Family who required GNAAS raising funds by recycling clothing

 Submitted by Araminta Hartley GNAAS 9th March 2023

A family who required the help of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) has raised

thousands of pounds for the charity by recycling unwanted clothing.

Will Clark, from Grasmere, has been a keen supporter of GNAAS, since he required their services

back in July 2012, following a serious cycling incident.

Recalling what happened, he said: “Tragically during a charity triathlon, a stick got caught in the

wheel of my bike sending me over the handlebars leading to me breaking the right side of my neck

with permanent damage at the C4 vertebrae. This led to me being paralysed from the shoulders

down.

“Being young and fit I hadn't given GNAAS much thought prior to this accident. The good thing is

other people's support meant that they were there when I needed them.”

Will was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle for surgery before being transferred to

James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough where he spent five months in rehab before finally

being discharged.

Ever since, Will has been incredibly supportive of GNAAS and in 2014 he raised more than £12,500

after completing the Great North Run in a manual chair which was pushed by a team of friends and

family.

Will, who is a councillor for The Lakes, not only fundraises for the charity, but is also a volunteer, and

has regularly given talks to the local community about GNAAS.

He said: “I have since spoken to many groups largely in Cumbria about the charity to encourage

them to give their support and help them understand where the money that they have raised or

plan to raise goes and how important it is.”

Last year the charity hosted an open day for volunteers at their headquarters in the North East, and

that’s when Will and his mother Angela were inspired to raise further funds for GNAAS by organising

collections of unwanted clothing.

He said: “I attended the volunteer open day with my family at the new base at Progress House in

Eaglescliffe which led to discussions about alternative ways to raise funds. My Mum suggested that

perhaps we should try to arrange a clothing collection. Subsequently she has signed up as a

volunteer.  

“We have now had three collections of clothing. The first was quite low key, we have certainly learnt

as we have gone on, and the second and third were at Ambleside Parish Centre. We also spoke to

Ambleside School about what we are doing and why, and Miles the Bear, who is a mascot for

GNAAS, even made an appearance.  Each time we have held a collection, word has spread and we

have had a greater level of support.”

After each collection, the clothes have been picked up by the recycling team from GNAAS’ Trading

Company, who sell the items to buyers across Europe and the UK and then donate the proceeds to

the charity.

Collections can be booked with the Trading Company over the phone or via GNAAS’ Facebook page

and can either be a large collection like Angela and Will’s, or small amounts of bags from individual’s

homes.

Will added: “We were worried about what the first collection would or wouldn't bring. We have

been overwhelmed by the level of local support. I would just say give a collection a go, pick a venue

and a date and do what you can to spread the word, local printed media, social media and even go

door to door with flyers.”

Mieke Tennant, community fundraiser at GNAAS, said: “In December Angela organised a collection

of 250 bags of clothes, and then in January our Trading Company picked up no less than 365 bags

from Ambleside Parish Centre.

“I’d like to thank Angela, Will, and Ambleside Parish Centre who allowed us to use their space, as it

was completely taken over by bags.

“We’re also very happy to welcome Angela onboard as an official registered volunteer for GNAAS.

She is so inspirational, and she's helping us recruit other volunteers in the area, which is fantastic.”

Their next clothing collection is taking place at Ambleside Parish Centre on 4 April 7-9pm and 5 April

10am-12pm. 

For those who are unable to drop off their items in Ambleside, clothing collections can be arranged

by contacting the charity’s recycling team on 01325 308 139 or messaging their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/GNairambulance

 

About GNAAS

 The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is a charitably funded air ambulance service

which provides life-saving care throughout the North East, North Yorkshire, and Cumbria.

 They operate two helicopters 365 days a year and also operate a night-time service in the

North East and Cumbria on rapid response vehicles.

 The aircraft cover an area of about 8,000 square miles and on board are specialist doctors

and paramedics who effectively bring the hospital to the patient.

 The level of skill and expertise of the on-board team mean they respond to the most

critically ill and injured people, giving them the best chance of survival.

 GNAAS is a progressive organisation which has pioneered pre-hospital care in the region.

 The latest techniques, equipment and drugs are constantly being evaluated to ensure the

charity can provide the best care possible for their patients.

 2022 marked the service providing 20 years of life-saving care. Throughout this time, they

have responded to more than 23,500 incidents across the region, with road traffic collisions

being the most frequent type of incident responded to by the team.

 They do not receive Government funding and must therefore raise £7.7m a year through

public donations to remain operational.

For more information visit: https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk/ or follow @gnairambulance

on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

For press enquiries please email media@gnaas.com or call 07554453494

Angela Clark (left) and Will Clark (centre) with the clothing collection