A LIFE-saving service which relies entirely on the public to keep running is in line for a top Hartlepool award.
After a year in which the Great North Air Ambulance came to the rescue of eight people in the town with serious injuries, bosses admitted that being nominated for the Pride of Hartlepool Awards was “phenomenal”.
The past 12 months has seen the GNAA crew rescue one 15-year-old airlifted with serious injuries after falling from a horse.
A 13-year-old boy was flown to get specialist help at extra-quick speed after being taken from the scene of a town road accident.
And another 13-year-old boy who was injured at a skate park was another Hartlepool person to get help.
Today, the GNAA becomes an entry in the emergency services section of the prestigious awards.
GNAA assistant director Jim Entwistle said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be nominated.
We are entirely paid for by members of the public. It is vital that the public recognises the work that the charity does.”
The charity covers an area from North Yorkshire to the Scottish borders and deals with around 1,200 incidents a year. It currently operates helicopters from Cumbria and Durham Tees Valley airport with a pilot and a team of expert medics.
Every call-out costs £2,500 and the whole operation needs £4m funding a year.
Jim added: “The operation has its roots in the 1990s when the air ambulance was run by the NHS.
“It went independent in 2001 when the charity formed. We have grown from a one-man operation.”
This year there are 10 categories in which you can nominate unsung heroes in the town.Whether you know a fantastic fundraiser or a community stalwart, we want to hear all about those who deserve praise and have done something special.
Simply fill in the form on this page and send it to us or enter online or on tablet by following the links.
Details of how to get them to us are on the nomination form.The deadline for entries is February 27.
Anyone wanting further information about the Pride of Hartlepool Awards should contact the Hartlepool Mail’s deputy editor, Gavin Foster, on (01429) 239372 or email him at gavin.foster@jpress.co.uk.
Comments