North West Ambulance Service Charity Newsletter - Spring 24

Issue 1

Spring 2024

CHARITY NEWSLETTER

EVENTS CALENDAR PAGE 10

Inside this issue...

WELCOME AND ABOUT US THANK YOU SUPPORTERS! OUR PROJECTS OUR EVENTS WORKING WITH NHS CHARITIES TOGETHER

LIFESAVING SUPPORT PAGE 4

North West Ambulance Charity NWAS Headquarters, Ladybridge Hall, 399 Chorley New Road , Bolton, BL1 5DD.

Registered Charity Number: 1122470

Charity.Office@nwas.nhs.uk

nwas.nhs.uk/charity

WELCOME

Welcome!

Welcome to the first edition of our Charity Newsletter!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of your for all of your support in 2023. From taking part in marathons to climbing mountains, to bake sales to Outrunning an Ambulance and to dedicating a winter star... however you have sent in your support it’s been incredible and we cannot wait to see what you have in store for us in 2024.

In this bumper edition, you’ll read about some of the projects we have been able to fund and you’ll meet some inspiring supporters who we’ve had the pleasure of working with, and learn how their determination and support is now helping local communities, our staff and volunteers through the funds they have raised.

Without you, none of our important work can happen so thank you for everything you do. You are amazing!

The Charity Team North West Ambulance Charity

About our charity The aim of our charity is to fund projects, medical training, equipment and initiatives to improve the overall wellbeing of staff and volunteers of North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and help them to save lives.

We prioritise our support in two key areas:

Supporting the health and wellbeing of our staff, volunteers and patients of NWAS. Saving lives in the communities that we serve.

Everything we do is over and above what NHS budgets can reach.

You can find more about what we do by visiting our website www.nwas.nhs.uk/charity

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Thank you for enabling us to continue to do all of this and more by supporting our charity!

Thank you!

Three Peak Heroes Our dedicated group of trekkers including John, Debbie, Nicola and Penny pictured above, who took on the Yorkshire Three peaks in September, did an incredible job raising over £1000 combined! Well done to all our participants for their The first of the group to complete the event, Terry Daley pictured above. amazing efforts.

Great North Run success!

Eden Valley Young Farmers

Ahmed’s Half Marathon!

Back in September our group of runners took on the world-famous Great North Run and collectively raised over £8,000 in sponsorship for our charity! Thank you to everyone who took part and made a difference.

Runner and Community First Responder John Clucas pictured above.

Supporter Ahmed Yaseen raised a fantastic fundraising total of £500 after completing the Manchester Half Marathon in October 2023. It's such an amazing achievement. Ahmed is pictured here with his medal after completing the event. Congratulations and thank you Ahmed for your support.

The group, based in Appleby, Cumbria spent 2023 raising funds for NWAS Charity by holding fundraising activities and events to the total of £333.33!

Thank you to Eden Valley Young Farmers for your kind support.

Members of the group presenting the cheque to NWAS Charity.

Photo shows Ahmed proudly with his medal after the event.

McMenon Engineering Charity of the Year Staff at McMenon Engineering Services in Workington, Cumbria, chose the NWAS Charity in 2023 as their ‘Charity of the Year’ after the life of Peter Gresty, QHSE & Facilities Manager at McMenon was saved after he suffered a cardiac arrest. His daughter, a trainee nurse, and the paramedics who attended the scene saved Peter’s life. Peter said: “I have made a full recovery and was signed off cardiac care in December 2022.

“Needless to say I don’t have the words to thank the ambulance staff that attended that day.”

Peter’s family were told to expect the worst but he defied the odds.

McMenon Engineering Services raised an incredible total of £1,200. We are delighted to hear Peter is doing well and thank you to everyone at McMenon for your support.

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Photo shows Peter presenting the cheque to NWAS Charity and Emergency Medical Technician Kerry Henderson from Distington ambulance station.

If you would like to be featured in a future edition of our newsletter, please get in touch at Charity.Office@nwas.nhs.uk

Supporting your local community With your support, the NWAS Charity can continue to fund vital lifesaving defibrillators for our communities, along with other initiatives such as school education programmes, additional equipment and providing clinical training aids.

