One of the ways in which we like to keep in touch with our supporters and volunteers is through our newsletters. This is where you can keep up with the latest news from around the charity and make suggestions for the next editions.
Editor
HIOWATHA HELPERS AUTUMN NEWSLETTER. Issue 4. Sept 2010
Update from John Perry. CEO
Summer is ending and the events season is coming to a close, however there is still much to look forward to, starting with the launch of our new helicopter on the 29th of September.
We have been extremely busy with events over the summer as we had a full schedule. These events not only raise vital funds needed to keep the air ambulance flying, but also bring the work of the charity to the community. As well as attending these events we have been working hard with the media, and press releases have been going out weekly.
Some of the events we have coming up are developing into very promising fund raising projects, such as Recycle the Island which is returning for its second year. We also have our inaugural HIOWAA golf day at Dunwood Manor Golf Club which we are hoping will be very successful. For the slightly more adventurous among you we have a Fire Walk arranged at Basingstoke Rugby Club, so if you want to keep your feet dry during the autumn rain make sure you sign up!
I should like to take this opportunity once again, to thank each of you for the time you give to HIOWAA. The tireless work by you our volunteers enables us to take the charity forward, to make huge progress and keep the Air Ambulance flying and saving lives. This would not be possible without your help.
John.
Our New Aircraft.
As you know we are launching the new EC135 helicopter in September this year. The launch will be at Beaulieu on the 29th September and our major sponsors for the event are The National Motor Museum Beaulieu and Premier Underwriting Ltd. We are hoping you all received your invitations and will be attending so that you can see all your hard work materialise. Please make sure that you responded to your invitation!
Mayor Helps to Keep the Air Ambulance Flying
During his year as Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, Cllr Brian Gurden chose three charities to benefit from his Mayor’s Appeal. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance were lucky enough to be one of the three, and recently Cllr Gurden made a presentation at Thruxton, of £19,302. This was raised through a variety of fundraising events throughout his district.
We are thrilled and amazed at this enormously generous donation to our work. Cllr and Mrs Gurden have visited the Airbase at Thruxton from where we fly the Air Ambulance, and they appreciated the vital work we do. We are all especially thankful to all those people who have been involved in the Mayor’s Appeal and who have worked so hard, and I should like to thank Cllr and Mrs Gurden especially for choosing Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
Online Store A great new feature is coming soon to our website! By the end of September our online store will be available so you can purchase all of our merchandise from your home. The online store will have all of the products that we supply and will be sent to customers via post. Be sure to have a look and start your Christmas shopping early!
New Volunteers
Once again we are on the lookout for more people to join our HIOWAA family. We are especially looking for people in the Basingstoke area and the north of the county, and for people to help at events so if you know anyone who may be interested, please ask them to contact Kirsty on the 02380 333377 or kirsty@hiow-airambulance.org.uk
Missions Numbers
Since first taking off from Thruxton Airbase on the 1st July 2007 the Air Ambulance has now flown over 2450 missions! This total is a constant reminder of the county’s need for an Air Ambulance, and reminds us all why there is so much work to do.
Patient’s story – Sarah
On the Easter weekend I took my horse Crunchie over to some friends near Owslebury. My friend had ridden the route a few days earlier to check for cows as Crunchie has a real phobia of them and it was all clear. However, as we approached a farm, the farmyard was full of cows. Fortunately, a group of mountain bikers caught us up and we followed them through the farmyard. This worked and we made it through the yard and out onto a track. What we didn’t know was behind the hedge was a field filled with cows. When the hedge disappeared and all the cows came into view, Crunchie took one look at them and panicked. She span 180 degrees and bolted back down the track, as she bolted I lost my balance and fell onto the track. I landed on my back and was in agony, my immediate thought was that I had fractured my spine and asked my friends to call for an ambulance.
The cyclists had heard the commotion and came back, which was very fortunate as they knew exactly where we were and could give directions to the ambulance. One of the cyclists went to wait for the ambulance at the main road, one stayed with me, and another went to help catch Crunchie, who was in a state of total panic and had somehow got trapped between two barbed wire fences. The cyclist managed to catch Crunchie, but not before he had been kicked and dragged through the barbed wire fence! I didn’t get the names of the cyclists but would like to thank them for their help because they were all absolutely brilliant. My friends then took Crunchie to safety away from me and the cows, and as she was led passed me she looked down rather pitifully, which I took to be an apology!
