

However, he didn’t expect what happened next.

I was cutting a large piece of steel box with the 9 inch angle grinder and the blade was at full stretch. It was a powerful piece of machinery and I realised the blade had started to bind with the metal. I should probably have stopped then, but seconds later I found myself on the floor.

The angle grinder had knocked my face mask off and hit me in the face. I touched my neck and found a gash”.

Adam’s wound was just millimetres from his juglar vein – in fact the vein was actually visible in the wound. In shock and completely alone, he managed to dial 999 and the Air Ambulance was immediately

dispatched. HEMS Paramedic Laurie Phillipson picks up the story.“When we arrived, Adam was lying on

the floor with a major neck wound. We assessed it to see if there was any underlying damage; if any major blood vessels had been involved. We applied pressure to the wound and Adam was immediately airlifted to Queens Hospital in Romford. Queens have specialist vascular surgeons, so when blood vessels need sewing up, they have experts on hand.”

Surgeons operated to remove the small shards of sharp metal before gluing the blood vessels back together. After fully recovering from his horrific ordeal, Adam and 6 of his friends are now fundraising to pay for his ‘ticket’ on the Air Ambulance! “Now I’m fit

and healthy again, it’s the least I can do.”

In June 2013 they completed the 3 Peaks Challenge in just under 23 hours! The 3-peaks team consisted of Adam, Ben Parker, Michael Welham, Matt Swain, Tom Bradshaw and Simon Garner. They initially set themselves a huge fundraising target of £10,000, and so far the team have raised an enormous £13,100!

On 16th June, the team travelled to Ben Nevis in Scotland, starting their climb at 6pm, then to Scarfel Pike to begin climbing in the dark at 2am reaching the summit for an amazing sunrise over the Lake District. Finally it was onto Snowdon, to climb and descend the mountain within 24 hours!

All the team survived and managed to complete the challenge in just under 23 hours!

“Physically it was more demanding than I had expected, not helped by the fact we had hoped to sleep more whilst on the road; crashing over cattle grids and repeated emergency stops for sleeping sheep in the road whilst tearing through the Lake District at 2am did not prove conducive to getting any sleep!”

The team set up a just-giving page and have been amazed by the generosity of everyone that has given, particularly from many local Farmers and businesses including Silverton Aggregates and Parkers Nurseries.

“They told me at the hospital I was lucky to see my next birthday – so I can’t thank the Air Ambulance Air Crew and the Doctors at Queens enough.”

If you would like to support the 3 Peaks Team and make a donation, please log onto the just-giving page at: http://www.justgiving.com/farmers3peaks

A Successful First Herts Motorcycle Run! Over 80 bikers turned out on a hot and sunny Saturday to take part in the first Herts Air Ambulance Motorcycle Run. The event turned out to be a great success for its first year; raising over £900 for the county’s life-saving helicopter!

Bikers set off from the Old Albanians Training Ground and rode a 55 mile circular route led by a group of advanced motorcyclists. Upon returning to the Ground bikers then had the opportunity of browsing a number of stands from local dealers including Palmers Motorcycles, Bike Stop, Herts & Beds Advanced Motorcyclists and Herts Superbike Centre who displayed their very own Guinness World Record holding motorcycle; the Whitelock Tinker Toy which holds a 48 cylinder engine!

As well as refreshments and inflatable fun for the children, the Herts Air Ambulance also made a special flyover at the event. Thanks to everyone who joined us.

17

Meet The Team

Head of Fundraising Helena Morgan tells us about her role at the Charity...

Describe a typical day at the Air Ambulance Fundraising Office...

Well, to be honest there are no typical days in the Fundraising Office, but taking yesterday as an example I had a meeting at 9am with Stansted Airport who have chosen us as their Charity of the Year, I then headed back to the office for a quick catch up on emails before giving one of our Hertfordshire fundraisers Andy Nation a call to go through all the final details for his 147 mile Charity Swim. I finished the day reviewing the plans the fundraising teams Mission brief have put together for our National Air Ambulance Week campaign, before heading off to our Visitor Centre at the Earls Colne Airbase to give a group of our Female patient Volunteers some training on giving presentations to the public. All in all, a busy trauma incident day as usual!