Our work often involves supporting community groups to provide Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and Community/Public Access Defibrillators (CPADs) in areas which need them. We work very closely with the NWAS Community Resuscitation team which oversees the installation of this life-saving equipment. These projects are often provided by members of the public or community groups, who raise funds through NWAS Charity, specifically for CPADs where there is no existing coverage.

Sue Jones’ lifesaving campaign We would like to say a huge thank you to Sue Jones of Tyldesley in Greater Manchester for her absolutely incredible campaign to support public-access defibrillators via the North West Ambulance Charity.

Sue tragically lost her husband Terry (known to many of his friends as “Tiger”) who passed away suddenly in 2022 doing what he loved the most – playing golf. Sue and her friends and family pledged to raise funds in his memory to provide a defibrillator at a local golf course, with an initial target of £1,000.

It soon became apparent that much more would be raised, and eventually over £4,500 was raised to purchase cabinets and defibrillators to be installed at golf clubs in North West. With the addition of Gift Aid and a top up from the charity, we have been able to install four units, which are now all up and running and ready to save the lives of golfers, visitors and passers-by alike, should the need arise. Each cabinet carries a personalised dedication to Terry’s memory, and Sue and her supporters can rightly feel extremely proud of this longlasting legacy.

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The photo above shows Sue proudly unveiling the public access defibrillator at Davyhulme Park Golf Club. Picture credit – Belinda Hastie.

“We all miss Terry very much indeed, but it certainly helps us to deal with his loss, knowing that the funds raised in his memory have been able to provide publicaccess defibrillators at four golf clubs, where there was previously no coverage. The incredible amount raised shows what a much loved person Terry was, and I know how proud he would be, of this lifesaving campaign”.

Fast access to a defibrillator is essential for survival from a cardiac arrest, and NWAS Charity is keen to work with individuals, local groups and businesses who are interested in raising funds to install public-access defibrillators in their community. Please get in touch at Charity.Office@nwas.nhs.uk to see how we can help.

Projects

Supporting health and wellbeing Gym equipment for staff and volunteers In 2023, we were delighted to be able to fund gym equipment at our new Blackpool Ambulance Station Hub to support the health and wellbeing of our colleagues.

Operations Manager, Pete Sutcliffe (pictured above) said: “The gym has been really beneficial for all staff. Those that are regular gym goers can use it before or after shift for a quick workout to complement their regular routine. For those that don’t use a gym it is a great introduction for them to get into fitness without the fear of a large gym. Some staff have started small gym group sessions where they attend together for that extra bit of motivation.”

Enhancing outside space for colleagues Another area of support which we provide is that of additional indoor and outdoor furniture, and other muchneeded enhancements to our ambulance stations and other NWAS sites across the North West, providing better relaxation facilities before and after shifts, during breaks etc, or for debriefing after particularly stressful calls. The photograph on the left shows NWAS colleagues enjoying the sunshine at their new picnic table (made of recycled plastics) in the outside space at Penrith Ambulance station.

If you are an NWAS employee and feel there is need in your department or site for additional enhancements please contact the team at Charity.Office@nwas.nhs.uk 5

Supporting staff

Hardship Fund Soon after the pandemic, the UK experienced a period of high inflation which became a genuine “Cost of Living Crisis” for many, including some NWAS staff, who struggled to make ends meet through no fault of their own.

In August 2022 NWAS Charity launched the hardship fund, as a temporary measure to deal with the worst of the crisis, and since then we have dealt with over 650 applications, and issued grants totalling around £150,000.

Read how the hardship fund has helped two NWAS colleagues below

“ It was a quick turnaround and the grant helped relieve worries and concerns for that period which in turn had a positive impact on my mental health.

Thank you to NWAS Charity for providing this support and for helping me through a difficult time.”

– Anonymous

These have helped colleagues dealing with a range of issues including increased rent or mortgage payments, sudden unexpected items of essential expenditure, increased utility bills and many other situations.

Additionally, we have contact details for a wide range of charities and agencies, including The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC) who can offer detailed one-to-one advice on budget-management, in-work benefits etc.

“Receiving this grant through the hardship fund really helped to ease the pressure and gave me a boost. One thing which takes its toll on your mental health when you are struggling financially is always having to depend on others and generosity of places like food banks. With this grant I was able to by myself toiletries like shampoo and healthy foods which helped to get me out of a dark place and feel like myself again” - Anonymous

Changes to the fund from April 2024 After around 20 months of continuous financial support, the Fund will be wound down as we head into the Spring, with our focus shifting to look at other ways that we can provide funding for additional health and wellbeing support for all of our staff and volunteers. We would like to thank all supervisors and managers who have helped team members by supporting their applications.

