Ten fearless fundraisers take the plunge in skydive to support ambulance service colleagues

Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) staff, volunteers and a member of the public completed a skydive from 15,000 feet yesterday (Monday 29 June) to raise funds for the YAS Charity.

The event at Hibaldstow Airfield in Lincolnshire saw the thrill seekers take part in tandem skydives, raising more than £8,000 for the charity, which supports initiatives promoting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of YAS staff and volunteers.

The charity also funds training to teach thousands of people CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and vital first aid skills each year; part-funds Community Public Access Defibrillators (CPADs) in communities across the Yorkshire and creates brighter futures for vulnerable people through educational programmes.

Carey Taylor, Head of YAS Charity, said: “We are phenomenally grateful to every brave soul who has stepped out of their comfort zone to take on this challenge and raise money to support the wellbeing of YAS’ lifesavers and lifesaving initiative in our communities.

“The YAS Charity goes above and beyond NHS-funded work and relies entirely on donations and fundraising to keep delivering its vital work.”  

Amongst the group was Alice Patterson, Communications Assistant at YAS, and Rotherham-based Associate Ambulance Practitioner (AAP) Lee Harrison.  Alice’s role works closely with the community engagement volunteers who deliver basic lifesaving training to the public.  

Alice said: “I have always aspired to complete a skydive, and the opportunity to do so in support of the charity was one I could not pass up. Thanks to the charity’s funding, volunteers are able to deliver CPR training and other life-saving skills to people across the Yorkshire community, including children of all ages and abilities. I am proud to have played a supporting role in these efforts.”

Lee said that despite being used to working in stressful environments in a blue light emergency service, completing a skydive from 15,000 feet was “well outside” of his comfort zone.

He said: “One of the main reasons I decided to do the skydive was to help raise awareness of the importance of mental health support, particularly for staff working in high-pressure environments. The YAS Charity plays such a vital role in improving access to wellbeing and mental health support for colleagues who may be struggling, and I really wanted to do something positive to support that work.”

To make a donation to the group fundraiser visit the JustGiving page.  

To find out more about the YAS Charity visit the website: www.yascharity.org.uk or get in touch with us via email: yas.charity@nhs.net.