Where do you live?

I live on a boat in Tollesbury, a small village on the river Blackwater in Essex.

How do you relax?

in Braintree, treated

by HEMS Doctor Rik Thomas and HEMS Paramedic Erica Ley – flown to scene by Pilot Nicky Smith.

If I am feeling energetic, then a run along the sea wall in Tollesbury always relaxes me with beautiful views and not a person in sight, I find it really calming. Or if I am feeling less energetic then I love curling up with a good book. I also love going out for a sail on our boat with friends and family, especially when the sun is shining!

What does it mean to you to work for the Air Ambulance?

I feel so lucky to be a part of such an amazing Charity! Working with such a hardworking and dedicated team is truly inspiring and when you get the chance to meet some of the patients we have helped it makes it all so worthwhile. This is hands down the best job I have ever had… don’t get me wrong it is really hard work making sure we raise the money each month, but it is also so rewarding!

Essex Volunteer News Phenomenal Success for Mersea Air Ambulance Shop!

There was cause for celebration in Mersea recently as the Essex Air Ambulance Charity Shop on the Island raised a record-breaking £61,448.30 in the last financial year! That’s an increase of £7,500 on the previous year and to date the shop has raised a staggering £431,097 for the county’s life-saving Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) since it opened in June 2003. The Shop celebrated the success with a two day half-price sale in April where the first three customers each day were given a celebration box of chocolates.

The Charity Shop on Mersea Island is an integral part of the local community and Val Pryor, Charity Shop Coordinator and her dedicated team of 32 Volunteers should feel extremely proud of this achievement. Val said: “We would all like to thank our loyal customers

for helping to raise over £60,000 for your Air Ambulance in the last year. I think it’s brilliant to have raised this amount in a community of this size, especially as we are one of two Charity Shops

on the Island. We have a great team of Volunteers who work extremely well together and we are lucky to have such loyal customers, some of whom visit us every day dropping off donations, shopping or just popping in to chat. One of our regular customers David Fahie sadly died at the beginning of May; he had bought hundreds of books over the years and will be greatly missed by all the ladies at the shop”.

The shop is based on Barfield Road, West Mersea and the opening hours are 9am - 4pm Monday – Saturday, closed Bank Holidays. If you have some time to spare and would like to join our enthusiastic team of Volunteers, we would love to hear from you.

Call 0845 2417 690 or visit our website to request an application form now!

Herts Volunteer News The Herts team and Volunteers have attended over 110 events up to July this year, with a further 33 events to cover until December.

The Fundraising team has had a real surge in recruiting new Volunteers with a total of 10 being inducted over the last 3 months and another 4 awaiting induction! Despite this, with the ever increasing number of events to attend, the team are still looking for Volunteers from the following areas:

• St Albans • Watford • Berkhamsted • Borehamwood

• Rickmansworth • Tring • Hemel Hempstead

If anyone would like to apply to become a Volunteer please contact the Herts Air Ambulance Fundraising Office on

0845 504 0055

Herts Charity Shop... coming soon!

We currently only have one Charity shop in Essex that we own and is staffed by our own volunteers. Our plan is to develop the retail division of the Charity and in the New Year we will be opening our very first shop in Hertfordshire... watch this space!

Tiptree Strawberry Race raises £2,000 for Essex Air Ambulance!

Friend of the Charity actor Graham Cole joined the Air Ambulance team at the Tiptree Strawberry Race in July. Over 100 participants had 60 minutes to pick as many strawberries as possible and £2,000 was raised for the Charity!

Birketts 150th Celebration!

As part of Birketts 150th celebrations the staff are aiming to raise £150,000 for charities across East Anglia! Birketts’ Chelmsford office is raising funds for the Essex Air Ambulance and The Sick Children’s Trust after both charities assisted the daughter of a member of staff, Maisie Moon, following a road accident. One of the firms’ fundraising projects was to create a recipe book, containing recipes donated from staff, friends, family and celebrity chefs including Boathouse Restaurant, Milsom Hotels Limited, Mary Berry, Valentine Warner and more. The book is entitled ‘Maisie Moon’s Cook Book’, after Maisie, who also graces the cover.

