Helipad Summer 2021

Prize Crossword

Win HS osemoor tickets

Join Our Weekly

LOTTERY the official magazine of

summer 2021 | www.daat.org

isit fascinating

Chagford nspiring Patient Stories

Devon History &Heritage

DODGY DEVON DESPERADOS BEACH HUT HISTORY

Environmental Sustainability & Stewardship

52 in 52

Keith’s Big Walk

A BIG THANK YOU!

to our long-serving volunteers

Wildlife Flutter by...

DEVON AIR AMBULANCE

A garden for everyone RHS Garden Rosemoor, located between Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks, is stunning through every season.

With plenty of events including summer holiday activities, craft fairs, flower shows and Glow winter illuminations, there is something for everyone.

Book online at rhs.org.uk/rosemoor

RHS members go free

Torrington, Devon, EX38 8PH Your visit supports our work as a charity

RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262

Rosemoor Generic A4 portrait advert FINAL.indd 1

25/03/2021 12:37

summer 2021 | WELCOME

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WELCOME Heléna Holt Chief Executive Officer It seems increasingly likely that by the time we go to print, many Covid restrictions will have been lifted. This inevitably means we must think carefully about how we de-escalate the Covidsecure processes we put in place to protect our service and protect our staff, volunteers and supporters. We will be doing this in a measured and cautious way across the whole organisation over the next few weeks and months.

As society starts to relax, please spare a thought for our operational crew. Given the current high numbers of incidents attended and patients treated, we are anticipating our busiest summer season ever and our paramedics, doctors and pilots will continue to operate in hot and restrictive PPE for some time to come to ensure an extra level of protection for each other and our patients. Thank you to them for the way

they have continued to save lives despite the considerable additional challenges they face.

In recent months, we have been delighted to see the return of our retail operations, so our loyal customers can now come in to see us, donate their pre-loved goods and browse through the great selection of items we have for sale. Since reopening, our retail sales have gone from strength to strength, ably supported by our online shop and eBay platform which proved such a lifeline when we weren’t able to open our doors to the public. You can read about the transformation of our newest shop in St Marychurch on page 36.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff for their incredible hard work and resilience since March 2020 and our volunteers and donors for their patience.

Ali Simpson Helipad Editor After a very mixed bag of weather this spring, we are all hoping for warmer, sunnier times for us all to enjoy this summer – particularly as many of us who call Devon home will be staying put in the glorious South West for our holidays, and the county will also be welcoming more holidaymakers from across the UK as they embrace the ‘staycation’ in 2021.

In this issue of Helipad, we have a great mix of updates from Devon Air Ambulance and interesting articles on the people, places and history of our county. We share with you some of the ‘green’ initiatives the Charity is introducing to support our commitment to the environment, feature many of our creative fundraisers who continue to support the Charity and find out why being a member of our Lottery is more

important than ever. And, as always, we feature some amazing patient stories that vividly illustrate how vital our life-saving service is to real people.

Around the county, why not join us on a tour of Chagford, a small town on the edge of Dartmoor with a lot to offer. We also bring you the best and worst of Devonians – our most famous and glittering tennis champion at one end of the scale and some of the county’s more infamous reprobates and rapscallions at the other!

And, as usual, why not try your hand at our Prize Crossword - it will tax your local and general knowledge and you could win a great prize to boot!

GET IN TOUCH! Devon Air Ambulance Unit 5 Sandpiper Court Harrington Lane Exeter EX4 8NS

Fundraising & Events

fundraising@daat.org

Lottery

lottery@daat.org

Volunteering

Cara Jones

c.jones@daat.org

 01392 466666  info@daat.org  www.daat.org

PR

Ginette Gisborne

g.gisborne@daat.org

Registered Charity No 1077998 Registered Company No 3855746

Community Landing Sites Toby Russell

t.russell@daat.org

Operations

Nigel Hare

n.hare@daat.org

Advertising Sales

Square7 Media

0203 283 4055

© All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or used in any form without prior permission of the publishers. All material is sent at the owner’s risk and whilst every care is taken, Devon Air Ambulance Trust will not accept liability for loss or damage. Every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of our content but the publishers cannot be held responsible for any omissions, errors or alterations or for the consequences of any reliance on these details; neither can they vouch for the accuracy of claims made by any advertiser.

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers.

12:37

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helipad | www.daat.org

CONTENTS | summer 2021 OUR WORK 6

Stop Press … Green Special … Stop Press Learn how Devon Air Ambulance is supporting and championing environmental sustainability, and some of the initiatives on the horizon that will help us embrace ‘green’ solutions across the whole organisation.

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Strategically speaking We’ve taken the good and bad out of the last sixteen months, not only thinking about how we deal with future uncertainties but also how we embrace the many opportunities that will come our way. Chief Executive Heléna Holt explains how our new strategic thinking is helping us be ‘fit for the future’.

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Publisher Heléna Holt h.holt@daat.org Editor Alison Simpson helipad@daat.org Advertising Sales Gaynor Garton

One shop’s journey As we open our latest shop in St Marychurch in Torbay, find out what it takes to go from the initial concept all the way to the finished retail space – from finding the right premises to stocking the shelves ready for the grand launch.

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020 3283 4055 Design & Print Management Silver Foxes Publishing 07455 206470 Distribution & Mailing Silver Foxes Publishing 07455 206470 ISSN (Print) 2055-2343 ISSN (Online) 2055-2351

100 plus!

Over 100 participants put their best feet forward to join DAA’s virtual ‘March March’ event, fundraising over £21,000 in the process. With two successful challenges now completed, DAA continues to explore new opportunities in the world of virtual fundraising.

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Fundraiser Focus – 52 in 52 Keith Maynard is an experienced walker, but his latest mammoth endeavour is a challenge even for him - to walk 52 marathons in 52 weeks, all to raise much-needed funds to support Devon Air Ambulance.

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Business on board We say a big ‘thank you’ to the local businesses that continue to support Devon Air Ambulance.

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Devon People and Junior Crew Even though some of their plans had to change due to pandemic restrictions, our loyal supporters, young and old, are a resourceful bunch and still managed to complete some amazing and ingenious fundraising events.

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Four for Newton Abbot Toby Russell, Community Landing Sites Development Officer, shows how local people, councils, voluntary organisations and businesses worked together to develop four night landing sites for the town.

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Coming together as a team Operations Director Nigel Hare describes how we bring together clinicians - each with the ability to deliver a range of interventions and medicines – to create a high performing team that can make a real difference to the treatment of our patients.

The Offical Magazine of Devon Air Ambulance Celebrating the best in Devon 40,000 copies covering the whole county. 35,000+ delivered direct to our supporters Also available online at www.daat.org Contributors David FitzGerald Richard Wilson Neil Devons Photographs RHS Rosemoor

Next issue Winter 2021

is published by DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST

On The Cover Issue No.29 Summer 2021 Beach huts at Dawlish Warren © S Stephen

PLEASE NOTE: Some photographs in this issue of Helipad may have been taken before COVID restrictions

38 100 plus!

summer 2021 | CONTENTS

GET INVOLVED 8

Volunteering We recognise and celebrate some of our volunteers as they receive their well-deserved Long Service Awards and learn about one inspirational volunteer’s journey of dedication over 25 years.

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Lottery As the second biggest income stream into the Charity, the financial contribution our lottery members make is vital in keeping us operational.

Why not support us by playing our lottery or, if you are already a member, why not double up with an additional lucky number!

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PEOPLE, PLACES & LIFESTYLE 17

Bathing Beauties Rows of brightly coloured beach huts adorn many of Devon’s award- winning beaches, with an interesting history closely associated with the rise in popularity of the British seaside resort.

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Water World Our horticulture expert shows us how to add a water feature, large or small, to our gardens and explains which aquatic plants to use to create a diverse habitat that will attract an abundance of mammals, birds, reptiles and insects.

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Game, Set and Match!

Nothing epitomises summer more than lawn tennis. Sixty years ago this year, Devon born Angela Mortimer took the ultimate prize, winning the Ladies’ Singles Title at Wimbledon.

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Prize Crossword Test your general and local knowledge in our new prize crossword and have the chance for you and a friend to win a great day out at RHS Rosemoor.

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lutter y utterfly Real summer favourites but in serious decline, butterflies and moths aren’t just colourful visitors that flit around our garden flowers, they are also vitally important for pollination and for the health and balance of our ecosystems.

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Small town, big heart, huge spirit The small market town of Chagford, nestling on the north-east edge of Dartmoor, has a fascinating history, interesting buildings and a great community spirit – not to mention a plethora of ‘Chag’ festivals!

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Kalimera!

It’s always a ‘Good Day’ in Greece, so while many of us may not be able to enjoy the usual holiday pleasures of Rhodes, Santorini or Lindos this year, why not bring a bit of the flavours and tastes of a Greek barbecue to your garden this summer.

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Dodgy Devon Desperados Meet four of Devon’s most despicable and downright dastardly personalities, terrorising the highways and plaguing the local communities of our otherwise peaceful county in years gone by.

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BackChat Fitz channels his inner Agatha Christie and pretends to be someone he clearly isn’t to play the telephone scammers at their own game!

Volunteering

PATIENTS Like the ripples on a pond When Eamonn Concannon’s car was hit headon by another vehicle, he was left fighting for his life. As he started to make a slow but determined recovery, he realised how many people were affected, from his wife, family and friends to all the amazing medical crew and health workers who have helped him on the long road back to health.

Everything changed in an instant One moment, Karen Barber was happily popping into the local shops to pick up some groceries before work, the next thing she remembers she was waking up in hospital, having suffered horrendous internal injuries when she was crushed by a passing lorry.

An inspirational journey Fundraising walker Darryl has fought a difficult but brave and determined battle to overcome the terrible effects of a devastating head injury he suffered nearly twenty years ago. Despite the challenges he faces every day, Darryl and his partner Peta were determined to raise money for Devon Air Ambulance to say ‘thank you’ for saving his life.

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The latest news from Air Ambulance HQ

GREEN SPECIAL

One key strand of our new strategy (read more from CEO Heléna Holt on page 12) is DAA’s commitment to championing environmental sustainability and stewardship – how we run and manage the Charity and our operations through sustainable and responsible practices to ensure we have minimal impact on the environment.

J

onathan Osmond Head of Facilities isk oined DAA in ovember and leads a team responsible for the management of our office shops and airbases. Jonathan has been managing facilities for over years and has a growing passion for environmental sustainability so is ideally placed to look at how we are promoting green issues across the organisation and how we demonstrate to local communities our commitment to the environment.

He also considers the benefits of new and emerging green technologies everything from how we sterilise our vehicles to how one day we may power our helicopters

Devon Climate Declaration As a Charity we are proud to be able to support the Devon Climate Declaration. he Declaration which was endorsed by the Devon Climate Emergency esponse roup a consortium of private public and voluntary bodies outlines a commitment to tackle climate change across Devon and is supported by a wide range of organisations in the county including District own and arish Councils schools partnerships businesses and charities such as Devon Air Ambulance. We are now committed to putting green’ considerations at the forefront of our thought processes when creating new policies or updating our procedures and ways of working.

Carbon Plan xx

To be able to measure the benefits from the changes we make, we need to know what position we are starting from! Having a comprehensive Carbon Plan, measuring all the processes and systems we have and use

at DAA is therefore the vital first step. It will mean we can set our own ambitious green targets and also be able to measure the beneficial impact of some of the initiatives we put in place.

We are working with an independent consultancy firm called Eunomia – who are dedicated to helping organisations achieve better environmental outcomes - to plot our current carbon footprint and then develop a strategic ‘Carbon Plan’ to help measure the success of the changes we make in the future.

We hope to be able to present Eunomia’s findings to our Board of Trustees in the autumn. Our ultimate aim will be to publish our emissions report on an annual basis so that we can be as transparent as possible about the progress we are making.

‘GREEN’ TEAM

In January 2020, A new ‘Green Team’ was created at Devon Air Ambulance, bringing in expertise, experience and – most importantly of all - enthusiasm from a range of staff across the Charity and wider organisation. The Green Team considers a wide range of environmental and sustainability issues, not only looking at how we can promote these across our operations at Devon Air Ambulance but also at how we engage with our staff on an individual level about the benefits that incorporating even small ‘green’ changes into our own lives can have.

