Helipad Magazine - Winter 2020 by Devon Air Ambulance Trust

Prize Crossword

Win a arts arm am er

Join Our Weekly

LOTTERY the o cial maga ine o

Fundraising ur u er u

orters

DEVON AIR AMBULANCE

winter 2020 | www.daat.org

Money Matters adapting to challenging times

OUR SHOPS Go Online!

Inspiring Patient Stories SPOTLIGHT ON TORBAY landing sites

Great news for Devon

AS YOUR NEW AIR AMBULANCE GOES INTO OPERATION

RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262 rosemoor_winter_helipad_page_V4.indd 1

Wrap up warm, grab a hot drink to go, and enjoy an uplifting walk in the fresh air through safe and beautiful gardens. Pre-book and visit today: rhs.org.uk/bookrosemoor Members go free Your visit supports our work as a charity

12/11/2020 13:30

winter 2020 | WELCOME

WELCOME Heléna Holt hief

ec tive

cer

As you may imagine, like most charities, the pandemic has had a considerable impact on Devon Air Ambulance. Our main priority is always the treatment of critically ill or injured patients, so our operational teams worked at pace to maintain our service by road and get s safely ying again after e had taken the di c lt decision to te porarily gro nd o r helicopters in March. However, operating air ambulances is costly and our ability to maintain our service goes hand-inhand with our ability to raise the funds we need to pay for it. Devon Air Ambulance was more fortunate than some charities in that we have always been ﬁnancially pr dent in ens ring e have s cient rainy day oney for any ne pected or signiﬁcant costs in order to safeguard the service. Whilst this has enabled us to weather the initial storm, this money will not last forever. The impact of

Ali Simpson Helipad Editor We hope you enjoyed our ‘Special Issue’ of Summer Helipad, where we focused our attention on the service we provide and how we rose to the challenges of the early days of the pandemic. With hard work, innovation and collaboration, we were able to resume our operations quickly and safely. While none of us have yet returned to ‘normal’, this issue of Helipad is now once again full of local interest stories, people and places of Devon. We also update our readers on where Devon Air Ambulance is now as we reach the end of 2020 and, hopefully, look forward more optimistically to 2021. We celebrate our new helicopter as it goes into service, ﬁnd o t ho o r clinical tea s have coped during these challenging months, invite you to try our new online shopping experience and

the pandemic on traditional charity retail and community fundraising is going to be longlasting so we are working hard to develop new and innovative ways to generate the income to maintain services at a time when demand has continued to increase. If you would like to support us, I would ask you to consider signing up to make a monthly donation or become a member of our Lottery. hile e still very ch appreciate one-off donations and your wonderful fundraising efforts, reg lar giving is cr cial to helping us to plan ahead. Turn to page 14 to read ore a o t o r c rrent financial position, the challenges ahead and how you can help. Stay safe and rest assured that we will be here to care for your community this Christmas!

thank our lovely ‘virtual’ volunteers, as well as showcasing our exciting new Christmas fundraising campaign! As usual, we also bring you a selection of inspiring Patient tories, so yo can read ﬁrst-hand ho Devon Air Ambulance helps real people in their hour of need. a also delighted to say that, for the ﬁrst time, we have introduced a prize crossword to the magazine, and hope you enjoy solving the quiz questions, many of which will test your knowledge of Devon. Thank you to Darts Farm for their continued support in providing a lovely prize hamper. Find out details of how to enter on page 6. Happy solving!

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



01392 466666 info@daat.org www.daat.org

Registered Charity No 1077998 Registered Company No 3855746

Fundraising & Events

fundraising@daat.org

Lottery

lottery@daat.org

Volunteering

Ginette Gisborne

g.gisborne@daat.org

Patient Contact

Debbie Gregory

d.gregory@daat.org

Sarah Burden

s.burden@daat.org

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.

13:30

helipad | www.daat.org

CONTENTS | winter 2020 OUR WORK The O cal Maga ine of Devon Air Ambulance

Stop Press A round-up of news from Devon Air Ambulance

Money Matters Director of Finance and Infrastructure David Hawes explains how the pande ic has aﬀected s ﬁnancial position, and how regular giving will be key in ensuring we continue to weather the storm.

Devon Air Ambulance ‘There to Care’ this Christmas iven the challenges of , e ﬁnd ourselves in need of extra help from our onderf l s pporters, so ﬁnd o t ho you can help support our Christmas 2020 ppeal here to are

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 Photographers RHS Rosemoor

Some photographs in this issue of Helipad may have been taken before Covid restrictions.