If you would like to buy a copy of the recipe book at a cost of £3 (plus p & p) please contact Susan Young at susan-young@birketts.co.uk.

20

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust Host the 4th Aeromedical Conference On Wednesday 19th June 2013, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT) hosted the 4th Aeromedical Conference at Ford Dunton, near Basildon in Essex, the largest automotive technical centre in the UK, which houses the main design team of Ford of Europe. The aim of this free conference was to give like-minded professionals the opportunity to meet and examine topical key aeromedical matters. Chaired by Dr Gareth Davies, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Pre-Hospital Care, London’s Air Ambulance/EHAAT; this year’s conference saw a range of speakers present around the themes of... ‘Are we ready for the next Terror Attack?’ and ‘Clinical Innovation’.

Speakers from across the UK and Europe included Andy Hayman, Former Assistant Commissioner of Metropolitan Police, Specialist Operations - Responsible for Counter Terrorism, Vij Randeniya, President of the Chief Fire Officers Association, West Midlands Fire Service, Major Claire Park MBE RAMC, UK Military Medical Emergency Response Team and Mark Harvey, Flight Paramedic, Falck Air Ambulance, Denmark.

Dr Gareth Davies Consultant in Emergency Medicine & Pre-Hospital Care, London’s Air Ambulance/Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust, said: “Building on the

success of last year’s Conference, it was a privilege to Chair this national event in pre-hospital care.

It is encouraging to see many of the air ambulances and emergency services coming together to share experiences in the management of major incidents in the UK and create a forum for honest, open discussion where we can all learn from each other

and strive towards greater patient care. With World Class speakers and clinicians on hand to impart knowledge and experience the conference has been a great success.”

Jane Gurney, CEO, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust, adds: “Now in its fourth year, this successful

conference has become a key event in the Air Ambulance calendar. I am extremely proud to bring together the Air Ambulance community from all over the UK for this national event in pre-hospital care.

The conference allows us to share ideas, common practices and strategies but more importantly capture key learning points. There is some truly amazing work going on every day by Air Ambulance Teams; the conference has given us an insight into many new and exciting clinical innovations along with an opportunity to focus on preparing integrated terror attack plans to work more effectively with the other emergency services”.

Thanks to all our sponsors including our main sponsors MAS (Medical Aviation Services)

Meet HEMS Doctor Jeff Hooper Q. Where do you live?

I currently live in Clapham, London so I commute to Essex and Herts daily. We are close to the Common which is nice to have some open space like home (Australia)

Q. What is your role at the Charity?

I am one of the HEMS Doctors that that fly with both the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance.

I work together with the HEMS Paramedic and Pilot as a team to treat patients in the pre-hospital arena.

Q. When did you decide you wanted to work on an Air Ambulance and why?

I have always had an interest in emergency medicine since I was a junior doctor- it always seemed the most interesting and varied of all the medical specialties. Air Ambulance work seems a natural extension of the skills that you use in emergency medicine - just under more challenging conditions.

Q. What has been your proudest moment in your career so far?

I don’t think there is a single proudest moment but certainly ringing up hospitals and finding out your Air Ambulance patients have made a good recovery and are able to go home gives me a great sense of satisfaction.

Q. How do you relax?

I enjoy travelling and have been lucky enough to get around a lot of the UK and Europe this year. I have three young children so I am not sure “relax” is the right word but I love spending time with them. I also play football and run as much as possible.

Q. Summarise in a quote what it means to you to work with the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust.

It feels great to be part of a professional, highly skilled team that provides urgent medical care to the people of Essex, Herts and surrounding areas.

22

Mission brief Male patient medical emergency in Harlow, treated

by HEMS Doctor Jeff Hooper and HEMS Paramedic Laurie Phillipson – flown to scene by Pilot David Kerr-Sheppard.

Thoracostomy HEMS Dr Jeff Hooper discusses Thoracostomy – a procedure which our HEMS Doctor and Paramedic team can perform at the roadside...

