Ambulance duo set to hike 20 miles in fundraiser to mark two decades of service’s charity

Colleagues from Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) are gearing up for the coastal walk from Scarborough to Bridlington to raise money for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Charity (YAS Charity) as part of its 20^th anniversary celebrations.    

Nick Towers and Rachel Henderson are Wakefield-based Ambulance Care Assistants (ACAs) who work within the non-emergency Patient Transport Service (PTS), assisting eligible patients who are unable to travel to their healthcare appointments by any other means due to medical conditions.

They are taking on the trek next Thursday (16 July) starting at Scarborough North Bay and following the seafront until the A165, before taking the main road all the way to Bridlington Harbour.  

The crew has been working together for over three years, and this is not their first fundraiser for the YAS Charity.

As a Charity Champion, last year Nick and his colleagues, including Rachel, raised over £1,500 for the YAS Charity through a 10-mile sponsored walk from Pinderfields Hospital to Pontefract Hospital pushing an 80kg stretcher and a 40kg mannequin.  

Nick said: "We always look forward to a challenge, but being able to raise money for the charity makes it more rewarding, and maybe there will be an ice cream or two along the way.”

Rachel added: “I am looking forward to being part of the challenge and supporting Nick along the way. I enjoy walking and I completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks for the YAS Charity three years ago.”

Nick is also a Community Engagement Volunteer (CEV) and has delivered training to over 400 people in CPR and basic life support in this role.

The YAS Charity funds equipment and materials for this training and goes above and beyond NHS-funded work, including supporting the roll-out of more defibrillators in communities.

Carey Taylor, Head of YAS Charity, said: “We are very grateful to Nick and Rachel for taking on this 20-mile walking challenge to celebrate 20 years of the YAS Charity.

“We are a small charity, but we have big ambitions for our birthday year and lots of fundraising activities planned which we urge members of the public to get involved in. If you would like to become a Charity Champion like Nick and help the YAS Charity achieve even more than we would love to hear from you.”

To sponsor Nick and Rachel, visit the JustGiving page.

To visit the YAS Charity website visit: www.yascharity.org.uk
Or to express an interest in becoming a YAS Charity Champion, email: yas.charity@nhs.net.