NWAS charity chosen for a local fundraising initiative.

After one of our ambulance crews helped to save the life of a colleague and friend, staff at McMenon Engineering, in Workington, Cumbria, decided to support our official charity for the entirety of 2023 as their ‘Charity of the Year’ initiative.

Back in July 2022, Peter Gresty, Quality, Health, Safety and Environment/Facilities Manager at McMenon, woke up feeling unwell. His condition got worse as the day progressed until his wife called an ambulance, which arrived quickly.

Within minutes of the crew arriving, Peter collapsed going into full cardiac arrest, and had to be given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Peter’s daughter, who was a trainee nurse at the time, and the ambulance crew who attended, saved Peter’s life. They managed to keep his heart pumping blood around his body to his brain with CPR until he had a return of spontaneous circulation after a very worrying 15 minutes.

After spending eight days in a coma at West Cumberland Hospital, Peter’s family were told to expect the worst, but he defied the odds. He was then transferred to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle where he underwent extensive tests. Six stents and an angioplasty later, he was discharged home in early August of that year. 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 to me that day.”

As a thank you for the exceptional care Peter received, McMenon Engineering Services chose our NWAS charity as their Charity of the Year and raised an incredible sum of £1,200.

Recently Peter presented the cheque to our Fundraising Manager Roya Armstrong, and Emergency Medical Technician Kerry Henderson, from Distington Ambulance Station.

Roya said: "The NWAS Charity provides support and enhancements to our services by funding life saving equipment and other projects to benefit the health, wellbeing and safety of patients, staff and our communities.

“The charity is completely reliant upon generous donations and fundraising from the public, businesses, and grant funders along with support from our colleagues and volunteers. This means we can provide these important initiatives, which are all over and above what is funded through NHS budgets. The donations our charity receives do not subsidise the work of the North West Ambulance Service – they enhance it.

“The generous funds from McMenon Engineering Services will help make a difference and we can’t thank the team there enough.”

If you would like to support our NWAS Charity we have many exciting fundraising opportunities coming up in 2024, including the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge in June and places in the iconic Great North Run in September.

Please contact the Charity Team at: Charity.Office@nwas.nhs.uk to register your interest in any of our fundraising events or to make a donation.