What is a Thoracostomy?

Patients who sustain a traumatic injury to their chest (eg in a motor vehicle accident when the chest impacts the steering wheel) may develop a condition called a pneumothorax. This is where trauma causes a small puncture to the lung and air begins to accumulate between the chest wall and the lung itself. The problem is that a pneumothorax may develop into a tension pneumothorx where the air is not released causing the lung to be compressed forcing against the heart and major blood vessels causing rapid death.

A thoracostomy is a surgical procedure that involves making an incision in the side of the chest wall. This forms an opening to allow the air compressing the lung to escape. Patients who undergo this procedure are sedated first (if they are seriously injured they may need to be given a RSI – a rapid sequence induction where they are put to sleep) then intubated – the placement of a flexible plastic tube into the trachea (windpipe) to maintain an open airway.

The Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust Doctors and Paramedics are specially trained to identify and treat this condition.

Why is this important?

The Charity attends many patients with significant chest injuries.

These patients are often distant from hospital care; therefore performing a Thoracostomy can immediately treat a tension pneumothorax at the roadside.

With this type of condition time is critical so getting the HEMS team to the patient quickly is vital. The helicopters can rapidly get to the scene and transport these patients to a major trauma centre for ongoing care.

Martin shares his story On a beautiful clear day in early November I was out on my motorbike in what was probably going to be my last ride before the winter set in. I was with a friend from work and we decided to ride down to Bradwellon-Sea. This is not an area I know so I followed Colin who is a lot more familiar with the roads. Little did I know that this normal day was going to turn into a life-changing event.

As I was riding along Maldon Road near Tillingham, my bike suddenly lost grip possibly due to gravel/ oil or some other debris. This caused me to lose control and I collided with a nearby telegraph pole. Upon impact I parted company with my bike and we both proceeded down the road. It was estimated that I hit the pole at about 40 mph. Interestingly (and luckily) the pole must have been very close to the point where I lost control as to this day I have no recollection of that part of the accident as it happened so very quickly.

Photo on left – Martin’s femur before his operation showing his fracture

Photo on right – After his operation the rod can clearly be seen

When I came to a stop my initial thought was to see if I could move. I remember working top to bottom and had free movement of my head and neck without any pain. I was pretty much on my side and could move my fingers but had a lot of pain in my right shoulder area.

The only other recollection I had was my left leg felt very uncomfortable as if propped in the air which was a very strange sensation.

By the time Colin got back to me, some other cars had arrived on the scene and the emergency services had been called. The Police were the first to arrive, followed by the Fire Service. I am not sure at what point the Air Ambulance was called as the area is very remote and time was pressing but on arrival they took over my well being and I was checked over as best as possible in the circumstances. I was administered

a drug called Ketamine as my left leg needed to be straightened and put in a brace before I could be moved. One of the few recollections I have is a member of the Air Crew apologising as he had to cut off my leathers to check me over. Another was the immense pain as my motorbike boot was being removed... not pleasant!

Once I was more stable and my leg braced I was immediately taken by helicopter to Colchester General Hospital. It could have taken up to an hour to get there by land ambulance as it was nearly 40 miles away but the helicopter took just minutes.

Later I would find out my injuries included; in my chest area multiple rib fractures and fractures to my collar bone, injuries to the lower part of my spine, including an anterior wedge fracture and a spiral fracture to the femur (thigh bone). Following surgery to my femur which included a blood transfusion and inserting a rod through the length of my thigh bone I spent 13 days recovering in Colchester General hospital.

It has been a long road to recovery, and I have responded well to the physiotherapy to the point that I am now walking unaided - although it looks a little ungraceful. Looking back this is more than I could ever have hoped for!

Unquestionably on that day the Air Crew of the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance were certainly my guardian angels, and every day without you knowing or asking for it, they are yours also.