We recognise that running an aviation-based operation brings with it some major challenges that other organisations or charities don’t have to face, but we know that there are still many incremental changes we can make to the way we run our business that will have a huge cumulative effect on our overall carbon impact.

There is a lot of enthusiasm in the Charity to see how these measures will work and what difference they will make to ensuring Devon Air Ambulance is as sustainable and environmentally aware as it can be.

summer 2021 | NEWS

‘Green Horizons’ Newsletter he reen eam produce an internal uarterly newsletter which aims to help raise the environmental awareness of all our staff and build a green ethos across the Charity through sharing information ideas and inspiration. he rst newsletter was published in March and featured a wide range of thought provoking and interesting topics from how to decide whether a hybrid or electric car is right for you recommendations for shopping locally to reduce food miles and a list of our staff’s favourite food and beauty products that are all palm oil free.

New and emerging technologies – the ‘green’ future

Bio-fuels – the future of aviation?

Flight Operations Director an ayne has recently been speaking with aviation leaders about what the industry is doing to become greener’.

“Our helicopters burn significant amounts of aviation fuel and as result we are particularly interested in the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as DAA works towards its ambition to be net zero.

Our actions could have direct effect not only on the environment, but also our reputation and indeed our fundraising activity as an increasing number of people across the globe expect organisations like us to take positive steps.

The use of SAF requires significant technical input from the helicopter manufacturer, engine manufacturer and Civil Aviation Authority. As part of this work, an Airbus H145 helicopter similar to G-DAAS recently flew a trial in Germany with a blend of bio and aviation fuel and DAA have joined the Airbus SAF User Group with attendance at a forthcoming online event. This group seeks to accelerate the use of SAF throughout the airline industry”.

Green to clean!

Thanks to the generous support of South West Water and their new ‘Neighbourhood Fund’, DAA has recently introduced a brand new environmentally-friendly cleaning system. Although relatively new to the to the healthcare sector, it has been tried and tested with positive results by two other air ambulance charities.

The system is supplied by the Global Ecology Group which specialises in ecologically friendly solutions to killing germs. This aligns to Devon Air Ambulance’s ethos of trying to minimise the harm to our environment by using fewer chemicals. This new technology uses an electrochemically activated solution. Essentially, water with a small amount of sodium chloride (salt) added which is subject to electrolysis, meaning that when it meets viruses or bacteria, it causes their cell membrane to burst, exterminating the cell.

The system takes the electrochemically activated water solution and, through nebulisation, creates a mist that is so fine, no moisture is created. That mist is pumped through a pipe onto equipment and surfaces and will be used on board our two rapid response Critical Care Cars. The system will also be used throughout the two DAA airbases. As the mist is ‘dry’ no additional drying methods are required and the speed of application means that extra time is available to be ready to respond.

For more details See usiness on oard on page or visit our ress oom at www.daat.org press room.

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helipad | www.daat.org

TIME

well spent...

Devon Air Ambulance celebrates twenty nine years of service this year, and our Charity really would not be where it is today without the support of our volunteers.

Currently, 700 volunteers are all contributing in their own way to making our service a success and ensuring we can continue to provide the people of Devon with enhanced critical care in their time of need.

For one volunteer in particular her years of dedication service and loyalty has been celebrated this year during ational olunteer Week. his is erry irkham’s inspirational volunteering ourney...

“The start of my volunteer journey began in 1996 with a talk at our local Women’s Institute. I had just retired from my job at the bank, Devon Air Ambulance presenter Nicola asked if anyone would like to volunteer and my dear “friend” nominated me.

My first volunteering role comprised of co-ordinating the refreshments trolley at the Maternity and Gynaecology wards of Exeter’s Heavitree Hospital in 1997. I enjoyed it very much. It involved meeting lots of different people and being able to talk about the work of the air ambulance.

Two years later, I was approached and asked whether I would like to open Devon Air Ambulance’s very first Charity shop which was going to be in Topsham. I said I had no prior experience, and I’d never even been in a charity shop before, but would certainly give it a go!

Thankfully, I managed to gather some WI members together and scrounged some goods to sell, as well as coat hangers and bags. We had a really good laugh, it was wonderful to be given the responsibility of looking after the shop and told we could

Volunteer Manager Cara says...

Our Charity shops have been really impacted over the last year, particularly during the lockdowns when they had to close for extended periods of time and when we had to stand down our amazing volunteers. We cannot thank them enough for their loyalty and willingness to help during this time, for standing by us and remaining available to jump straight back in when we

use our own ideas and initiative to make it a real success.

A fellow volunteer, Mary Mather, helped me and we just muddled along doing whatever we could to encourage more donations, sell stock and keep our customers and supporters happy. Mary sadly passed away this year but she was also a long serving volunteer, like me, dedicating 24 years to the Charity.

In 2001 the shop was relocated, restructured and modernised. Despite being asked if I would consider a paid management role I declined, as I was happy as a volunteer. I had a new grandson and had recently purchased a house in Spain, so I had lots to keep me busy and really enjoyed the flexibility that volunteering offered me.

I thoroughly enjoy my time assisting our shops. While the service and shops have changed a lot since those early days, I look back at all the good times and laughs we had and continue to have. You really feel a part of something special, not only at the shop but in our little community. You also feel a great sense of pride for the work the Charity does to help others in need.”

have asked for help. We’ve missed you – and look forward to welcoming you back over the next few months.

We have lots of volunteering roles to suit all interests and abilities – from helping in our shops, to giving DAA talks, attending events, helping in the office or servicing one of our collection boxes out in the community. If you would like to know about any of our volunteering opportunities, please contact me via email at c.jones@daat.org or by calling 01392 304 343.



Volunteering ro le: Cara Jones - Volunteer Manager Email: c. ones@daat.org Cara is responsible for coordinating volunteering across Devon Air Ambulance, including the recruitment, induction, training and support of our volunteers working in our shops and in the community.

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summer 2021 | VOLUNTEERING

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hank you so much to those of you who were able to oin me online for ational olunteers’ Week. For those who couldn’t be with us everyone at DAA would like to e tend their gratitude and thanks to all our volunteers for what they do to keep our service running.

A special thank you goes out to all our volunteers who received their ong Service Award this year



A special thank you...

...goes to Marilyn and Alan Mac ueen they received the olunteers of the ear’ Award in but because of the pandemic we weren’t able to celebrate this richly deserved award with them last year.



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helipad | www.daat.org

on a pond...

“The impact of an incident is like a pebble being dropped into a pond,” explained Eamonn Concannon when he described the accident that left him fighting for his life. “So many more people are affected than just the patient themselves.”

O

ne morning in early February Eamonn had dropped his wife racey to work in Marks Spencer in arnstaple and was driving back to their home in Westward Ho when he was hit head on by a car whose driver had suffered a diabetic blackout. From dashcam footage Eamonn knows that his car was hit with such force that it rolled over twice before landing.

Eamonn vividly remembers the extreme pain he was in.

As witnesses rushed to help and pulled him out of the

car, an Australian doctor, on holiday in Devon, insisted that Eamonn concentrate just on looking at him and keeping still. A local land ambulance crew were swiftly on-scene and Eamonn remembers hearing them request Air Ambulance assistance.

“Hearing the blades of the helicopter getting closer was just incredible,” said Eamonn.

“I just wanted the pain to go away. I remember the aircrew Doctor giving me instructions then administering a drug called Ketamine. I was

then trussed up like I was going in the oven, but don’t remember anything after that until I woke up in Intensive Care three days later.”

Meanwhile, police officers dashed to Marks & Spencer in Barnstaple to rush Tracey away from work and take her straight to Derriford. At the time, they were unable to tell her anything other than her husband had been involved in an accident.

On arrival at Derriford, Tracey learned the shocking enormity of her husband’s injuries: a split sternum,

internal bleeding, a bleed on the brain, a broken femur and broken toes. Tracey was advised that Eamonn was likely to be in hospital for as much as four months.

Later that day, having left work with nothing but her handbag, and after booking herself into relative’s accommodation in the hospital grounds, Tracey had to buy the basics for her stay.

Following his surgery, Eamonn was placed in an induced coma for three days to allow the swelling in his brain to reduce. Coming

summer 2021 | PATIENTS round, he recalls trying to pull the clips from his chest, unaware of all the major surgery he had been through.

“I remember when the physio team first came in to see me,” he explained. “I’d lost so much muscle from being in bed; they showed

the wheelchair away – I was determined that I wouldn’t need it!”

Despite being warned that Eamonn would be in hospital for many months, the risk and growing awareness of coronavirus changed things and Eamonn was discharged just six weeks later, with a

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suffered panic attacks as she came to terms with the impact of the accident.

Six months on from the accident, Eamonn was walking with the aid of just one crutch and now, eight months on, Eamonn’s recovery is still ongoing.

“I’ve had a couple of set-

day. We are so grateful to everyone who has helped us; we’ve had nothing but kindness shown by so many people. From our two daughters and their families to local friends and Tracey’s employers, everyone has been really brilliant.

And massive thanks, of

backs and I’ve still got a way to go. I might need further surgery as the bone isn’t healing as it should, but I’m still determined that I will walk unaided again one

course, to the aircrew from Devon Air Ambulance and all the staff at Derriford Hospital.

At least I’m still here - we just can’t thank everyone enough”. 

“ ’d lost so much muscle from being in bed the physio team showed me the wheelchair and calmly told me that whilst would hopefully be able to stand up at some point it was unlikely ’d be able to walk. told them to take the wheelchair away was determined that wouldn’t need it ”

me the wheelchair and calmly told me that, whilst I would hopefully be able to stand up at some point, it was unlikely I’d be able to walk. I told them to take

Eamonn with his wife Tracey and their grandchildren, all playing their part to his recovery

programme of physiotherapy to continue at home. He also accessed psychiatric help and counselling to help him understand the impact of PTSD. Tracey too, also

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helipad | www.daat.org

STRATEGICALLY SPEAKING Devon Air Ambulance Chief Executive Heléna Holt explains how our new flexible and agile way of thinking will make us ‘fit for the future’

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our goals. We thought of something we wanted to do like buying a new helicopter, becoming an air operator or clinical independence – and then worked hard to achieve the outcome we wanted.

This traditional model has many benefits, as each objective comes with a set of measurable activities that help us gauge our progress.

However, while this way of planning and working has produced some key successes for us, it is actually quite a rigid approach, based largely on our presumptions about the predictability of the future. We want to ensure we

to come – meaning we can deliver on our overarching purpose – to end preventable death, disability or suffering from critical illness or injury through the delivery of exemplary time-critical care.

To capitalise on the opportunities and address the challenges meant we had to come up with a completely different way to think about our future strategy (don’t be put off by the word ‘strategy’, it really just means how do we get to where we want to go!).

As a charity, we have previously been quite taskorientated and ‘linear’ in our approach to achieving

evon Air Ambulance has always prided itself on being a forward thinking and innovative charity never resting on its laurels or happy to maintain the status uo aware that what may have worked in the past doesn’t necessarily mean it will work in the future.

Operating for over sixteen months in the midst of a pandemic has really made us think, not only about uncertainties in the future but also about the many opportunities that we could embrace to make us a really vibrant, viable and thriving organisation for many years

SH

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can think creatively and change course quickly, particularly if something unexpected happens – like the unprecedented events of the last sixteen months when a global event created such significant ramifications for all of us.

While we’ve been thinking about how to make our strategy more agile, creative and future-proof, the pandemic accelerated these plans as we quickly realised flexibility would help us tackle some of the major events that we might experience, as well as embrace new technologies and ways of working that we may not even know about yet.

summer 2021 | STRATEGY Having brought together thoughts from a number of our staff and trustees, from all parts of the organisation and with an array of different perspectives, we identified a new strategic model that would be the best fit for Devon Air Ambulance.

Instead of tying the strategy to a set of operational objectives, we looked instead at what we need to invest our energy, creativity and resources in, in order to be fit for whatever the future holds and consistently deliver the best possible service to patients. We think this new approach will give us

the capacity for innovation and responsiveness in a rapidly changing world.