An ambulance arrived quickly and was followed by the air ambulance which landed in a field nearby. I was so grateful for the air ambulance as the track back to the main road was probably half a mile and was very uneven, which would have been a real problem with an injured spine.
The medic on board the air ambulance was brilliant, as were the paramedics. They were calm, reassuring and took time to explain what they were doing. I was placed on a spinal board and given a neck collar and after receiving some pain relief was taken to Southampton General. Here I was x-rayed to see if there was any fracture, which I am glad to say there wasn’t.
I would like to thank the paramedics, all the staff at the General and especially the air ambulance crew for their professional treatment, they were fantastic. I would also like to thank Hani from Endell Vets for treating Crunchie who injured her suspensory ligament in the accident. She has also now made a full recovery.
Press Releases
Masons Grand Charity Supporting the Air Ambulance
The Masonic Lodges are great supporters of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, and this year we have again received a fabulous £4,000 from the Masons Grand Charity, to help with their life saving work. Eric Moody and Brian Bellinger of the Masons Grand Charity made a presentation of this donation recently at the HIOWAA Airbase, at Thruxton.
3Bs buzz in with £ 4,500
Headley Park Hotel near Bordon played host recently to the annual 3B’s Motorcycle Club Rally. This popular event, held in soaring temperatures, was attended by over 1,000 bikers and families from all over the south of England. During the year, this dedicated biking community raises funds for charity at their various events, and once again, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance have been lucky enough to be the recipient receiving £4,500!
You can contact the Head Office team on 02380 333377 or Kirsty on Kirsty@hiow-airambulnce.org.uk. If there is something we should be aware of out of office hours please call Sherie on 07850 604924
HIOWATHA HELPERS SUMMER NEWSLETTER. Issue 3. June 2010
Update from John Perry CEO
Summer has begun and we are certainly reaping the rewards, and not just with the weather. We have been extremely busy with events, and the summer continues to provide a full schedule. These events not only raise vital funds needed to keep the air ambulance flying, but also bring the work of the charity to the community. As well as attending these events we have been working hard with the media, and press releases have been going out weekly.
Supporters Day on 1st April was well attended and it was fantastic to see all these now familiar faces once again. We had the new event equipment there which all looked excellent. I look forward to seeing you all again soon. Support from the community remains strong and we have attended many cheque presentations from a wide range of groups and clubs.
I should like to take this opportunity once again, to thank each of you for the time you give to HIOWAA. The tireless work by our volunteers enables us to take the charity forward, to make huge progress and keep the Air Ambulance flying and saving lives. This would not be possible without your help.
John.
Our New Aircraft.
Earlier this year we were delighted to announce that Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance will be launching the new EC135 helicopter in September this year. The launch will be at Beaulieu on the 29th September and the event be sponsored by Beaulieu and Premier Insurance. All of our volunteers will be invited to this exciting event, so that you can see all your hard work materialise.
The upgraded helicopter will be more modern, have the ability to be in the air quicker and will have a better environment for the patient. We will update you with all the details of the new launch in August and we also plan to have a meeting later in the year to ensure all the information you have is correct.
Summer Events
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance has been invited to a large number of events this summer. Kirsty has been sending you the updated schedule, and the most recent is attached. If there is any event that you think you can help us with please contact Kirsty directly.
We are also fortunate enough to have a number of events being organised for us which we are supporting by selling tickets. So if you know anyone who would be interested in attending our ‘Food for Funds’ evening or a company who would like to enter a team into our Golf Day, please ask them to look at our website or contact Kirsty for more information.
New Merchandise
Working with the Community Fundraisers, we have ordered some more merchandise for the summer season. We have water bottles¸ selling at £2.50, flings (fabric Frisbees) selling at £2.50, and bookmarks, selling at £1. We also have a new batch of Baseball hats which will be selling for £6 and hessian bags for £3. Pat the Paramedic ragdolls will be arriving in August. Please feel free to contact Kirsty if you would like to add these to your supply of merchandise.