Martin Dingli

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED FOR TEDDY SPACE LAUNCH After almost a whole year of research, design, build and preparation MONTY-1 capsule along with Monty the Catstronaut and Pilot Pete left solid ground at Cambridge University and headed for the stars. Matt Downs, engineer at Stealth Electronic Security and technology enthusiast, set himself a mission of launching 2 teddy bears rigged up to a 1.6kg latex balloon, parachute, and 30 metres of cord up into the stratosphere all to raise money for Essex Air Ambulance and

Chelmsford Cats

Protection. On

Sunday 21st July

that dream

became a reality.

The balloon reached an incredible 105,000 feet before it burst, that’s 105 times higher than the Air Ambulance flies! After the balloon burst MONTY-1 parachuted back down to Earth at a speed of about 7 metres per second and eventually landed in a residential street in Bourne, Lincolnshire. Matt Downs recalls:

“The mission had been a success. The balloon burst approximately 5km short of what was predicted, which was a little disappointing, but a great achievement nevertheless. The entire flight lasted 2 hours 43 minutes, and travelled from Cambridge to Lincolnshire. Despite Pilot Pete and Catstronaut Monty having endured temperatures as low as -60 degrees and uncomfortable pressure levels, they are both in good health and will soon be reunited with their respective charities.”

There is still time to sponsor Pilot Pete with donations going direct to Essex Air Ambulance, simply visit www.justgiving.com/pilotpeteinspace.

25

Herts Air Ambulance... the journey so far...

The Herts Air Ambulance Appeal was established and began fundraising in April 2007

The Herts Air Ambulance was launched on 5th November 2008 from Fairlands Valley Park, Stevenage

The 5-day, daylight hour service began in November 2008.

The Charity Fundraising Office moved from North Weald Airfield to new premises in Buntingford on Thursday 2nd February 2012.

On 12th April 2012 Herts Air Ambulance flew its 1,000th mission attending to a patient in cardiac arrest.

The Herts Air Ambulance continues to provide a free life-saving Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for the critically ill and injured of Hertfordshire, Essex and surrounding areas

26

Join us to celebrate 5 years of Herts Air Ambulance!

Strictly 5 Years!

Special Guest Ray Winstone!

Friday 25th October 2013 At the prestigious Haileybury College, Hertford • 2 Course Dinner • Strictly showcase performance from Ben Milan-Vega and Kerry Dennehy • Disco • Charity Raffle & Auction

7:30pm - Carriages at Midnight, Tickets £45 pp To book your ticket call 0845 2417 690 now!

Herts 5th Birthday Fireworks Celebration!

Tuesday 5th November 2013 Fairlands Valley Park, Stevenage Gates open 6pm Fireworks start 7.30pm Helicopter on site for duration of the evening – come and see your life-saving helicopter and meet the Air Crew FREE entry!

Strictly Air Ambulance Dance Weekend with Warner Leisure Hotels

G Starring Camilla Dallerup!G

The ever popular Strictly Air Ambulance event is hitting the road and for the first time Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust is teaming up with Warner Leisure Hotels to put on a spectacular Strictly Air Ambulance Dance weekend at Gunton Hall in Suffolk from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd December 2013! If you love to dance, or are a Strictly fan and have also wanted to have a go at Latin or Ballroom then don’t miss this fabulous weekend of dance, entertainment, delicious food, comfortable accommodation and a great time!

Guests will enjoy a fun packed weekend with live entertainment hosted by Su Harrison from Heart Breakfast; starring celebrity pro-dancer Camilla Dallerup and our Strictly Air Ambulance dance professionals. There will also be a chance to ask your questions in an Audience with Camilla! If that’s not enough, guests will also have the chance to polish their dance steps with the professionals at the Strictly Dance Workshops. Just look at what’s included on this fabulous break: • Standard chalet-style accommodation. Premier chalets are available at a cost of £119.

(Limited amount of single chalets available).

• Delicious breakfasts and 3-course evening meals • Join our professional dancers for Strictly Air Ambulance workshops • Full evening entertainment programme starring celebrity pro-dancer Camilla Dallerup • Dazzling team performances • Rifle shooting • Putting, pitch and putt, table tennis, snooker & pool • Indoor heated swimming pool with sauna and whirlpool • Indoor bowls hall • Salon spa where you can treat yourself to a massage, pedicure, manicure and more • Quizzes and competitions • Do you Warner Dance? & Warner Pop Choir • Fun dance & singing workshops • Fundraising activities to keep YOUR Air Ambulance flying • Plus lots more!