Publisher Heléna Holt h.holt@daat.org Editor Alison Simpson helipad@daat.org Sub Editor Debbie Gregory d.gregory@daat.org Advertising Sales Gaynor Garton 020 3283 4055 Advertisement Copy copy@daat.org Design & Print Management Silver Foxes Publishing 07455 206470 Distribution & Mailing Silver Foxes Publishing 07455 206470 ISSN (Print) 2055-2343 ISSN (Online) 2055-2351 Next issue Spring 2021

is published by DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST

Bev Faulkner fancy dresser!

Up, Up and Away After a huge amount of work and commitment across the whole of Devon Air Ambulance, our brand new helicopter G-DAAS went into service in November. Flight Operations Director Ian Payne outlines the eneﬁts this ore spacio s aircraft ill ring to o r service

Buy Online! With the challenges of past and possibly future restrictions in mind, you can still create your unique look, and support Devon Air Ambulance at the same time, by visiting our new online shop.

Business on Board We thank the local businesses and organisations that have faced their own challenges during the pandemic for their continued support.

Fundraising Focus – Newton Poppleford Show Determined not to miss out on their annual village show, local residents came up trumps to create their own unique 2020-style virtual event – with great success!

Devon People A massive Thank You to all our fundraisers who have risen to the challenge of raising money for Devon Air Ambulance in extraordinary times.

Junior Crew We celebrate some of our younger supporters and see how their inspired fundraising has helped raise money for the Charity this year.

Hurray for Torbay! o nity anding ite evelop ent cer o y ssell pdates s on his work with the council, community groups and local sports clubs to create a network of landing sites across the wider Torbay area.

Busy and Challenging Times Operations Director Nigel Hare looks at some of the challenges DAA has faced in this unprecedented and busy year, including how we have sourced our PPE and the challenges our crew have experienced wearing it through a hot summer.

winter 2020 | CONTENTS

GET INVOLVED 8

Volunteering Our volunteers are always up for a challenge to raise funds for Devon Air Ambulance – whether it’s taking on an epic advent re-ﬁlled alk across the county or embracing the world of ‘digital’ to deliver our new virtual talk. Lottery More than ever, regular income is important to allow us to plan for 2021 and beyond. Joining our ottery not only helps o r ﬁnances t gives all our members the chance to win a great cash prize every week.

PATIENTS 10

26 Axminster

“No point looking back” Mike Clake’s cycle accident resulted in devastating and life-changing injuries but, with the love and support of his amazing family, his positivity in the face of adversity is truly inspirational. Small Steps to Recovery Inspired by Sir Captain Tom Moore, Lucy McIlroy decided to set herself a very personal walking challenge, one step for every day she spent in hospital following a serious car crash. Sting in the tail Charlie Geach hadn’t anticipated how quickly and seriously he would react when he was stung by hornets so it was a huge relief for all the family when Devon Air Ambulance was quickly on scene to treat him for a severe anaphylactic reaction. Father and Son When stoic and brave farmer Peter Willes s ﬀered horri le rns in a far accident, he as determined to work through the intense pain and took inspiration from his son Henry’s amazing fundraising challenge for Devon Air Ambulance.

Join Our Weekly See Page

PEOPLE, PLACES & LIFESTYLE 6

NEW Prize Crossword Test your general knowledge and Devon knowhow with our new crossword to be in with a chance to win a fabulous West Country Hamper from Darts Farm.

For Valour Many brave men of Devon have been awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious of the British Honours. We recount the stories of fo r s ch individ als hose acts of self-sacriﬁce e e pliﬁes the all

Nectar Collectors Richard Wilson encourages a relaxed approach to our winter gardens to provide the vital food source which will help our garden insects get through the winter.

Walk the Templer Way Three generations of one family created a walking trail that now stretches from the wild and rugged beauty of Dartmoor’s most famous Tor to the blue, inviting waters of Teignmouth, perfect for taking in the contrasting landscapes of south Devon.

In a Stew Forget stewing steak, carrots and onions, brighten p the inter days ith t o avo rso e and warming ‘one-pot-wonder’ recipes inspired by warmer climes.

Axminster – A World of Arts, Crafts and Carpets! This charming and historic market town in the Axe Valley has a rich heritage, amazing creativity in the arts and manufacturing and a name synonymous throughout the world with luxurious carpets.

BackChat he eat deﬁnitely goes on as a o of old photos inspires Fitz to take a journey down memory lane, reminiscing on how his radio career began forty years ago, how he came to the rescue of The Wurzels and pondering if Shakin’ Stevens is still in a Devon hedgerow!