CRB checks
We are ensuring that all of Volunteers are CRB checked. A huge thank you to all of you who have been able to come into the office at St Marys to complete your checks. We will also be coming out to those of you who can’t get to Head Office, and will be in contact with you to finalise the details
New Volunteers
Once again we are on the lookout for more people to join our HIOWAA family. We are especially looking for people in the Basingstoke area, and for people to help at events so if you know anyone who may be interested, please ask them to contact Kirsty on the 02380 333377 or kirsty@hiow-airambulance.org.uk
News in Brief
Generous Donors Feeling Misled
Generous donors across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are donating clothing and other textiles to doorstep clothing collections, in the mistaken belief that their donations are going to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. A company called ‘Air Ambulance Service’ has been putting their leaflets through letter boxes across the county, showing a photo of a yellow Air Ambulance, similar to those flown by local Air Ambulance charities. This is leading people to think they are donating their unwanted textiles to their own Air Ambulance when in fact this is a commercial company, and is in no way connected to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
John Perry, CEO of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance said ‘we have received many complaints, both by phone and in writing, about these leaflets. People are enormously generous, and when they realise they are giving their textiles to a commercial company for their own profit, rather than to the charity, they are very cross, and feel misled. We have had many reports of these leaflets being distributed, and we would like to alert the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, to make sure that donations intended for your Air Ambulance are not accidentally given to a profit making company. I want to advise people that Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance do not send leaflets through letter boxes. All our textile recycling is done through our partner Bag It Up, who have over 300 yellow recycling banks around the county. Their website www.bagitup.org.uk has a postcode locator which will tell you where your nearest recycling bank is.
Press Releases
Fantastic Support for Bag a Bra Day
What an incredible response we had to Bag-A-Bra Day. Over 6000 have been donated so far, and they are still coming in. Most of the bras will end up in West Africa, where they will be sold at affordable prices, and HIOWAA will benefit by receiving payment from the recycling company. Top company for the amount of bras collected is HRG UK Farnborough (plus their other offices) who collected the incredible amount of 651 bras. Well done HRG! Lynny Vallence and her daughter Laura Thompson collected 221 bras. What a result. We are immensely grateful to all the companies, clubs and individuals who have supported this appeal, and as the appeal was such a great success, we have decided to do it all over again on Thursday 26th May 2011, so please keep hold of those unwanted bras.
WOW! Walking on Water
It was a really good day with the teams walking hard on those treadmills, clocking up those miles. We hope to be able to repeat it next year. Be proud of your head office team, they managed to walk the second shortest distance! Huge thanks to our volunteers on the day. At the Fishbourne side, Dave and Maz. In Portsmouth we had, Mark and Ann. Mark was great getting those treadmills both up and down on the boat. On the boat I had Debbie, Tony, Steve, Richard, Linda and Ron. From Head Office - Sherie Williams Ellen, Roger Leppard, Kirsty Watts, and Catherine McLellan.
We would not have had the event without the teams so well done to: HIOWATHA Office Team, The Porchey Flyers, The Lively Ladies, The Fondant Fancies, two teams called the Unknowns Yet, St Mary’s Hospital, The IOW Belly Dancers, The Airwalkers, M&S Fareham. A big thank you to all and as soon as we have a final figure of how much you all raised we will post it on the blog.
HIOWATHA HELPERS SPRING NEWSLETTER. Issue 2. March 2010
Update from John Perry. CEO
This is an enormously dynamic time for our charity and I am very pleased to be part of such a vibrant group of people. With the return to full strength of the fundraising team, we are now able to take on far more commitments than we were able to in the past and this is proving to be hugely rewarding for the charity. We are being far more proactive in raising the profile of HIOWAA within the local media, and a press release is sent out from Head Office at least once a week. A selection of these is listed later in this newsletter, and you can see them on the website. There are some very exciting things planned for this year, and I should like you all, as part of the HIOWAA family, to be involved in them. Please keep watching our website for news on up-coming exciting developments for our charity. July and August will be particular busy and we will need your help if you are available. I should like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for the time you give to HIOWAA. The tireless work by our volunteers enables us to take the charity forward, to make huge progress and keep the Air Ambulance flying and saving lives. This would not be possible without your help.