Vital to helping us drive this new strategic direction forward is our Board of Trustees and the governance and oversight they bring across four newly identified focus areas. These new areas concentrate on all aspects of our financial growth and income generation, how we embrace and encourage new digital ways of working, making sure we have a high-performing, skilled and engaged team and taking positive steps to reduce our

environmental impact.

To ensure we don’t get stuck either only thinking about today, or worried about what might happen in the future (if 2020 taught us anything it is how hard it is to predict what’s around the corner!), each new focus area is also viewed across a timeframe ranging from Tactical (1-2 years) to Strategic (2-5 years), Visionary (5-10 years) and lastly ‘Over the Horizon’ (10+ years). This helps us think about what we are working on right now whilst helping us keep an eye on the opportunities and

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possibilities in the medium and longer term too, things we may not be able to make concrete plans for but that should colour our thinking.

Chair of Trustees, Margaret Davies, added “Over the past couple of years, we have enhanced our board and the ten current trustees bring with them an impressive range of skills and professional expertise coupled with invaluable realworld experience and insight - all of which is proving really beneficial in helping shape the future direction of Devon Air Ambulance.”

Operations (Devon Air Ambulance Trading Company Limited) End preventable death, disability and suffering from critical illness and injury through exemplary time-critical care to patients.

Chair of the Trading Company, Non-Executive Director Dick Richardson, said: “Our focus is on maximising operational availability of the service, investing not only in frontline service but also supporting patients through their rehabilitation and recovery and using our experience and expertise to support education and prevention initiatives working collaboratively with other agencies.”

People, Talent & Culture Developing a high-performing organisational culture, promoting good practices and supporting and encouraging a diverse workforce.

Chair of the People, Talent & Culture Committee, Trustee Vicky Smiley, said: “It is clear that an organisation is only as good as the people in it, so we know that creating a professional, skilled and diverse workforce is key in driving forward the new strategy. We will therefore be focussing on supporting high-performing and talented staff.”

Financial Growth & Sustainability Creating a clear and consistent income generation strategy to deliver on our vision and being forward thinking in terms of opportunities and future societal changes, achieving best value for every penny raised.

Chair of the Financial Growth & Sustainability Committee, Trustee and Treasurer William Matthewman, said: “As well as maintaining the existing robust oversight of our financial performance, we will be taking a 360 degree view of how income generation can deliver our vision, achieving best value for money through efficiency savings and ensuring stable, ethical investments consistent with our objectives.”

Digital & Technological Mastery Promoting innovation in technology and digital skills, monitoring emerging technologies that could transform our operations in the future, creating a digital culture and looking at new and innovative ways we can use digital in fundraising.

Chair of the Digital & Technological Mastery Committee, Trustee and Vice Chair Julie Hawker, said: “We live in an ever-changing technological world and making sure we embrace and promote all new digital innovations and opportunities that hold potential to transform our operations will be key in ensuring the Charity remains fit for the future.”

Environmental Sustainability & Stewardship Caring about sustainability and management of resources including fuel, buildings and transport.

Supporting the organisation’s ‘green ethos’ via the internal Green Team and promoting greater environmental awareness across all aspects of the organisation.

Chair of the Environmental Sustainability & Stewardship Committee, Trustee Mark Williams, said: “We want to show that we can adapt to the environmental challenges that we face in running an aviationbased organisation. There is no reason we can’t become exemplars, providing a high quality service consistent with supporting ‘green’ principles, raising environmental awareness and being clear about our commitment to tackling the climate change emergency.”

14

helipad | www.daat.org

Everything changed in an instant...

Karen Barber works as a community carer and, one morning in January 2020, while rushing to an early shift, she dashed into her local shops at Heathfield near Newton Abbot to pick up some shopping. The next thing she knew it was about one week later! aren had parked in a layby ad acent to the shops and was ust getting back into her car when a large lorry came alongside to turn right but the driver mis udged the space and hit aren trapping her between the car door and the side of the lorry.

Her lasting memory is how difficult it was to breathe as she crumpled to the oor like a little old lady’.

The driver of the lorry was unaware of what had happened and continued his journey, but the accident

was witnessed by a lady in the shop who immediately ran to help and called 999.

Another witness, Andy,

after the accident - he was heading for the bus to school. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he realised

“ Meeting her surgeon for the rst time she learned that she had suffered horrendous internal in uries with most of her ribs broken like pieces of Meccano’ and ve fractures to her spine ” stayed by her side until paramedics arrived. Karen’s son, 14-year old Charlie, was also at the scene soon

what had happened to his mum.

Devon’s air ambulance crew joined land ambulance

paramedics at the scene and immediately recognised that Karen had suffered lifethreatening internal injuries that would need emergency surgery. The aircrew decided it would be safer to transport Karen to the Major Trauma Centre at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth by road as there was a huge possibility that Karen could deteriorate further and could possibly require life-saving interventions before reaching the hospital; this would be best carried



“

.” summer 2021 | PATIENTS

out in the back of a land ambulance as extra space would have been required.

Karen spent the following four days in Intensive Care and then a Trauma ward before being moved to a regular ward. Meeting her surgeon for the first time, she learned that she had suffered horrendous internal injuries; with most of her ribs broken ‘like pieces of Meccano’ and five fractures to her spine. The fragments of her ribs had lacerated several organs including her lungs, liver and kidneys.

In a nine-hour operation, surgeons were able to stitch most of these but one of her lungs was so badly damaged that half of one lung had been cut away altogether. Karen ended up with eight metal plates in her spine and 67 staples in her back.

Incredibly, Karen was discharged from hospital after just two weeks, but with a lengthy road to recovery ahead of her. It was over six months before Karen could sleep in her bed having been obliged by her injuries to sleep in an upright position in a chair downstairs. She is now walking again, just using a crutch if she goes out. But the impact on her lungs and liver have had longer term implications. Karen explains: “I now get really breathless and I know that my recovery

will be long and slow. I was warned it was likely to be up to two years and I can quite see that now”.

Fortunately, the driver of the lorry was located, and the company he was working for has accepted liability. This enabled Karen to access some much-

been an absolute rock, along with my partner, Steve, who took time out from his job, as well as my mum, who had to come in every day to start with when Charlie went to school. Then came lockdown and I was still helpless; the whole situation really has been life-

“ ’d love to meet the guys who helped me that day to say a very big thank you for everything they did. ” needed physiotherapy and counselling for which she is most grateful.

“I was really struggling to get my head round what had happened. I just went out to work one morning and everything changed in an instant. My family have all been brilliant and my youngest son, Charlie, has

Steve is well on his way to raising his target of £500. If you would like to donate, please visit his fundraising page at: http://bit.ly/StevesWalkToDerriford

changing. I don’t remember much about the incident but I’d love to meet the guys who helped me that day, to say a very big thank you for everything they did.”

To say ‘thank you’ Steve took on his own challenge to raise vital funds for Devon Air Ambulance. He told us: “On the 1st May, I set off to

15

walk from Heathfield, where the accident happened, to Derriford hospital in Plymouth where Karen underwent a nine hour operation following the accident. I wanted to raise as much money as I could for Devon Air Ambulance as I am convinced they saved her life. I decided to make it a bit harder by carrying an extra 20kg in weight for the 30 mile, 11 hour walk, which also took me across Dartmoor.

I was medically discharged from the army after an accident and suffer myself from PTSD, if anyone else has been in this position I would ask them to please dig deep and find the strength to help the next person that might need the help of such an important charity here in Devon.”

Head of Fundraising at Devon Air Ambulance, Sally Hilton, praised Steve and Karen for their support: “Karen suffered terrible injuries during the incident and, nearly 18 months on, she is still undergoing regular check ups and weekly physiotherapy sessions as well as trips to the gym to build up her strength. It’s wonderful that Steve took on his own challenge to support us and it’s a pleasure to be able to stay in touch with Karen as she continues her journey to a full recovery”. 

✖

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summer 2021 | DEVON HERITAGE

17

Bathing Beauties!

Here in Devon, with our abundance of spectacular award-winning beaches, we are very used to the sight of rows of brightly coloured beach huts adorning our seaside promenades. They are so familiar to all of us who enjoy the coast, and their story is actually one closely associated with the rise in popularity of the British seaside resort, dating back over 200 years.

I

regularly flouted and, by the 1890s, there was a move n the middle of the th century when doctors started to towards mixed bathing as was more routinely seen in evangelise about the bene ts of cold sea baths and bracing Europe and North America. As the decade slipped into the sea air as the latest fashionable cure all’ for all manner of ills Edwardian period, and as Victorian anxiety about modesty and ailments the wealthy sick and elderly started to become started to relax, it became a more acceptable sight to see fascinated by the seaside and looked to the coast as centres men and women walking across the sand in their bathing of treatment not leisure. For many of us love of the seaside is deeply rooted in our childhood memories of sand sea and fun costumes. At this point, swathes of striped changing tents began to pop up and the bathing machines were divested but it has to be remember that until this time beaches were of their wheels to become more akin to the static beach predominately the preserve of shermen and smugglers huts we know today.

The earliest history of the beach hut can be traced back Between the wars, new more modern looking blocks to Scarborough, arguably the world’s first seaside resort on of brightly coloured beach huts and chalets began to the beautiful windswept North Sea coast of East Yorkshire appear, with easy access to the beach and terraces for where the mobile changing room became a regular the newly popular leisure coastal feature. In 1789, their pursuit of sunbathing. popularity got a huge boost After the Second World when George II gave the royal “ Swathes of striped changing tents War, the old dilapidated seal of approval to this new began to pop up and the bathing bathing huts were largely fashion for sea bathing by allegedly taking a medicinal machines were divested of their wheels swept away along with the barbed wire, and crowds of salt water bath at Weymouth, to become more akin to the static beach holiday-makers once again accompanied to a rendition of descended on the coast in huts we know today. ” God Save the King! large numbers during the In the 19th century, perhaps 1950s and 1960s. driven by Victorian sensibilities, Today, the beach hut is still a traditional sight at our a moveable changing room on wheels – what we would think beaches, and Devon has some fine examples, many of of as a bathing machine – became all the fashion. Patrons traditional style but others which are more modern in design. could disrobe in private near the promenade, before a horse Owners often take great pride in their huts, and you will see pulled the contraption down to the waters edge where an array of different colours, seaside themed décors and they could slip discretely into the sea from the front of the even mod cons like kettles and fridges (electricity allowing!). machine. Queen Victoria was so enamoured with the bathing machine that she had her own personal one built for use near Rather than being utilitarian and basic, they are now often considered chic boutique hide-aways, with a price to match!

Osborne House, her summer retreat on the Isle of Wight.

It’s not hard to see therefore why the humble seaside beach The original norm to keep female and male bathers hut is more popular today than it’s ever been!  suitably separated to maintain decorum was actually

18

helipad | www.daat.org

Water World

storage box – either will provide a habitat and water source for eing responsible for the general maintenance of the garden wildlife.

Cool arden at HS osemoor from its inception has Once a suitable container has been selected, dig a hole in a made me realise how surprisingly uickly water attracts an semi shady spot in your garden and sink the container with the enormous amount of very diverse wildlife. From frogs toads lip slightly protruding above the surface. It’s important to have and newts to water boatmen and dragon ies and we even had footprints in the sediment indicating that an otter had paid the water easily accessible so that aquatic creatures like frogs, toads and newts can get in and out and that other garden birds a visit t instilled in me an interest in the many mini beasts and mammals can use it to drink that encounter while maintaining the from. If you are creating a larger pond such as the Whirligig beetle “ Creating a water garden garden pond, make sure that there yrinus substriatus a tiny black shiny enables us gardeners to is a way out for any unfortunate beetle that whizzes around the water’s animal that happens to fall in! For surface and has two pairs of eyes one successfully embrace the hedgehogs are excellent looking up and one looking down conditions we have wherever we instance, swimmers but will need to be able Who knew Just this week have to get out if they decide to go for a witnessed a mass hatching of may ies are located turning a potential paddle, so a sloping edge or even a and observed my rst damsel y. problem into a focal point. ” half-submerged rock will make sure North Devon is particularly noted they can stay safe. for its high annual rainfall so Add gravel and some small harnessing this abundance of water stones to the bottom and if you by channelling it to a particular can, create a shallow ledge for part of a site and creating a water marginal plants and install larger garden enables us gardeners stones up to the surface to allow to successfully embrace the access in and out, this will also conditions we have wherever we create a damp area when water are located, turning a potential levels fluctuate for beetles, bugs problem into a focal point at the and flies. A pond doesn’t work in same time as helping to address isolation, so consider letting grass urban run-off. grow around a side for shade and Introducing water as part of your cover but leaving an open area for garden doesn’t mean you have to basking. Larger shrubs and trees create a full-on lake. Something as in the immediate vicinity will provide cover and safety for birds simple as a sunken container, planted with a small selection of wanting to drink and bathe. Even if your new pond isn’t close to aquatic and marginal plants is just as beneficial. an electricity source, if you have space consider investing in a Any water-tight container can act as a mini wildlife pond – small solar fountain and pond pump, both of which will enhance perhaps try an old, clean washing up bowl or a large plastic

summer 2021 | GARDENS your pond and help to oxygenate the water.