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Working with Supporting NWAS through NHS Charities Together The NWAS Charity is a proud member of NHS Charities Together, the membership organisation for NHS charities across the UK. They work with their membership network to help the NHS go above and beyond what would otherwise be possible.

Although NHS Charities Together is an independent charity in its own right, it became the focal point for fundraising during the pandemic, raising an incredible £160m nationally. We have benefitted from grants of almost £1m since then, which has been used to support our staff and volunteers through the pandemic and its long-term effects, and save lives in our communities.

Looking forward NHS Charities Together are planning a particular focus on “Community Resilience” this year, and we anticipate working closely with them to improve cardiac arrest survival rates in the North West, through the provision of additional public-access defibrillators in our communities, enhanced training for our brilliant network of volunteer Community First Responders and raise further awareness of CPR and basic life-saving skills.

Current NHS Charities Together funded initiatives include: Funding for five Community Resuscitation Engagement Officers for two years.

The funding of several Health and Wellbeing Festivals for staff across the region along with associated activities and therapies for colleagues to subscribe to, and benefit from.

Support for volunteer-delivered welfare support for ambulance crews experiencing lengthy waiting times at emergency departments at times of high demand.

An ongoing programme of enhancements to NWAS sites, specifically to support the health & wellbeing of staff and volunteers.

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Our Events!

What’s in store for 2024?

National Superhero Day

28th April

Will you unleash your inner superhero on National Superhero Day by signing up and getting involved to support your local ambulance charity?

We want YOU to be our SUPERHERO! Could your school or youth group, your friends, family or workplace take part in National Superhero Day 2024?

Here are some ways to get involved - hold a super sponsored stroll, sprint, skip, bake sale, fancy dress (everyone brings in £1) quiz, super cycle - the list is endless!

You can hold your superhero event anytime between Friday 26th and Sunday 28th April. The Charity Team will support you with helpful resources too!

Email the Charity Team to register your interest at Charity.Office@nwas.nhs.uk or for more information visit www.nwas.nhs.uk/charity

Yorkshire Three Peaks We’d love you to join us on the hills of North Yorkshire, to tackle the peaks of Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough and conquer the Yorkshire Three Peaks in 2024!

15th June

You will receive full support from our Charity Team who will provide you with an information pack full of useful tips and hints in preparing for the event and for the day itself, along with details of how to set up your personalised online fundraising page to help maximise your sponsorship.

Every participant will receive a charity t-shirt and on completion of the event you'll be presented with a medal and a certificate. We will be working in partnership with event company Overlimits for this event.

Registration fee: £25 Minimum suggested sponsorship amount is £100, but the registration fee will be refunded on request for any individual walker raising over £275 in sponsorship. To book, visit https://www.trybooking.com/uk/CZIV or scan the QR code above.

Outrun an Ambulance

Anytime

Can you go the extra mile and 'outrun' the mileage covered by an ambulance on an average shift responding to emergencies?

This virtual event is designed to suit all people and abilities. You can walk, run, cycle, swim, scoot, paddle or ride anything that is self propelled. Do it on your own, with friends or as part of a team. Set your own time frame for your challenge but aim to complete it within 3 months. Choose the method, mileage and timeframe to suit you or your team.

We encourage all participants to set a challenge of raising £100 and if you hit your target, you’ll receive a certificate and a medal.

Read more by visiting https://justgiving.com/campaign/oaanwas

Cross Bay Walk

11th Aug

Introducing a new event for our charity, the Cross Bay Walk!

Great North Run

8th Sept

Join us on this spectacular walk across the stunning sands of Morecambe Bay this summer.

We’re offering you the opportunity to take in the beautiful scenery of Morecambe Bay in a guided walk led by Michael Wilson, the King’s Guide to the Sands.

You’ll leave Arnside at around 9:45am and begin your walk across the bay to Grange over Sands on a safe 7-8 mile route which can typically take between 3-4 hours to complete.

Dogs are welcome too for a fee of £5 payable on the day. If you would like to register your interest for this event, please email Charity.Office@nwas.nhs.uk.