John.
News in Brief
Save Your Stamps for the Air Ambulance Used postage stamps can be turned into valuable funds for the Air Ambulance. We are working with a stamp dealer who has years of experience in converting used stamps into funds for various charities, and with your help we can achieve up to £13.20 per kg for UK stamps and £19.80 per kg for foreign stamps. We ask that you send your stamp donations directly to our dealer, and pre-sorted into three categories: UK stamps (1st and 2nd class stamps) UK Commemorative stamps Foreign Stamps We welcome all stamps, on or off the paper, but if possible stamps should have no more than 10mm of single thickness border around them. Please do not trim them so close that the perforations are damaged. If you use High Value Commemorative Stamps or Miniature Sheets (above the rate of a 1st class stamp) on your packaging we will receive an additional 50 pence per item received. This is an easy way to help raise funds for the Air Ambulance, and going forward we will be sending out regular reports on how much the stamp recycling raises. The address to send your stamp donations to is: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Stamp Appeal P O Box 638 Fareham Hampshire PO14 9JJ
To the residents of Byron Road New Milton On behalf of the aircrew, pilots and ground staff we would like to thank you for your donation and all your hard work. Without your generosity and that of others we would be unable to keep flying. I am sure the other residents of New Milton benefited from your display and Christmas festivities adding much needed cheer to those for whom Christmas may not always be a time for celebration.
Press Releases
Members of Parliament Visit the Air Ambulance
With the general election looming, and difficult economic times for many sectors of the community, it seemed a good time to invite our local members of parliament, and some who hope to gain seats in the election, to visit the Air Base at Thruxton, and see firsthand the service to the community provided by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. The morning began with a presentation on the work of the Air Ambulance followed by a tour of the Air Base. Those present were Gerald Howarth, MP for Aldershot, Sir George Young, MP for North West Hampshire, Alan Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test, James Arbuthnot, MP for North East Hampshire, Sandra Gidley. MP for Romsey, and future candidates Martin Tod, Maria Hutchings, Damian Hinds and Penny Mordaunt. John Perry, Chief Executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance says: “The Chairman, Barry Lipscomb and I were very pleased indeed to welcome our local sitting and prospective MPs to Thruxton and be able to show them what a vital community resource the Air Ambulance provides. Our guests found the presentation and tour of the aircraft most informative, and we hope that we can rely on their continued support in the future to help us maintain and develop this life saving service.” Emergency Services Join Forces The crews of both the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance and the Search and Rescue flight from Lee-on-the-Solent met recently at the Air Ambulance base at Thruxton, near Andover. This was a training session to allow both crews to benefit from sharing information and best working practices. Chief Executive John Perry said ‘There can only be benefits from these crews working together which should result in the more efficient and coordinated handling of emergency operations’
Contact Us You can contact the Head Office team
on 02380 333377 or Kirsty on kirsty@hiow-airambulance.org.uk. If there is something we should be aware of out of office hours please call Sherie on 07850 604924
HIOWATHA HELPERS CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER .Issue 1 . Dec 2009.
A Welcome from John Perry, CEO
I am extremely proud to be sending you this first Christmas Newsletter. There has been a great deal happening in the charity over the past few months, and it is a very dynamic time for HIOWAA. Our 2000th mission is imminent, so please watch the website for this important milestone. I am especially grateful to all of you who give your time, effort and expertise to help us raise the funds we need to keep the Air Ambulance service flying. We could not do this without you. Our Volunteers Bar B Que in Sept was a great success and I was pleased to be able to put names to faces. I intend to hold a volunteers social event two or three times a year, and the next will be in early March. I am interested to hear your suggestions about what sort of event you would like. What time of day, day of the week and where in the county, so please let us have your ideas, not only about these events, but in all aspects relating to HIOWAA. I hope you enjoy this Newsletter and I look forward to see you during the year at HIOWAA events.
Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. .
New Volunteers.