Once filled with water (preferably rainwater), a selection of plants can be added. These can be broken down into categories: • Underwater plants such as the oxygenators hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) or star grass (Callitriche hermaphroditica).

• Plants whose growth emerges from the water’s surface; water iris (Iris ensata) is a favourite and allows for larvae to crawl out of the water when turning into adults.

• Plants that float on the surface can provide a resting spot and help shade the water in summer; ideal candidates for this are the white water lily (Nymphaea alba) and ivy leaved duckweed (Lemna trisulca).

• Marginal planting of pollinator friendly plants will attract hoverflies and bees in the summer, including lesser spearwort (Ranunculus flammula), flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus) and marsh marigold (Caltha palustris).

Water iris (Iris ensata)

Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris)

Whatever size, shape and type of pond you choose to include in your garden you may (if you are like me) become engrossed in the fascinating micro ecosystem it creates but hopefully not to the detriment of the rest of your garden. 

19

Here’s a list of other gardening jobs to think about over the summer months:

• Hoe borders regularly to keep down weeds.

• Be water-wise, especially in drought-affected areas.

• Harvest lettuce, radish, other salads and early potatoes.

• Position summer hanging baskets and containers outside.

• Mow lawns once a week (consider leaving some areas uncut for wildlife).

• Plant out summer bedding plants.

• Stake tall or floppy plants.

• Prune many spring-flowering shrubs.

• Shade greenhouses to keep them cool and prevent scorch.

• Water tubs and new plants if dry, but be water-wise.

• Deadhead bedding plants and repeat-flowering perennials, to ensure continuous flowering.

• Clear algae, blanket weeds and debris from ponds, and keep them topped up.

• Prune Wisteria.

• Watering! - particularly containers, and new plants, preferably with grey recycled water or stored rainwater.

• Continue cutting out old fruited canes on raspberries.

• Lift and pot up rooted strawberry runners.

• Divide herbaceous perennials.

• Collect and sow seed from perennials and hardy annuals.

• Cover leafy vegetable crops with bird-proof netting.

• Plant spring flowering bulbs.

Gardens

Richard Wilson - RHS Rosemoor Horticulturist

I have been with the RHS as a member of the Formal Gardens team here at Rosemoor since May 2015 and am currently responsible for the maintenance of our colour themed gardens, the Hot and Cool gardens. In addition to this, areas of shrubbery along the stream side fall within my remit. I live near Barnstaple and enjoy helping with volunteer garden projects. I run competitively, row with Barnstaple Pilot Gig Club and enjoy long distance cycling. In my spare time, I tend to sleep!

20

helipad | DEVON CHARACTERS

Pri

Game, set & match

Nothing epitomises the British summertime more than lawn tennis and, 60 years ago this year, a Devon born player took the ultimate prize at Wimbledon

U

s self deprecating rits are often characterised as plucky runners up falling at the last or losing in a vital penalty shootout. ever mind as long as they gave their all. Well that’s ust rubbish ritish Olympians and sporting greats like Mo Farrar Jessica Ennis Hill Andy Murray and ewis Hamilton are testament to the fact that we can produce the best of the best turning the ’plucky rit’ into a ercely competitive winner.

But it wasn’t always so. In 1961, England lost the Ashes on home soil, American Arnold Palmer won the British Open, France won the Rugby Union Five Nations and, before the tournament began, no home player had got anywhere near a Wimbledon singles title since Fred Perry in 1936 and Dorothy Round in 1937.

That all changed on the 8th July 1961 when the Women’s Wimbledon Final was the first all-British singles final since 1914, with seventh seed Angela Mortimer taking on Christine Truman.

The match swung this way and that but, despite losing the first set, ultimately Devon born Mortimer triumphed in a tight contest winning 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Florence Angela Margaret Mortimer Barrett was born in Plymouth on 21 April 1932 and was raised in Kingkerswell near Newton Abbot. She didn’t start playing tennis until the age of 15 but soon showed her class, getting into the world’s top 10 within

six years and achieving the World No.1 spot in 1961.

Angela Mortimer was a much admired baseline player who was almost as famous for steadfastly refusing to wear dresses on court, preferring to sport her trademark shorts. Ex-tennis pro turned fashion designer, Teddy Tinling, tried to persuade her to let him design dresses for her, but she steadfastly refused. He eventually acquiesced and started to design ladies tennis shorts!

Having already won the French and Australian singles titles and a Wimbledon doubles final, her Wimbledon singles win at the age of 29 was the pinnacle of her career and she retired the following year.

Awarded an MBE for services to lawn tennis in the 1967 New Years Honours, in April of the same year Mortimer married BBC commentator, author and former Davis Cup player, John Barrett and since then both have been inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame making them one of only two husband and wife couples to be honoured in this way, the others being Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.

Had Mortimer been picking up the Venus Rosewater Dish as Wimbledon Champion today, she would have been banking around £1.7 million to go with it. Back in 1961, it’s said her winning prize was a £20 voucher to spend on tennis-related items. 

Only

summer 2021 | LOTTERY

£er 1weeyk

p ntr e

10es of

Priz

£50

More important than ever! First

21

Prize

£135

Devon Air Ambulance’s in-house weekly Lottery is our second biggest income stream, raising over £2 million in 2020, which makes it essential to the Charity and to keeping our helicopters in the air and saving countless lives every year.

ts success is down to the loyalty commitment and continued support of our members. We love surprising our lucky winners every week with the good news that a prize is on its way to them and we in turn benefit from having a regular source of income which really helps with how we plan for the future.

Our lottery team has worked hard to adapt to the way in which the Lottery is operated, and we are proud to say we haven’t missed a single weekly lottery draw, despite some of the challenges we’ve faced!

While we all faced severe restrictions in 2020 and 2021, our dedicated team of canvassers were still able to find ways to meet the public safely and securely so that they could promote the Lottery and our life-saving work. We are delighted that since April of this year when more restrictions were lifted, our team have signed up a further 1,733 new chances with an additional revenue of £90,116!

0

Whether you play our Lottery by joining via one of our friendly canvassers, online

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THANK YOU! for your continued support

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5

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Tracy has been with DAA for over 14 years and oversees all aspects of fundraising, including working with those who have nominated us as their Charity of the Year, business supporters and our own in-house lottery.

5

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Prize Crossword

summer 2021 | CROSSWORD

23

WIN TWO TICKETS TO RHS ROSEMOOR

Thank you to everyone who entered our Helipad Prize Crossword in Spring 2021 issue. We are delighted to announce that Angela Wilson of Plymouth was the winner of our fantastic Devon Cider prize.

We’ve teamed up with our friends at RHS Rosemoor to offer our lucky winner two complimentary entry tickets to their gardens near Great Torrington. With its delightful valley setting, Rosemoor blends formal and informal gardens and planting to magical effect. As well as the spectacular horticulture, Rosemoor also offers tempting food, drink and retail opportunities to suit everyone - not just the keen gardener!

Even if you aren’t lucky enough to win, why not go to www.rhs.org.uk to plan your own visit to Rosemoor.

Clues Down 1. Single mast sailing boat (5) 2. Brass _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The practice of transferring the image on church plaques and monuments on to paper by tracing with graphite, wax or chalk (7) 3. Steep-sided hollow in Bradley Wood near Newton Abbot where Presbyterian preacher William Yeo held illegal services after the restoration in 1660 (8, 3) 4. An officer of the king’s stables whose duty it was to provide oats for the horses (6) 5. One of two shortened work shifts usually in a maritime setting (8) 6. Snooker rod (3) 7. Henri _ _ _ _ _ _ _, French artist b. 1869 (7) 8. Yuletide (9) 13. State of mutual dependence of benefit (11) 14. Elaborate display or ceremony (9) 16. My Boy _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1964 hit for Millie Small (8) 18. First name of the actor who plays Rigsby and Perrin (7) 20. Italian rice dish (7) 21. North _ _ _ _ _ _, town near Okehampton once home to Poet Laureate Ted Hughes (6) 24 Henry _ _ _ _ _, ascended the throne after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 (5) 26. _ _ _ 9000. Name of the iconic computer in the 1968 Oscar winning movie, 2001: a Space Odyssey (3)

© Proteus

Clues Across 1. A place for receiving and handling old metal including junked cars (9) 6. Stand up; reading material for children (5) 9. John and George: playwright and Chancellor (7) 10. “The whole is _ _ _ _ _ _ _than the sum of the parts.” Aristotle (7) 11. 21st letter of the Greek alphabet (3) 12. Books that list the meaning of words with groups of synonyms (11) 14. People who adhere to a pre-Christian religion (6) 15. What Italians call ‘gelato’ (3.5) 17. Torbay village located close to Greenway, the former home of Agatha Christie (8) 19. Broadcaster or electrician? (6) 22. Type of dry sherry (11) 23. Drunkard (3) 25. Café for light refreshments (3, 4) 27. Affected by rot or decay (7) 28. To sing in a way associated with the Swiss Alps (5) 29. Mid Devon hamlet, part of Cruwys Morchard parish (9)

How to enter (and terms and conditions) Complete the crossword to reveal the letters in the blue shaded boxes - simply solve the anagram to identify a word relating to Devon Air Ambulance.

Enter online at www.daat.org/crossword-competition-summer-2021 or by writing your name, contact details and the answer on a postcard, and posting to: Helipad Crossword Competition Summer 2021, Devon Air Ambulance, 5 Sandpiper Court, Harrington Lane, Exeter, EX4 8NS. The competition is free to enter, one entry per person.

The closing date for entries to be received is midnight on FRIDAY 17th SEPTEMBER 2021 when the successful winning entry will be selected at random.

Full Terms and Conditions can be found at www.daat.org/crossword-summer-2021-terms-and-conditions or by writing to The Editor at the above address.

Spring 2021 Solution - The answer to the anagram was …. PARAMEDIC ACROSS: 1 Thematic 6 Creedy 9 Plymouth Sound 10 Strike 11 Reassess 13 Dreamworld 15 Nana 16 Agur 18 Impeachers 21 Camelia 22 Prompt 23 Airworthiness 25 Handel 26 Northlew DOWN: 2 Hipster 3 May Disagree 4 Trove 5 Caterer 6 Cassandra 7 Emu 8 Dodgson 12 Synchromesh 14 Whirlpool 17 Granada 19 Phaeton 20 Risposte 22 Prior 24 Red

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Peacock butterfly Aglais io

Flutter by Butterfly

Inspired by three more unusual sightings in the heat of last summer (more later), Helipad’s Armchair Twitcher takes a look at another of his winged garden favourites – butterflies and moths – and finds out how you can help them thrive. he sight of a butter y in our garden con ures up images of warmth and sunshine. Watching their colourful wings darting and itting delicately around the borders is a tangible sign that summer has nally arrived. ot only are they beautiful and captivating they are also highly sensitive indicators of the health of the environment play a crucial role in the food chain and are top pollinators.

It is estimated that butterflies and moths have been around for at least 50 million years, perhaps first evolving some 150 million years ago.

Sadly, it is believed that three quarters of British butterflies are in decline and four have become extinct in the last 150 years.

There are 59 species of butterfly in the UK (two migratory) and it is believed, of those, 56 are under threat from environmental change. Because of their fragility and short life span, they react quickly to changes in environmental conditions which is why they are useful early indicators of the health of an ecosystem.

Where you find butterflies and moths, you also find creatures

that predate on them, mostly when they are caterpillars, such as birds, bats, reptiles and small mammals. It is estimated that blue tit chicks in Britain and Ireland alone eat an estimated 50 billion moth caterpillars every year!