Registration Fee: £15.00 Adult £7.50 Child (11-16 yrs) We encourage all participants to raise sponsorship for this event to help boost our fundraising.

Lace up your trainers and be part of the biggest half marathon in the world!

You could have the running experience of a lifetime all by signing up for one of our limited Great North Run places this year. We’ll support you every step of the way as you do something truly amazing for your local ambulance charity. Well known for its incredible atmosphere, and iconic landmarks, there is no event like it. So what are you waiting for? Come and experience the Great North Run 2024 and raise funds for the North West Ambulance Service Charity for a run guaranteed like no other, helping us in our mission to save more lives.

Registration fee: £30 Minimum sponsorship amount: £250 All participants will receive a charity t-shirt or running vest, training and on the day support within the charity village and a certificate on completion to accompany your medal. Email us at Charity.Office@nwas.nhs.uk to secure your place.

Visit www.nwas.nhs.uk/charity for more information on all of our events.

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EVENT CALENDAR spring/summer 2024 NATIONAL SUPERHERO DAY

JUNE 15TH

YORKSHIRE THREE PEAKS

JULY 5TH

NHS BIG TEA

A N EV YT EN IM T E

APRIL 28TH

OUTRUN AN AMBULANCE

AUG 11TH

CROSS BAY WALK

SEPT 8TH

GREAT NORTH RUN

For more information on all of our events, please visit www.nwas.nhs.uk/charity or scan here Charity.Office@nwas.nhs.uk

Do your own fundraising!

Do you have your own idea for a fundraiser which could support our charity?

There are countless ways you can support us through your own unique event. We’ll support you and provide you with fundraising guidance and useful resources for your event with things like t-shirts, collection tins and sponsor forms.

If you want to do something but need some inspiration, don’t fear, just get in touch to request your free fundraising pack which is packed full of ideas to help you get started.

Fundraise your way today and help us to save lives across the North West!

Blackburn Running Club pictured above who organised a Bake Sale back in August 2023, in support of member John Clucas’ fundraising.

Make a donation, make a difference.

How your donations help... £10 provides hot drinks and snacks to crews experiencing long queues at hospital emergency departments over winter. £20 enables NWAS Charity to provide extra training support for one volunteer Community First Responder. £30 buys replacement pads for a lifesaving defibrillator within a community. £500 provides clinical training aids. £600 provides new outdoor seating for staff and volunteers at their ambulance station to provide a relaxation area. £1200 provides a lifesaving defibrillator for a community.

Donate online at www.justgiving.com/nwambulance Donate by post by sending in a cheque to North West Ambulance Charity, NWAS Headquarters, Ladybridge Hall, 399 Chorley New Road, Bolton, BL1 5DD. (Cheques made payable to NWAS Charitable Fund).

Donate in memory of a loved one via our Much Loved Memory Wall or create a lasting tribute to someone special. Go to www.muchloved.org to find out more.

Other ways to support the NWAS Charity

Set up a regular donation 11

Place a collection tin

Leave a gift in your will

Sign up for Payroll Giving

Register for Easyfundraising

Choose us as Charity of the Year

Visit www.nwas.nhs.uk/charity to learn more about how you can support us in any of these ways

We’d love to keep in touch!

We hope you enjoyed reading all about our work in this newsletter.

You can contact us anytime to ask for support, for information on how to donate and to enquire about how to get involved in supporting our charity.

The North West Ambulance Charity is a legally separate entity from the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust and is completely reliant upon generous donations and fundraising from the public, businesses, grant funders along with support from our colleagues and volunteers.

You can unsubscribe anytime by emailing Charity.Office@nwas.nhs.uk

Connect with us In addition to our already existing X account (formally known as Twitter) we recently set up three brand new social media pages and you can now follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Drop us a ‘follow’ or a ‘like’ and help us shout about our important work.

Visit our website at nwas.nhs.uk/charity For all enquires, email us at Charity.Office@nwas.nhs.uk Donate at www.justgiving.com/nwambulance

Thank you for helping us to support our staff and volunteers to save lives.

North West Ambulance Service Charitable Funds is registered with and regulated by the Charity Commission (No.1122470)

Write to us: North West Ambulance Charity NWAS Headquarters, Ladybridge Hall, 399 Chorley New Road, Bolton, BL1 5DD.