Wakefield family visits Yorkshire Air Ambulance after raising £10,000 for the charity

Andrew Silverwood and his family toured the site at Nostell Priory and received an in-person thank you from members of staff after raising the generous amount of money over the past three years.

Andrew and his family raised the money in memory of his son, Fraser, who passed away in 2019.

He said: “Three years ago my son Fraser was in a car accident. We’ve taken it upon ourselves to raise money for the charity to say thank you for turning up.

"The staff told us that they are glad that they are a charity and not Government funded because they can buy the assets that they want.

"They made us feel so welcome and thanked us for our donations.

"My grandchildren got to sit in the back of a helicopter – but what surprised me is that they go out four times a day and they’re not just on standby.”

Founded in 2000, Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves five million people across four million acres.

The charity’s two air ambulances operate from The Nostell Priory Estate near Wakefield and RAF Topcliffe near Thirsk and together cover the whole of the region.

On average, it costs £12,000 a day to run the charity, equivalent to £4.4 million per year and 82p out of every £1 is spent directly on life-saving work.

Helen Berriman, West Yorkshire regional fundraiser for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “We would like to thank the Silverwood family for their support and generosity and for thinking of our charity at such a difficult time.

"As an independent charity, we rely heavily on supporters to raise the vital funds to keep our service active. We hope that the Silverwood family will gain comfort in knowing that £10,000 raised will help us greatly towards keeping our helicopters airborne and saving lives across the region.”

Andrew’s son Fraser died in a car crash that was attended by Yorkshire Air Ambulance in Wintersett in 2019.

To make a donation on behalf of the Silverwood family, visit Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s website and quote D92305 https://www.yorkshireairambulance.org.uk/support-us/donate/.