Given their tendency to be more muted in colour and design, and largely active at night, moths perhaps don’t get the same attention as their colourful cousins, but they are just as important to maintaining biodiversity. Currently, over 2,500 species of moth live in Britain, across a wide range of habitats but, like butterflies, they are also in serious decline. To help encourage moths into our gardens, avoid using harmful pesticides or herbicides and consider leaving a patch of your garden unkempt, as longer grass, fallen leaves, weeds and other plant debris is the ideal environment for moths to thrive and survive, particularly over winter.

As for my own experience, I am lucky to have a variety of flowering plants in my garden (as well as some less tidy bits!) so seeing butterflies and moths is a summer treat, even the more ubiquitous Cabbage White or Red Admiral. Last year I was chuffed to see a Jersey Tiger moth basking on my patio doors, a Silver Y moth enjoying a moments rest on my garden chair and a Peacock butterfly, beautifully displayed against a wilting leaf in the border – I am hoping for more equally interesting sightings this year!

So why not take some time this summer to really appreciate the beauty and importance of these colourful and very welcome garden visitors. 

summer 2021 | NATURE

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Jonathan Aylett, Chair of the Devon branch of Butterfly Conservation tells us how you can get involved to help protect and encourage these vitally important Devon garden creatures which are sadly among the most threatened groups of wildlife in the UK. Butterfly Conservation is a remarkable society whose 40,000 members are dedicated to saving butterflies and moths and the environment which supports these extraordinarily beautiful and fascinating insects in the UK, many of which are sadly in decline.

Butterflies are the best studied UK insects by far, providing vital insights into the changing state of wider biodiversity and the ecosystem services that depend upon it, as well as an important opportunity for the general public to engage with conservation, citizen science and the natural world. Research is a key component of the work done by Butterfly Conservation and the records of butterflies and moths sent by the public are the foundation for everything it does.

By joining Butterfly Conservation members can feel confident that they are part of a world class organisation of dedicated staff and volunteers which has already achieved an enormous amount to bring about a greater awareness of the significance of butterflies and moths in our lives. We look to engage with more people, more communities and with government in the quest to protect wildlife and to address the ecological and climate crises. With 32 branches across the UK there are ample opportunities for people to learn more about butterflies and moths and to work as volunteers on reserves or in other capacities within a branch.

May I invite anyone with an interest in our environment, and butterflies and moths in particular, to join Butterfly Conservation. You will not be disappointed by what it has to offer. Contact the Devon Branch at: www.devon-butterflies.org.uk

Bu

leia

Silver Y Moth Autographa gamma

Jersey Tiger Euplagia quadripunctaria

he utterfly ush

There are many plants you can put in your garden to attract butterflies, such as lavender, wallflowers and herbs, but the king of them all is the humble Buddleia, the ‘butterfly bush’. It is also sometimes rather disparagingly called the ‘railway plant’ for its ability to thrive in the unloved, unkempt and untended stony wasteland of train station sidings, meaning it is actually classified as an ‘invasive species’! However, with a bit of caution and careful tending, this also means it is easy to grow in most soils and most settings.

This tenacious plant comes in a variety of colours, ranging from pink and red, through purple and white. A summer bloomer, the large drooping flowers are full of nectar and are a magnet for all sorts of flying insects but are the particular favourite of butterflies in late summer.

If you don’t have a large garden, there are dwarf or ornamental varieties suitable for pots, but if you opt for a standard variety, make sure you prune it hard in the late spring as it can grow up to 8 feet in a single season... and don’t forget to cut back seed heads after flowering to prevent it spreading where it’s not wanted!

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chagford small town, big heart, huge spirit Helipad’s Neil

The Market Square

Feeding the community

Devons explores Chagford, a fascinating town on the north-east edge of Dartmoor, buzzing with community spirit

I

t isn’t easy to pick what to write about Chagford because there’s ust so much to write about For a modestly sized Dartmoor town with a population of around it certainly punches above its weight when it comes to community initiatives retail therapy hospitality and artistic endeavour.

Chagford, which can be translated as “a river ford where gorse grows”, became established because of the medieval wool trade but grew significantly in wealth and reputation when it was made a ‘stannary’ town in 1305, where tin was brought to be assayed and traded and where courts had the right to

settle miners’ disputes and hand out punishments.

When the wool trade declined after the boom in the 17th and 18th centuries, Chagford became more popular as a visitor destination and so it remains today with a wide range of accommodation, four pubs, restaurants and cafés, as well as Gidleigh Park Hotel, with its 2 Michelin stars. It also boasts a plethora of independent shops and galleries and an impressive range of historic medieval and

tudor buildings - all this set against the glorious backdrop of Dartmoor.

No wonder this busy little place is a perfect tourist hotspot which appears regularly on the Sunday Times Best Place to Live list.

However, it’s not just the physical, historical and topographical attraction that makes Chagford what it is - it’s the spirit of community itself!

Local people are absolutely key in creating and supporting the many and varied events held here each year.

et’s start with Chagfood. ow into its second decade Chagfood is a community market garden supplying year round organic vegetables herbs and owers to its shareholders in the town and neighbouring parishes. From its seven acre garden’ it supplies over local households connecting the community to the source of their food and in so doing eliminating food miles.

Similarly Chagfarm aims to make the local community’s food supply more resilient and accessible to local people through a sustainable and ethical farming model. Founded by brothers Sylvan and Davon Friend Chagfarm is a Community nterest Company which like Chagfood is aiming to directly reconnect farmer and consumer.

summer 2021 | CHAGFORD

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The job’s a good ‘un How do you get the community to commit to zero waste and environmental sustainability when you live miles away from the nearest recycling centre Chagford’s answer was to establish roper Job which began as a community composting pro ect in before becoming a limited company describing itself as a community business committed to principles of sustainability and helping to create obs . hree years ago roper Job was recognised by the Charities Commission and became a registered charity. he ob ectives of the roper Job esource Centre are the protection and preservation of the environment by the promotion of waste reduction re use and recycling and advancing education of the general public about all aspects of waste generation waste management and waste recycling. art of the initiative is ptown a shop in Chagford S uare selling donated items from the roper Job esource Centre as well as repaired restored and upcycled items from local crafts people. heir mission is to reduce waste create obs and volunteering opportunities educate people on repairing re using and recycling and to prevent Chagford from losing its shop fronts.

Fun & Festivals From a micro-festival in a back garden in 2003 to 5,000 revellers descending on our little Dartmoor town in July, Chagstock is one of the region’s best known music festivals and has attracted many top names over the years including The Boomtown Rats, the Stranglers and Billy Bragg.

Described by local celebrity Ade Edmondson as “the best little festival in the South West”, Chagstock is also a staunch supporter of Devon Air Ambulance.

Music isn’t the only festival to enjoy hereabouts.

Chagford also hosts the Dartmoor literary festival named, not surprisingly, Chagword. With high quality speakers, the festival provides new opportunities for local people to experience literature firsthand and engages all age groups in the literary arts.

Chagford Film Festival, somewhat inevitably dubbed Chagfilm, is a week-long event in September showcasing eclectic films, hosting special guests (they have

ar making Our own Ambrose Be tock an appearance at Chags

even had an Oscar winner) and a range of participative events and workshops.

Another celebrated event is the Dartmoor hill pony sale which traditionally takes place after the annual ‘drift’, when herds are rounded up and brought down off the moor.

The foals which were born in the previous spring are later sold at Chagford Market.

As a centre for creativity with an untold number of artists, sculptors, illustrators, jewellers, potters, leather-makers, photographers and other crafts people, it will come as no surprise that Chagford has an annual showcase for them in the Wonderworks Craft Fair.

While it has sadly had to be cancelled for 2021, it aims to make a comeback in December 2022.

Also cancelled for 2021 is the Chagford Agricultural and Horticultural Show which will also be back next year to take its honoured place in the veritable cornucopia of Chagford events.

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Making a splash ou wouldn’t e pect a mid Dartmoor town the size of Chagford to have any kind of purpose built swimming facility let alone one that is the largest open air fresh water pool in the South West Fed by the iver eign the metre pool is warmed by air source heat pumps and solar panels. t was originally dug out by locals in and had a mud bottom

re uiring it from time to time to be emptied sluiced out and cleaned by the re brigade on practice nights.

Over the years many improvements have been made starting with a concrete base but including covers paving decking an updated plant room and in the pool was eventually lined. Funds were raised by local volunteers swimming over miles now that’s some community commitment

Two murders, two ghosts

Letter-boxing starts here

The beating heart of Chagford is surely the beautiful 13th-century parish church of St Michael the Archangel which was dedicated by Bishop Branscombe in 1261. The tower was actually built in the 15th century but the west window was retained from the 13th-century church. There are many notable monuments here including a Royal Coat of Arms (George IV) and a benefaction board with details of the annual donation of bread to the poor.

In 1641, one Mary Whiddon is said to have been shot dead on the steps by a jealous suitor as she and her new husband left the church following their wedding. The Whiddons’ home is what we now know as The Three Crowns Hotel and it is said that any bride marrying from the building is likely to encounter Mary’s ghost.

The porch of the Three Crowns was also the place where poet, MP and Royalist soldier Sidney Godolphin was shot and killed by Parliamentary forces in 1643. It is claimed he also haunts the spot and occasionally other rooms in the hotel.

n the churchyard there is a memorial to James errott a famous Dartmoor guide who led visitors across the moors. Among errott’s clients were the novelists Charles Dickens Charles ingsley and D lackmore. errot also invented letter bo ing the rst being placed at Cranmere ool in . etter bo ing is the pastime of hunting down hidden containers on Dartmoor by following clues and then e changing stamps. ypically the letter bo will contain a visitor book stamp and inkpad for letter bo ers to add to their collection. ake note though before you go rushing off in into the wild in pursuit of these elusive bo es prepare well seek advice and take all the precautions you can for walking on the moor.

Tinners’ Rabbits The three hares symbol, or Tinners’ Rabbits, are a powerful but mysterious emblem depicting three hares chasing each other in a circle, with each ear shared by two hares creating a triangle, so that only three ears are shown. They are found around the world but particularly in medieval church bosses and 29 can be found in 17 Devon churches including two in St Michael’s in Chagford.

For reasons not fully understood, the image is thought to have been adopted by the tin miners around the 15th century although its origins go much further back.

summer 2021 | CHAGFORD

29

Distinctive Chagford Buildings he listed Market House in the centre of the s uare is probably Chagford’s most distinctive building and was the location of the old Stannary Court. he octagonal structure built in replaced an earlier market building known as the Shambles’ a name traditionally associated with a slaughterhouse which was used for both livestock markets as well as local fetes and festivals for which the town remains famous.

• Endecott House is also on the market s uare and was a former church house and village school. t’s named after John Endecott a Chagford resident who was also a ilgrim Father and became the longest serving governor of the Massachusetts ay Colony.

On Southcombe Street is Bishop’s House a pictures ue late medieval house with a thatched roof. he house takes its name from ishop ranscombe and is one of the oldest buildings in the town.

• Bowdens Ironmongers is legendary. t started life in as a forge making agricultural tools and machinery but today is a multi product shop selling a mind boggling range of countryside related goods and clothing homeware and ironmongery. he shop even boasts a small museum showing what a traditional ironmonger’s was like. t was on these premises that the rst radio valve set in Devon was built in attracting hundreds of eager listeners.

• Gidleigh Park is a world renowned

Star hotel with a Michelin Stars rating offering sumptuous food based on uality local produce and an impressive wine cellar. uilt in an imposing udor style the hotel sits in acres of beautiful mature terraced grounds.

earby Chagford is Castle Drogo a folly construction designed by Sir Edwin utyens for millionaire Julius Drewe and now owned by the ational rust. uilt to look ancient Drogo is in fact the last castle ever built in England being opened in .

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Our supporter profile is 75% female, average age is 55 years, ABC1 with very healthy disposable income. Helipad is published 3 times a year and offers fantastic value and reach within engaged Devon households.

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l l a s ’ t I ! e m o t k e e r G While a foreign holiday may be off the cards for most of us this year, nothing shouts summer sun more than the flavours of Greece, eaten al fresco.