Prices start at £109 with upgrades available and for every booking made, a donation of £30 per person is made to the Charity.

For more information or to make a booking call Gunton Hall direct on 01502 730288 Quote: EAMB

Get involved online!

Get to know the team behind the scenes at your life-saving Charity Like us on Facebook - www.facebook.com/HertsAirAmbulance

www.facebook.com/EssexsAirAmbulance Follow us on Twitter @EssexAirAmb @Hertsairamb Watch our videos on YouTube channel – EssexHertsAirAmb755 Check out our Pinterest Boards – ukairambulance Caption competitions, guess the location, amazing on board photos, fundraising staff and Air Crew fun, post your photos of the helicopters, videos, competitions and more!

Community Fundraisers!

The Epping Archers Club celebrated their 40th anniversary with a Family Fun Day at North Weald Airfield and raised a total of £571.02 for Herts Air Ambulance, through entry fees and sponsored morning competitions.

Buntsfest on 22nd June at The Bury in Buntingford was a huge success and the crowds enjoyed seeing the Air Ambulance fly over as bands and musicians like Missing Cat, Vanquish, Mice with Glasses, Tommy Justice and Joe Scarrott rocked out on stage. The event raised money for Millfield School, local Guiding groups and Herts Air Ambulance. £1000 raised for our life-saving charity: not bad for the inaugural year: roll on 2014!

Hundreds of music fans turned up to support their local bands, performers and entertainers at the second ‘Rock in the Wood’ live music event in Bricket Wood, all in aid of the Herts Air Ambulance and Centre 33.

Philippa Shelton, Kailey Bawden, Maria Donovan and staff and colleagues of The Lion Inn at Boreham organised a fun day on 28th May. Although the rain came down, they still managed to raise a fantastic £2,574.74.

A Slimming World group in Hitchin managed to raise a wonderful £273.04 for Herts Air Ambulance in April, when they started a sponsored six-week ‘Slim for Good’ challenge. One group member Jackie Maddox raised £160 of the money alone – well done and thank you.

On Sunday 8th September, The Rotary Club of Thorpe Bay held their 14th annual bike ride on the beautiful island of Foulness which is not normally accessible without a pass. The money is still being counted, however they are hoping to reach their target of £10,000.

Happily the sun shined for us at the Herts County Show on 25th & 26th May. A big thank you to Ronan Barton who had built the Herts Air Ambulance Flight Simulator Computer Game that lots of children had a go on. There was hula-hooping, milk-the-cow and photos with the helicopter. The team raised just short of £2,400 and managed to bag Best Main Trade Stand and a trophy.

On 21st July, Dengie Events hosted the Maldon Triathlon which raised over £700 for Essex Air Ambulance with sponsorship still coming in from participants.

Philip Summerfield & Jonathan Porter, along with their motorbikes, took on an epic Air Ambulance Charity Tour starting from East Midlands Airport (EMA), with the tour taking them anti-clockwise around England, Scotland and Wales, to visit 20 charities across 30 bases, 2 hospital helipads, 1 hospital pad under construction (including 2 current landing sites) and 3 Scottish NHS bases (working in conjunction with SCAA). They finished back at EMA, completing a full circuit of Great Britain in just over 3,400 miles over 14 continuous days.

Val Jones, one of our own Volunteers, raised an amazing £4,750 from her open garden event on 14th July.

If you are interested in holding a community event in aid of the Charity then call 0845 2417 690 or visit EHAAT.uk.com now!

How can you help?

Please help by ticking any of the boxes which interest you and complete your contact details.

Then simply return the form to: Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust, The Business Centre, Earls Colne Business Park, Earls Colne, Colchester, Essex CO6 2NS. Or email the area(s) which interests you with your contact details to: ContactUs@EHAAT.uk.com Or telephone 0845 2417 690 For more information about donating online, please visit us at EHAAT.uk.com. Thank you for your support.

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