In November we held the first of our Volunteer Induction days. We are very pleased to welcome Kathy Jefferies, Mike Cogzell, Colin Buttrell, Pam Gully, Ron Murrant, Sue Darby, Bob Darby, Ian Jeffery and Martin Goad, who join the Hiowatha Helpers at an exciting time for the charity. Our new volunteers bring with them a wide range of skills which will be enormously valuable in our fundraising, and profile raising within the community. We intend to hold induction days for new volunteers each quarter, and our aim is to swell the ranks of our volunteers so that there are helpers in each area of the county to attend collections, fetes, talks or other community events.
ID Cards
These are extremely important as we know you are all aware. We had rather a false start with the new ID cards, which proved not to be adequate for our needs and we have therefore sourced better ones which will be issued to all our volunteers at the beginning of next year. These will have on them your photo, the charity details and logo, and will be in a hard case with lanyard to wear around your neck.
New Website
One of the exciting new events this year has been the launch of our new Website at www.hiow-airambulance.org.uk This is proving to be very successful, and now also on a new server so it is very fast. It has already greatly improved our communication with the public and especially on line donations, but it is a work in progress and will be constantly updated, giving you information, photos, news and views on the work of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
Blog This is where you can get involved. If you have something you would like to see on the website, something you feel is important, perhaps a story about an air ambulance rescue, or anything you would like us to know, please send it to the Editor at sherie@hiow-airambulance.org.uk Once it has been approved by the Editor, it will be included on the Blog page. You can include a photos if you wish, of an event or of yourself, but please make sure it is over one megapixel in size to reproduce well.
News in Brief
The New Name for the Air Ambulance. Hiowatha. After a very successful competition around the county, this is the winning name chosen for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. There are two winners, Janet Maybe of Maybush, Southampton and Christine Williams of Ryde, Isle of Wight. The winners will be invited to the airbase to meet the crew and formally name the air ambulance. This name will stay with the air ambulance even when we achieve our aim of upgrading to a new helicopter.
HIOWAA Diaries. These are now in stock for 2010, as the reduced price of £2.00 each.
Model Air Ambulances. The die cast model air ambulances have arrived and are available for Christmas, priced at £10 each.
Paramedic Flight Suits. Produced by Rig Equipment, these were purchased with donations from Basingstoke Rotary Club and our thanks go to the members for their hard work. The new suits are now being worn by our paramedics and can be seen on the Gallery of the website.
The Sparstoke Cup This annual rugby clash between Sparsholt College and Basingstoke Rugby Club is in memory of Tommy Aslett. This year is was held on 25th Nov, and they hope to better their total from last year’s event. Thank you for all who worked so hard to make it happen in aid of HIOWAA.
Real Rescues. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance has been featured throughout November on the BBC1 morning programme Real Rescues, hosted by Nick Knowles. This is fantastic PR for the charity and shows well the hard work and sometimes stressful conditions our pilots, paramedics and doctors often have to face.
New Staff
We are very pleased to be able to report that the Head Office team will returning to full strength with three new members of staff. You may know that two of our Community Fundraisers, Jacqui Cowen and Lynne Dadley, left the charity this year to pursue other opportunities. We are very pleased to announce that two new full time Community Fundraisers will be joining us in January. One lives in Southampton, and will be able to concentrate on the New Forest, Southampton, Portsmouth area, and the other lives near Basingstoke, so will be able to grow the fundraising opportunities in the north of the county. Our third member of staff is a part time bookkeeper who will also be starting with HIOWAA in January, and will be working four mornings per week. We would like to welcome them all to the team and it goes without saying they will have to hit the ground running as there is so much happening next year.
Press Releases
During recent months we have been concentrating on raising the profile of the charity within the media. Our PR team has produced regular press releases about recent events, fundraising activities and exciting rescues involving the Air Ambulance. These have been sent to all the print media, as well as TV and radio stations in the county, and we have had an encouraging number of items published as well as a number of radio interviews. It is important to keep the work of the Air Ambulance in the public eye as it not only tells the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight what their Air Ambulance is doing, but will also encourage them to make donations, and help us keep the service flying and saving lives.
Contact Us
You can contact the Head Office team during office hours on 02380 333377 or Kirsty on Kirsty@hiow-airambulnce.org.uk. If there is something we should be aware of out of office hours please call Sherie on 07850 604924
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Phone: 02380 333 377 | Reg. Charity No. 1106234