So re up the barbecue banish the boring burgers and sad sausages and try livening things up with these super easy super avoursome recipes perfect for bringing a touch of the Mediterranean to your Devon garden

Greek Butterflied Lamb his is a spectacular sure re winner for a special barbecue.

Ingredients Serves 6 leg of lamb . kg . lbs butter ied ask your butcher to take the bone out or readily available already butter ied from many supermarkets cloves garlic crushed tablespoons olive oil ml reek or natural yoghurt Juice of a lemon tsp of dried oregano chopped fresh rosemary or thyme.

Method • Blend the crushed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, herbs and yoghurt into a marinade, seasoned with a little salt and a generous grinding of black pepper.

• Place the lamb into a large dish and coat the meat all over with the yoghurt marinade.

• Leave in the fridge for four hours, or overnight if possible.

• When you are ready to start cooking, place the lamb on the barbecue for 20 minutes, turn and cook for a further 20 minutes (if you like your lamb pink, you can reduce this to 15 minutes). In the event of inclement weather that forces you inside, place the lamb in a roasting tray and pop in the oven for 40 minutes, 190ºc, 375ºf, Gas Mark 5.

• Remove the lamb from the barbecue and leave to rest for 15 minutes before serving. o Serve Slice the lamb as thin or thick as you like and serve with a glazed vegetable kebab or potato parcel as a side - or serve in a split and griddled flatbread or pitta bread with one of our cool or zingy dips.

summer 2021 | FOOD & DRINK

Lemon Glazed Mediterranean Vegetable Kebabs Ingredients Serves 6 courgettes thickly sliced large aubergine cut into chunks red onions cut into wedges red or green pepper deseed and cut into chunks whole cherry tomatoes tablespoon olive oil tablespoons lemon uice tsps lemon thyme nely chopped tsp Di on mustard

Potato Parcels with Feta, Basil & Black Olives Ingredients Serves 6 g small new potatoes no need to peel tablespoons olive oil g packet of feta cheese pitted black olives Small handful of basil leaves coarsely ripped up.

Method • Soak 6 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes (to prevent them burning).

• Make the glaze by combining the olive oil, lemon juice, thyme and mustard, and season with salt and pepper.

• Thread each skewer with the vegetable pieces and brush with the glaze • Cook on the barbecue for 15/20 minutes until golden, turning frequently and adding more glaze as required.

Method • Put the potatoes in a large saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil, cook for about 10 minutes until just tender.

• Drain the potatoes and divide equally between 6 large pieces of kitchen foil.

• Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes along with the crumbled feta, black olives and basil leaves.

• Carefully lift the edges of each piece of foil and scrunch together at the top, forming a tightly sealed parcel.

• Place each parcel onto the barbecue and cook for 10-15 minutes.

• Carefully unwrap, checking the potatoes are cooked and tender using a sharp knife or skewer before serving.

wn o d t i l o o c Dips to p! u t i e c i p s – or

Traditional tzatziki

ml pot of reek yoghurt cucumber deseeded and nely chopped clove of garlic crushed Handful of mint leaves chopped

Mi all the ingredients together to create a cooling accompaniment to your reek lamb.

Tomato, chilli and lime salsa green chilli deseeded and nely chopped red chilli deseeded and nely chopped large tomatoes deseeded and nely chopped unch of spring onions nely chopped Small handful of coriander leaves nely chopped Juice of a lime with the grated zest added for a touch more zingy ness Mi all the ingredients together to form a re ned salsa bursting with Mediterranean colour avours and heat

Editor’s Note: Never take disposable barbecues to the countryside or beach – they can easily cause a fire and also create litter. Always use responsibly in your own garden and dispose of according to manufacturers’ guidelines.

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Darryl's long road to recovery In May 2002, on his way to work one morning, Darryl’s car was involved in a head-on collision with a 40-ton lorry.

Darryl suffered catastrophic injuries and needed specialist help fast. he Devon Air Ambulance helicopter soon arrived on scene and specialist paramedics immediately assessed Darryl’s in uries. t was clear that he needed urgent help. His condition was stabilised by critical care paramedics at the scene and he was then swiftly airlifted to the D E hospital for further intensive care. ests showed that upon impact Darryl had broken all of the bones in his skull and had suffered a severe brain in ury with only chance of survival. His an ious family were told that if he was lucky enough to pull through he would likely suffer lifelong conse uences.

But Darryl did survive.

He endured several major operations and he and his family prepared themselves for the long, difficult journey back towards full health. He remained in the hospital for eight weeks where he had to learn to do simple everyday tasks again.

Darryl’s proud partner Peta shared her experience of Darryl’s recovery: “I am a support worker for young adults with autism and learning disabilities. In November 2019 I started to work with young people

because I wanted to make a difference to someone who has a life to live and a possibility to improve their capabilities and learn new skills. It’s hard work but it’s so rewarding to see every little accomplishment, it makes me proud and happy to be part of it. Rehabilitation has been a major part of Darryl’s life and I know just how much he

try to raise as much money as we can to help Devon Air Ambulance to save more lives like they saved Darryl”.

Since the accident, Darryl has suffered with epilepsy and experienced PTSD, depression and anxiety and

“ We want to say thank you and now that Darryl feels strong enough our way to do that is by doing a fundraising walk from the D E Hospital to Dawlish to try to raise as much money as we can to help Devon Air Ambulance to save more lives like they saved Darryl ” has achieved and how every small step has made a huge difference to him.

I know that Darryl would’ve died that day, had it not been for the crew of the Devon Air Ambulance who helped him at the scene and then flew him so quickly to get the urgent intensive care he needed. We want to say thank you and, now that Darryl feels strong enough, our way to do that is by doing a fundraising walk from the RD&E Hospital to Dawlish to

to this date he struggles with sudden changes, too much

noise and he’s prone to panic attacks. His neurologist told him that he would never be able to work again.

But Darryl is a determined, strong and very brave man who has become an inspiration to others, showing immense perseverance and determination. His recovery has been so fantastic and successful that 19 years later - and against the odds - Darryl started a full-time job with Exeter Council in September 2020!

Everyone here at Devon Air Ambulance would like to send our very best wishes to Darryl and his family for a bright and fulfilling future. 

Darryl and team at the start of their fundraising walk

Darryl and Peta’s walk from the RD&E Exeter to Dawlish took place on the 29th May but if you would like to make a contribution, please visit their JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/peta-patrocinio1 to help them reach their fundraising goal. It will mean a great deal to them both as every penny counts towards helping to save another life.



Your generous support keeps Devon’s Air Ambulances flying – to make a regular donation, please complete the attached Direct Debit form or follow instructions on the main menu of our website home page

eeping in ouch Þ There are many ways to contact the team at Devon Air Ambulance: www.daat.org – You’ll find lots of information about the Charity and our service on our website. If you’ve been airlifted, go to our Who We Help page and tell us your patient story. For all sorts of fundraising advice and information, go to our Get Involved pages

c Message us, like our page, share

our events, post photos if you see our helicopter and post a review if you’ve witnessed our service first-hand

d For news from the aircrew and our Charity staff, follow DevonAirAmb to see what we’re up to

f Find us at devonairambulance on Instagram

Email us at info@daat.org 01392 466666 Write to us at 5 Sandpiper Court, Harrington Lane, Exeter EX4 8NS

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helipad | www.daat.org

One Shop’s Journey...

As we open our latest shop at St Marychurch in Torbay, Retail Operations Manager Chrissie Peel takes us behind the scenes to give us an insight into how a new Devon Air Ambulance shop goes from initial concept to finished retail space.

Once we have found a shop that we think meets all the here are lots of different factors to consider when requirements, staff from our retail operations, facilities and thinking about opening a new shop where geography leadership teams come together to assess all these factors is important to ensure we have a good distribution of shops before committing to the process of lease negotiations. across Devon potential volunteer support in the community The lease negotiations themselves normally take between six operational activity and fundraising engagement in the area and seven months although, for St Marychurch, it took over 14 to name but a few months due to the interruptions in the process caused by the In order to find a suitable premises, we are registered with a pandemic. number of estate agents, but we also put out feelers to our Once the lease has been staff and volunteers, as they agreed the real work starts! I often have invaluable local “ he lease negotiations themselves visit the site to begin to put knowledge about available properties. We have a core set of normally take between si and seven together a schedule of works that will inform all the steps base requirements that dictate months although for St Marychurch that we need to undertake to whether or not we think any fit out the new shop. It is at this premises would be viable for us; it took over months due to the stage that we agree how long for example, the square footage, interruptions in the process caused we need for the shop fitting how expensive the rent is, how by the pandemic. ” and merchandising stages of accessible it is for our supporters the project and set a ‘launch to drop off much needed preday’ to work towards. loved items for us to sell or to One of my key jobs is actually working out how we use the make cash donations, overall customer experience, location of space and the design concept. There are lots of considerations the shop and the condition of the building. when designing a new shop layout, with the customer and Before committing to a new shop, we also scope out the town, donor experience and accessibility being key. The profitability including seeking local business intelligence, footfall counts, of each product and the brand image also need to be applied population and area demographics. The terms of the lease are consistently across all our shops and in keeping with Devon also important to us and these form the basis of the start of our Air Ambulance standards. Health and safety, fire regulations, negotiations.

summer 2021 | RETAIL physical security, CCTV and till positioning all need thinking about at this planning stage.

We also start the ball rolling so that all the required IT, music equipment and necessary licenses are in place ready for the launch. Service contractors such as trade waste collectors, recycling and till providers are engaged at this point as well.

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plan is drawn up for the lead to follow – looking after our contractors, organising all the helpers and making sure all the items that will be on our shelves and racks when we open are prepared, priced and displayed. We ask our existing shops for their support with bringing together the stock we need, and our logistics team plays an integral part in co-ordinating all the stock

Store room 1 Corral

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Once the plan has been agreed, and the shopfitters appointed, other planning work goes on in the background including a recruitment drive to select a new shop manager and new assistant manager. This typically takes about twelve weeks, and we also conduct a drive to take on a team of volunteers that will help our staff run the shop.

While the shopfitters are busy getting the physical space ready, we appoint the merchandising lead and put together a team of internal staff from across the entire organisation who will support us in getting the shop ready. Merchandising, or ‘stocking’ the shop, will typically take two weeks and a project

After...

and equipment that we need.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, our Communications team are busy liaising with sign writers, sharing progress through our social media channels, writing press releases and helping to plan the shop launch itself.

Once the merchandising stage is completed the shop is signed off by the senior retail team and a virtual tour of the shop is recorded and added to the Devon air ambulance website.

Then we go for it!

We were delighted to welcome Torbay MP, Kevin Foster, and Cllr Hazel Foster, to our grand launch event on Saturday 10th July, pictured here cutting the ribbon alongside 7-year old Emily Warwick, who raised £800 for DAA in May in memory of her grandad.

Retail Meet: Chrissie Peel - Retail Operations Manager Email: c.peel@daat.org

hank you very much for your ongoing support of Devon Air Ambulance. our contribution is making a real difference to our patients and their families.

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g soaring n ri b ts n a ip ic rt Over 100 pa ir Ambulance A n o v e D r fo s s succe

Over 100 participants kindly stepped up to the plate and supported Devon Air Ambulance this March, raising over £21,000 in our latest fundraising venture. he Charity’s second virtual event titled the March march’ challenge saw participants from across the county as well as further a eld including Canada complete an average of steps a day throughout the month of March.

After DAA suffered a huge financial shortfall last year due to closed shops and cancelled events, this activity delivered a fantastic £21,730 boost to kick off the Charity’s fundraising for 2021 and we’re incredibly proud of everyone who took part.

As well as raising much needed funds, the event promoted health and wellbeing through physical activity, and a sense of involvement for participants via a private Facebook group in which steppers were able to support each other as well as share their daily progress.

One March march participant said, “By doing this challenge it made me get out and walk more. I discovered so much more in my local area that I would never have noticed before when driving around. It was great seeing how other people were getting on and looking at photos they had taken in their local areas. It was really nice that strangers were supporting each other and there was just a nice friendly feel to the group. It was also good that someone from Devon Air Ambulance was giving us lots of supportive comments.”

