Staff make donations to a vital charity

National Highways and members of our supply chain have been clearing out their cupboards to donate items for air ambulance charities to sell to their recycling partners.

Staff across Yorkshire and the North East, the Midlands and North West have been donating clothing, accessories, toys, books and other household goods for the six air ambulances covering those regions.

Money raised from the sale of the donations will help fund the charities’ life-saving work.

With the Great North Air Ambulance. L-R: Ebenezer Adekunle – National Highways; Lucy Colledge – Jacobs; Emma Hughes – Jacobs; Emma Fish – Costain; Mark Griffiths – GNAA Pilot; John Bright – GNAA; Victoria Rogers - GNAA

In Yorkshire and the North East, 298 bags were collected for the Great North Air Ambulance and Yorkshire Air Ambulance. They included around 60 at the Darlington office, almost 100 at the Blaydon Hub in Tyne and Wear and 138 at Calder View in Wakefield.

Across the Midlands, 176 bags of donations were collected for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance and The Air Ambulance Service, while the North West Air Ambulance has received 120 bags.

Donations for the air ambulance came in from the companies listed below, who all worked together and supported each other to ensure the donations were transported to the main collection points in each region:

Amey

CHC Highways

CR Civils 

Jacobs

Kier

Mway Comms

Mason Street furniture

National Highways

Tilbury Douglas

Octavius

Winvic

Costain

Keltbray

Balfour Beatty

Some of the collection for Yorkshire Air Ambulance at National Highways’ Calder View office in Wakefield. L-R: Mark Brennan (Winvic); Sandra Simpson (Winvic); Rachael Davies (Balfour Beatty); Michaela Maunders (Balfour Beatty); Amy Ellis (National Highways); Ellen Harrison (National Highways); Nicola Clayton (National Highways) and Kirsty Webster (National Highways).

More clothes collected for Great North Air Ambulance at Blaydon Hub

National Highways Regional Customer Service Programme Manager for Yorkshire and the North East Ellen Harrison said:

“We see the outstanding work the air ambulances do at close hand. Many of our staff and supply chain members have a real affinity with them, either from being on scene at incidents they are responding to, or through volunteering for their charities. For many colleagues just knowing they are there is a comfort.

“As independent charities that rely on the generosity of public donations, we’re delighted to be able to raise funds to support their life-saving work in this way.”
Katie Collinson, Partnerships Manager at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “As an independent charity, Yorkshire Air Ambulance really relies on the generosity of local people and businesses, and I am so grateful to be working with National Highways for a second year.

“The money raised will help us to achieve our ambitious £19,000 per day fundraising target required to keep our Helicopters in the skies and saving lives. Thank you to everyone who donated, from everyone at YAA, we are deeply appreciative.”

Victoria Rogers, Specialist Fundraiser, Great North Air Ambulance Service, said: “Thank you to everyone involved in such a great team effort to help raise money for GNAAS through the bag collection initiative. We are 100% charity funded so this support means we can continue to provide our vital pre-hospital critical care at an incident to our communities throughout the North East and Cumbria 24/7. Each mission we undertake cost £5,000 so our supporters’ help and donations are a crucial part of our operations.”

Bags collected at Great North House, Darlington. L-R: Sarah Southern (National Highways); Caroline Yarrow (National Highways); Chris Beadle (National Highways); Fleur Miles (Jacobs); Adam Smith (National Highways)

Collection from Octavius and Kier

It’s the second year National Highways and its contractors have collected for air ambulance charities. Last year the Yorkshire and North East region collected 164 bags of donations for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Great North Air Ambulance.

Ellen added:
“We were thrilled with the response we got from our staff and colleagues across our supply chain last year, and even more so this year to see other parts of National Highways coming on board for such a worthwhile cause.”

If you would like to find out more about the work of the Great North Air Ambulance or make your own donations, then visit the GNAA wesbite