On the up with Yorkshire Air Ambulance

Here are some of the Ferno team who have helped raise more than £18,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance one of several charities we are proud to be associated with.
The picture shows (left to right) Yorkshire Air Ambulance Paramedic Andy Armitage, Ferno’s Penny North, Paul Chappell, Jon Ellis, Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Paul Kilner and Ferno’s Ashley Dawes, Debbie James and Allison Rodgers who have all been involved in the fund raising
Ferno have cycled, played football, baked cakes and cooked lunch to raise £18,619.52 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Some of the team were recently invited to a get together with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance at Leeds-Bradford Airport to celebrate the fundraising and to meet with paramedics, who regularly appear in the BBC’s Helicopter Heroes, to learn about their role as the region’s airborne life savers.
The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an independent charity which needs to raise £7,200 each day to stay in the air. It operates two life-saving helicopters across the Yorkshire region, seven days per week, 365 days per year.
Nicky Massen regional fundraising manager for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, pictured shaking hands with Jon, said: “We cannot thank Ferno enough for their continued support. As an independent charity, having support from companies such as Ferno is invaluable.
“We have to fundraise each and every day of the year to keep the charity running, so donations like this really are significant, and allow us to keep both of the helicopters maintained and in the air saving lives.”
Staff at Ferno, which has also donated emergency medical equipment to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance previously, raised funds throughout the year through various initiatives. These included recycling cans, footwear and clothing, sponsored baking and lunches and dress down days each month when staff contribute £1 for the privilege of wearing casual clothes.
Ferno managing director Jon Ellis also cycled hundreds of miles in the Pedal for Pounds bike ride organised by Huddersfield Town Football Club. In 2011, Jon cycled from Brighton to Huddersfield and last year he pedaled from Yeovil back to the Terriers’ John Smith’s Stadium. This year he will cycle from Huddersfield through Hull, Scarborough, Harrogate and back to Huddersfield again as part of the “Keep It Up” campaign.
He told us: “The team at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance does a fantastic job and everyone at Ferno is very proud to be associated with an organisation that saves so many lives in the Yorkshire region. Every year colleagues at Ferno look for new ways to raise funds for this very important charity.”