Head of Fundraising Sally Hilton added, “We are proud to applaud every single one of our March march participants who completed this challenge in their own unique way. Through their support and that of their family, friends and colleagues at work they have raised this fantastic figure in just four weeks. Being an independent charity and not part of the NHS, over £21,000 will make an enormous difference to the life-saving service we provide for the critically ill and injured patients who we are called to help every day.”

With the face of fundraising having changed dramatically in the past year, our fundraising team have worked hard to embrace the challenge. In summer 2020 they organised DAA’s first ever virtual event, the Base2Base 40-mile challenge and, since then, the team have continued to explore new opportunities, learning and adapting along the way, which enabled them to organise this hugely successful second virtual challenge.

As we move forward, our fundraising team continue to face challenges in these ever-changing circumstances but remain eager and committed to seeking out new opportunities, and one thing is for sure - there will be lots of exciting fundraising activities to come!

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summer 2021 | VIRTUAL FUNDRAISING

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DAA is proud to be independent of Government and National Lottery Funding and is incredibly thankful for the kind generosity of the people of Devon who raise the funds to keep us responding. Every penny raised ensures the continued service of DAA, enabling the critical care crew to deliver advanced lifesaving treatment and interventions on-scene, to the people of Devon at their time of need.

Thinking of fundraising?

o nd out about future fundraising events or other ways to support Devon Air Ambulance go to www. daat.org ages Category events fundraising as well as follow us on social media.

GET IN TOUCH see page 3

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FUNDRAISING FOCUS | www.daat.org

Marathon 52 in 52!

Man Barnstaple man Keith Maynard pledges to walk a marathon for every week of the year in support of Devon Air Ambulance

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xperienced walker Keith, aged 59, has pledged to walk 52 marathons in 52 weeks - a marathon for every week of the year, to raise vital funds for our life-saving service.

Keith retired after 41 years in the pharmaceutical industry and is now happy doing what he enjoys most – walking. However, although he is no novice, this is still a mammoth undertaking for the grandad of five.

Keith’s previous challenges have seen him complete many charitable endeavours including walking from Barnstaple to Brighton for the Anthony Nolan Trust and Land’s End to Barnstaple, including Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor and Exmoor, which was approximately 220 miles over 14 days.

The fascinating thing about Keith is that he makes the journey across miles and miles of rugged terrain in Devon and the surrounding counties without being able to read a map. He jokes that for this he has his friend, ‘Map-reading Dave’ (pictured with Keith) who sometimes accompanies him on his epic walks.

If he doesn’t have Dave by his side, he is guided by well-known landmarks and by following the well-trodden routes of those that have walked before him.

The fundraising team at Devon Air Ambulance is hoping that, as lockdown restrictions ease, they can encourage more people to join Keith on his journey and perhaps accompany him between major milestones throughout the year ahead. 

An Update from Keith on his latest few weeks walking...

“I’m loving it out there supporting the Charity in the great outdoors even though I’ve had a few challenges – a sore foot, a sinus infection, turning sixty, a bad nose bleed, the odd monsoon and watching Chelsea losing the Cup Final! Even having my second Covid jab - but I’m really enjoying it and I’m still committed to the challenge!

I have now set up an Instagram account where I’m posting photographs each week as I walk my 52 marathons.

I’m really pleased with the amount of money I’ve raised so far and I’m hoping there are still lots more DAA supporters out there that will pop a few pounds into my fundraising pot!

The walks are going well, the weather has generally been kind to me and I’m currently averaging approximately 42 miles a week. If I’d set off from home and walked in a straight line, that would have taken me through Paris and well on my way to Rome – which is approximately the same distance as 52 marathons! If only I was walking directly to Rome, now that really would be an adventure to remember”.

Please help to support Keith’s fundraising efforts for Devon Air Ambulance by donating via JustGiving at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/keith-maynard7, following his progress on Facebook at www.facebook.com/keith.maynard.33 or via Instagram at 52_marathons.

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summer 2021 | BUSINESS SUPPORTERS

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BUSINESS on Board Despite the challenges that all local businesses have faced recently, we are so grateful to every one of them that has selflessly continued to keep supporting Devon Air Ambulance with fundraising, donations and discounted services.

We have been so fortunate to have received three individual donations from NFU Mutual offices in Exeter, Tiverton and Beaworthy, who have all nominated us to receive all or a share of £6,451 from NFU Mutual’s Agency Giving Fund. In total we have now received an amazing £11,827.97. The decision to choose DAA was any easy one as someone at each of these agencies had personal experience of our service and wanted to give something back to say ‘thank you’ for the care given to their loved ones.

South West Water has been avid supporters of Devon Air Ambulance for many years now.

From supplying our crew with water bottles and putting a team together for our Commando Challenge event, to donating over £5,600 annually to our charity. This year was no exception when we approached them for a specific piece of Electrochemical Cleaning Equipment which would kill bacteria without the use of lots of chemicals but relies on simple water and salt!

If you would like to read more on how this special corporate partnership has enabled us to introduce this eco-friendly process, please read our fantastic blog on our website or check out our ‘Green Special’ Stop Press feature on page 6.

ar er anni n based in Barnstaple contacted us earlier in the year to say that, on behalf of the Parker Foundation Committee and the Parker-Hannifin Foundation Board of Trustees, DAA had been awarded a U.S. $1,000 grant to be designated for general operations.

A member of the British Horse Racing Authority contacted us to say that two of Devon’s jockeys, Bryony Frost and Matt Griffiths, had both been lucky enough to win “Jockey of the Month” recently. Both riders did not hesitate to donate their £500 winnings to DAA. They chose to support Devon Air Ambulance after a fellow jockey was assisted by us some time ago and they appreciate how important our service is for jockeys and fellow equestrians.

In 2020 we were tasked to 38 missions to help those in the horse-riding community across Devon.

We would also like to say a massive thank you to Exeter Airport who supported us as their Charity of the Year. They mainly did a lot of bake sales so that is an awful lot of cake that was eaten to have raised £2,000!

Who’s your Charity of the Year?

If you would like to speak to us about making Devon Air Ambulance your ‘Charity of the Year’ or to learn more about how your support can benefit your business as well as our great county charity, please contact Tracy Owen, Supporter Engagement Officer (Lottery & Business) on t.owen@daat.org, or by phone or social media GET IN TOUCH see page 3

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helipad | www.daat.org

Dodgy Devon

Desperados

For all the delights of our wonderful county and the lovely, caring people who live here, Devon has also been home to quite a number of ne’er-do-wells, rum coves and downright wicked personalities. Here are just four of the most dastardly!

“Dirty Dick” Richard Cabell

and Cabell was a local squire in the mid-17th century d wicke letely comp a built a considerable reputation as of town home his and immoral man in and around Buckfastleigh. He is alleged to have murdered his en wife and died in 1677 while pursuing a young maid pack tom phan a across the moor. It is recorded that of wolves were seen howling around his grave which d prompted the locals to construct a building aroun it to of top on stone the tomb, laying a heavy block of can You back. ng make sure ‘Dirty Dick’ wasn’t comi ch in still visit it today at the ruined Holy Trinity Chur Buckfastleigh.

– A wicked squire, moorland setting, phantom dogs the be to ht thoug is ll ring any bells? Yes Richard Cabe cter chara main the inspiration for Hugo Baskerville, the in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous work, Hound of the Baskervilles.

John Arundel Radford, the pugilist parson John Radford was born in 179 9 and served as the vicar of St Thomas of Cante rbury Church, in Lapford near Crediton. Strang ely for a man of the cloth, he was well known as a bare-knuckle fighter, poacher and unsavoury ruffian.

In 1835 he was arrested for the murder of Jon athon May, a farmer from Moretonhampstead, was declared bankrupt in 1840, attacked a turnpike gat ekeeper with a knife in 1846 and was jailed for a mo nth in 1855 for assaulting the Parish Constable. Hardly seemly behaviour for someone who professed such piety!

Sometime in the 1860s, Radfo rd murdered his curate but was spared from the gallows by a jury consisting of many of his vill age parishioners.

He returned to his parish dut ies and died in 1867, his dying wish bei ng to be buried in the church cha ncel, threatening to haunt the village if his wishes were not carried out . The church authorities would not allow this so, instead, he was buried outside the vestry door where his gra ve can still be seen today. His spirit is said to wander around the village, per haps eternally disgruntled at not being laid to rest in his chosen spot.

Radford’s headstone at St Thomas of Canterbury Church, in Lapford near Crediton.

summer 2021 | DEVON HERITAGE

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Bampfylde Moore C arew

Bampfylde Moore Carew

man y a w h ig H , s u g g a Tom F and his roan

us gend, Tom Fagg A Westcountry le h routes in ac co ge sta ed the mare Winnie roam ing been swindled ctims to rob. Hav search of rich vi , Tom lost his bers of the gentry to penury by mem the love of his acksmith and also livelihood as a bl er as a ‘knight of was a daring care life. His response r his courtesy to ilt a reputation fo poor. the road’ who bu looked after the ho w er bb ro a d tia his victims an pture by the mili uded evading ca d an e rs ho , His exploits incl idge off Barnstaple Br when he vaulted lantes set to trap gi vi of nd ed a ba firear ms all! When he join discharging their to in em th d ke Tom was him, he tric selves. Some say em th ed bb ro and getting of this has never ed but evidence caught and hang m existed been found. sure whether To is e on no at th s in R.D. It appear ter who appears ac ar ch l na io ct fi id-17th or is just a oone set in the m D a rn Lo l ve no s ry and Blackmore’ enough oral histo is e er th , er ev ow d his century. H believe in him, an to t an w us e ak r the poor legend to m play and care fo irfa of e ns se s hi le light than character, a more favourab in m hi st ca w perhaps no atured here. ate desperados fe the other desper

Undoubtedly one of the more colourful characters in Devon legend, Ba mpfylde Moore Ca rew was born into a well-to-do fam ily in 1690, but his infamy began soon after he was se nt to Tiverton Scho ol (Blundells).

While there he ran a pack of deerhoun ds as a pastime and decided to abscond when th ey allegedly trashed a local far m er’s land. He then fel l in with a band of gypsies and apparently took a sh ine to the freewheeling way of life they offered. H owever, a young man has to m ake a living and Ca rew soon began to use his un doubtedly charismati c personality and a penchant for disguise to lead the life of a fraudster, extorting money from the gullib le with a theatrical repertory of characters includi ng an old women, a shipwreck ed sailor, a clergym an down on his luck and even a homeless young girl with child.

Carew’s story is a ha rd one to tell in a few short paragraphs because, interspersed with hi s other exploits, he had a nu mber of brushes wi th the law, survived transporta tion to the America s and escaped being press ganged into the navy feignin g smallpox by pricking his skin with a needle and ru bbing in salt and gunpowder. In among his many da stardly deeds, he also found time to go to Scotland and accompany Bonnie Prince Char lie’s 1745 foray into England, and, remarkably for someone of his back ground, he was elected ‘King of the Gypsies’ along th e way.

Carew died at Bicklei gh around 1759 aft er what is thought to be a co ntented retirement paid for by a combination of a generous relative, proceeds from writing about his adventures and even, it is told, winning a lotter y! But given his penc hant for deception, would yo u believe his version of events?

Tom Faggus plying his dastardly trade in the leafy lanes of Devon

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helipad | www.daat.org

Devon People & Junior Crew Our fantastic supporters, young and old, mean more to us than ever this year...

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DAA Volunteer and keen baker Anne Edwards participated in the Captain Tom 100 Challenge by baking cakes for friends and family for a donation to DAA, and husband John donated 100 miles of delivery to drop off the cakes straight to the supporters’ doors. Anne and John raised a yummy £197.50 for DAA! 

After the Plymouth Half Marathon was cancelled last year due to Coronavirus, Gemma Lindley switched to her Plan B and ran her own half marathon each month from May to October! Gemma wanted to support DAA as a family member of hers has been airlifted. She raised a brilliant £936.55 –  thanks Gemma!

 Caitlin Chakraborty works in the hospitality industry, and wanting to be able to support a local charity while having the opportunity to complete a Skydive, she signed up to the Skydive Buzz 2020 Devon Pub Skydive Challenge.

Coronavirus meant the Challenge was postponed but, not to be put off, Caitlin held off and rebooked her jump for as soon as safely possible and finally jumped in April this year, raising £236.96 for DAA. Sam Fitzsimmons cycled 200 miles from Hertfordshire to Devon in one day in memory of his dad who was attended

by DAA 10 years ago. He contended with all kinds of weather, including a blizzard, but with plastic bags as extra gloves and socks he managed to persevere. Sam raised an amazing £1,620.75 in memory of his dad for DAA – thank you Sam. 

When the national Captain Tom 100 Charity Challenge was launched in April, Nicola Godefroy set about completing a ‘100 Minute Fitness Challenge’, supported by her friend and personal trainer, Richard Palmer. Nicola raised a brilliant £416.25 for DAA!   Over the last few years Corinna Cooke had been saving for a charity trip that she was supposed to be going on with her 6th Form. This was cancelled twice due to Coronavirus and so Corinna decided to donate the money saved to various charities instead after completing her personal challenges. Corinna bravely completed a wing walk for DAA and donated £201. Thank you Corinna – what a star you are!

summer 2021 | DEVON PEOPLE & JUNIOR CREW 45  Keen rowers Sarah Luxton and Lucy Bufton supported DAA with their attempt to break the world record for the longest continuous tandem row on a Concept 2 Rowing Machine over the May Bank Holiday. We are delighted to say that they did indeed break the world record and raised almost £4,000 for us – massive thanks and congratulations ladies!

Seven year old Emily Warwick set herself the challenge of cycling 50 miles in memory of her grandad who was attended by DAA but very sadly passed away. Emily was spurred along with company from her younger brother Thomas and her cousins. Emily totally smashed her 50 mile target and raised an amazing £786.32. Well done Emily – we are all very proud of you! 

 Sixteen year old Lauren Smith completed a charity skydive after her dad was airlifted last year, and raised £614.66 for us to say thank you. Thanks and very well done Lauren, what an achievement!  Kind-hearted nine year old Georgie Edwards said she wanted to have her hair cut and to donate at least seven inches of her hair to the Little Princess Trust to make wigs for the boys and girls who have lost their hair to cancer. Georgie also wanted to raise money from the actual hair cut for DAA because she thinks we do a really great job at helping people.

Georgie’s haircut raised an incredible £443.75 – thanks so much Georgie!

 Nine year old Seren Jones raised £120.00 after seeing the Air Ambulance fly overhead. She wanted to raised £40 by walking 40 laps around her local park in Plymouth. She smashed her target and managed to complete 45 laps and raise £120. Fantastic Seren – thank you so much!

 Brothers Isaac (14) and Daniel (8) Algar took part in the Big Camp Out at the end of March, inspired by Max Woosey who has been in the media lately camping out through the pandemic, raising money for the North Devon Hospice. Isaac and Daniel said they wanted to support DAA because they think that it is a very important charity. Together they raised £220 from one night camping – thanks boys!

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helipad | www.daat.org

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summer 2021 | OPERATIONS

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We’re celebrating a network of four community landing sites in

Newton Abbot This May, Devon Air Ambulance, Newton Abbot Town Council, local Councillors and a host of voluntary organisations and local businesses celebrated the launch of a network of four strategically located community landing sites in the town.

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he project was kick-started by Steve Green and his family, and their good friend Karen Jenks, after Steve’s life was saved by Devon Air Ambulance in 2018. Steve’s family were instrumental in raising the funds to get the first of the town’s night landing sites, at the Recreational Trust, up and running in late 2019. aul enno Centre Manager of ewton Abbot ecreational rust said: ewton Abbot ec rust has been a central part of the life of the town for years. We realise the importance of the work that Devon Air Ambulance does and were only too happy to offer our facilities as a night landing site. Having now been operational for over a year we are really pleased that it has already helped the Air Ambulance reach and treat four patients from the town during the hours of darkness. n April this year the second night landing site was established at akers ark after he otary Club of ewton Abbot heard about the pro ect. hey kindly decided to step in and fund the entire community costs re uired. he akers ark pro ect delivered in partnership with ewton Abbot own Council and eignbridge District Council involved new remotely controlled lighting being installed ne t to the football pitch in the park.

Mrs Karen Jenks and members of The Rotary Club of Newton Abbot, next to the new lighting in Bakers Park which was generously funded by the Rotary Club.

hen in May this year the third and fourth community landing sites at Decoy Country ark and Sandringham ark were brought online. he culmination of the pro ect was marked by the supporters oining Devon Air Ambulance to nd out more about our approach to night operations.

On completion of the community landing site pro ect Mr hil owe ewton Abbot own Council Clerk said: ewton Abbot own Council is absolutely delighted that the aspiration for the delivery of these night time community landing sites has become a reality. For obvious reasons it is hoped that they will not be used too fre uently but their e istence will make a huge difference as and when re uired. he own Council is very proud to have been able to play a small part in the team that drew all this together.

Supporters of the night landing site project in Newton Abbot gather to celebrate the fourth and last site, at Sandringham Park.

Mrs aren Jenks who has been heavily involved with the pro ect from the start said: he events at Sandringham ark and Decoy in May marked the culmination of a really important pro ect for ewton Abbot and one that myself and my friends hope will mean more people can be helped and more lives can be saved by Devon Air Ambulance. am truly grateful to all the local Councillors businesses and supporters who have supported the night landing site pro ect it is really heart warming to see that despite the challenges we have all faced over the past year our community has pulled together to make sure these night landing sites have come to fruition. hank you everyone for your help. 

If you would like to get involved with a community landing sites project, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Please contact CLS Development Officer Toby Russell on: 07943 207673 or t.russell@daat.org. support!

Thank you for your

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Coming together as a team Operations Director Nigel Hare explains how the ability to bring together a range of clinicians creates a high performing team that can deliver a wide range of advanced treatments and interventions to help DAA’s patients.

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s registered Health rofessionals our team of doctors and paramedics don’t stop developing their clinical capabilities on the day they nish their initial training. ather that represents the starting point for the rest of their career in developing the knowledge and skills that will enable them to offer patients the very best chance of a successful outcome.

As a profession, medical doctors have a broad range of clinical capabilities that they can provide to patients autonomously. Most of our doctors are ‘consultants’, this means that they have completed a medical degree (4-6 years), two years of Foundation Training as a junior doctor and then at least six years full-time equivalent on a Specialist Training pathway. As well as working for Devon Air Ambulance, all our doctors also work in a hospital role. Some are specialists in Emergency Medicine within an Emergency Department, while others are anaesthetists, specialising in providing anaesthesia and other specialist skills to patients for operations and procedures.

Many of our doctors have completed additional training in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM), either in this country or abroad, and they all maintain an additional set of skills specific to the delivery of emergency care to patients in the pre-hospital environment.

For paramedics, three years at university studying an Honours degree in Paramedic Science is followed by two years of foundation training before qualifying for fully autonomous practice. With Devon Air Ambulance, their formal training continues, with our most senior paramedic practitioners completing a three-year Master’s Degree in Pre-

Hospital Critical Care, Retrieval and Transfer.

During their ongoing training, both our doctors and paramedics develop what is referred to as their ‘Scope of Practice’, which in essence is the range of treatments, interventions and administration of medicines which their training, knowledge and experience enables them to demonstrate, through assessment, that they can deliver safely to patients. However, both our paramedics and doctors also need to develop non-clinical skills, such as leadership, followership, advanced decision making and scene management, as well as skills in aspects such as preparing patients for complex interventions, monitoring trends in a patient’s vital signs, establishing intravenous access and setting up equipment such as syringe drivers, ventilators and other airway equipment.

For our paramedics, there is also the need to train and qualify in two other areas. As a Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) Technical Crewmember, our paramedics are qualified to support our pilots in landing safely in the ad-hoc and often confined spaces that we do. While being a qualified Emergency Response (blue light) Driver enables our paramedics to deliver our team in our Critical Care Cars using blue lights and sirens, when doing so means we can reach a patient quicker than by helicopter, or on occasions where the helicopter is not able to fly, such as during thick fog.

Although we do on occasion deploy as a single response to patients, such as when they are in remote locations with no road access, most of the patients we respond to we do so alongside other emergency services, particularly paramedics

summer 2021 | PATIENT SUPPORT

49

and other clinicians from the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT). This enables us to strategically focus on developing our service to complement and enhance the care provided by SWASFT, through ensuring our paramedics and doctors are able to deliver a Scope of Practice to patients beyond that which can be delivered by land-based services.

Our paramedics carry a greater range of medicines that can be used to relieve severe pain or provide sedation to enable essential procedures to be undertaken without the patient

“ With Devon Air Ambulance their formal training continues with our most senior paramedic practitioners completing a three year Master’s Degree in re Hospital Critical Care etrieval and ransfer. ”

Training photos taken pre-pandemic restrictions

experiencing pain. They can also be used to help prevent the harmful effects of traumatic brain injuries and provide advanced care for acute life-threatening medical conditions such as asthma or high blood pressure during pregnancy (pre/ eclampsia). Additionally, our paramedics can perform a range of life-saving emergency surgical procedures.

Our doctors enable us to enhance this level of care

to patients even further. The delivery of a Pre-Hospital Emergency Anaesthetic (PHEA), similar to an anaesthetic delivered prior to an operation or emergency procedure in a hospital, enables our team to take control of the patient’s airway and breathing, breathe for them through a process called ventilation, as well as managing vital aspects of the patient’s physiology.

Our doctors are also able to deliver two additional lifesaving surgical procedures. An emergency caesarean section during pregnancy can provide a greater chance of survival if an expectant mother suffers a cardiac arrest which threatens both her life and that of her unborn baby. An emergency thoracotomy, often referred to as ‘open heart surgery’, can enable us to access the patient’s chest to undertake a temporary repair to the heart or the surrounding structures, which may be preventing the heart from beating as a result of penetrating or blunt force trauma.

Individually, each paramedic and doctor has their own Scope of Practice. However, one of the real strengths of Devon Air Ambulance is our ability to bring clinicians together, with their different Scope of Practices, to form a team that can offer an extended range of advanced treatments and interventions to help provide the patient with the greatest chance of a successful outcome.

Although individual clinicians are trained and assessed to deliver their own Scope of Practice, working ‘as a team’ provides the essential support needed for other staff to deliver interventions, with specialisms extending to aspects such as preparing the patient for the intervention, attaching vital monitoring equipment, establishing intravenous access, and setting up equipment such as ventilators, syringe drivers and airway equipment. Everyone involved in treating the patient is essential in helping ensure the safe and effective delivery of care.

When patients require time-critical care, coming together as a high performing team in this way and delivering vital interventions quickly and safely, while working with colleagues from the other emergency services, really can be the difference that helps saves a patient’s life. 

Operations Meet: Nigel Hare - Operations Director Email: n.hare@daat.org Nigel is accountable for overseeing the care we provide to our patients, including liaisng with the Care Quality Commission, NHS and emergency services, as well as leading our team of paramedics, doctors and support staff. Nigel joined Devon Air Ambulance in 1997 as an Aircrew Paramedic

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helipad | www.daat.org

“My name’s Inspector Japp and I’m an HMRC tax fraud investigator” I

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UNLESS YOU ARE SURE THAT THEY ARE UK BASED ever this fat one’ was pretty Who am talking to ’ he said.

GENUINE COMPANIES. A LOT OF THE FRAUDSTERS safe.

My name is nspector Japp ’ ADD A HEFTY PHONE BILL TO YOUR LANDLINE have also registered novel said hoping that he’d never AND/OR MOBILE...unless you are a complete prune eville’s number on a parcel watched oirot. work for the called Neville who uses his own mobile phone. delivery scheme a company HM C as well Why have you have never used but that phoned me ’ wants . to deliver an here has been a fraud under ipad have never ordered your name. Which part of the and with the rm that does not HM C do you work for ’ said provide my wi but is about to cut off my landline. he nal novel eville. action was giving his number to a rm selling pet insurance and ’m an HM C ta fraud investigator’ said .

Would you believe it Marsh Mills roundabout mobile phone registering him for a free sachet of cat la ative. t’s the little things that get me through the day.  signal is appalling because the phone went dead and ust

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Meet: David Fitzgerald - BBC Broadcaster and DAA Patron David first began broadcasting on commercial radio in the early 1980s, before moving to television. As well as a busy broadcasting career David still finds time for writing as well as enjoying a regular round of golf.

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