On The Cover Issue No.27 Winter 2020 G-DAAS your new air ambulance

helipad | www.daat.org

Prize Crossword

WIN A FANTASTIC HAMPER! Why not test your general knowledge and Devon know-how with our new quiz crossword – enter for the chance to win a fantastic Darts Farm ‘West Country Hamper’ full of delectable treats.

Clues Down 1. See 28 down 2. Non-native turtle-like amphibian seen swimming in Exeter canal in May 2020 (8) 3. Small constellation in the northern hemisphere near Cygnus (4) 4. Images made from using acid on the unprotected parts of a metal surface (8) 5. _ _ _ _ _ _ vitae, a very strong and dense wood (6) 6. Link to France opened in 1994 (10) 7. James, Chris and Combe (6) 8. Woad, madder and indigo would have been used by this medieval artisan (4) 13. Stoke _ _ _ _ _, Devon village between Exeter and Tiverton (5) irst e ale ilot to solo ro ritain to Australia (3,7) 16. Sir _ _ _ _ _ Rayner, MP for Totnes, 1935-1955 (5) 19. South Devon beach and beauty spot (4,4) an ero s sh s hil ren s programme 23. Frozen pendent spear (6) 24. Seaside village facing Appledore (6) 26. Species of shark often caught in south west waters (4) o n series nearthin the o ntr s past (4,4,) 29. Noss _ _ _ _ , South Devon village on the River Yealm (4)

Clues Across 9. Henry _ _ _ _ _ 17th century Newton Ferrers born pirate (5) 10. The Tavy is one of these to the Tamar (9) 11. Dermot, Barnstaple born broadcaster and news reader (9) 12. East Devon river (5) 13. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Jaspers – celebrated snack bar on Plymouth’s Sutton Harbour (7) 15. Someone who attends a funeral (7) orena e o l o th the rst o an to take her seat in Parliament (5) 18. To droop (3) 20. Relating to the nose (5) 22. Capital city of Kenya (7) 25. Sir Walter _ _ _ _ _ _ _, Budleigh Salterton born explorer, courtier and historian, executed in 1618 (7) 26. River that rises on Dartmoor and becomes an estuary just south of Newton Abbot (5) 27. Plan, scheme (9) 30. Prehistoric geological era which includes the Devonian period (9) 31. Devon village near Yelverton (5)

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/forms/crossword-competition-winter-2020 or by writing your name, contact details and the answer on a postcard and posting to: Helipad Crossword Competition Winter 2020, 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 29th JANUARY 2021, when the successful winning entry will be selected at random. Full Terms & Conditions can be found at www.daat.org/crossword-w2020-terms or by writing to The Editor at the above address.

A big thank you to Darts Farm – who have supported Devon Air Ambulance for many years - for providing the amazing prize for our first Helipad Crossword. From humble beginnings of a small farm hut over 40 years ago, Darts Farm has organically evolved into the awarding winning shopping experience we know today. Showcasing local, world class artisan food and drink and unique, handcrafted gifts, it is also home to a selection of handpicked retailers and boutiques. Darts Farm have now also launched online so visit www.dartsfarm. co.uk to discover their selection of incredible food, drink and gifts, including artisan hampers.

winter 2020 | NEWS

The latest news from Air Ambulance HQ Will you sh ow for Devon A your support this Christm ir Ambulance Da evs? on Air Am

Stop! Wait! Don’t go any further...

bulance di save a m dn’t ju ot a husban orcyclist, they save st d d a son, I will alw and father, and a ays remem frie ber that... nd too.

Did you see the separate letter that came with your Helipad? Along with a pre-paid envelope? Have you read it yet? Air Ambulance This letter will tell you about Philip, a motorcyclist helped by Devon Thanks to places. three in back his broke when he was thrown from his bike and and care the d receive Philip , your support, and the generosity of all our donors for l hospita to y speedil ed attention he needed at the scene and was convey essential surgery. as. After the The letter is part of our ‘There to Care’ fundraising initiative this Christm ever to each and most challenging year for everyone, we are more grateful than s. kindnes and sity genero their for ters every one of our loyal suppor of variety a offers gn Our multi-faceted Christmas campai ways that you can help us to keep the service flying.

Dear and the bea Sprawled in ch across Dev a hedge aft er being cat some, like motorbike on. Most , Phi Philip, are apulted from involved in patients are men, and the ma With his mo lip was in agony and his seriou jori totally helple bile phone in his shirt cardiac arre ty suffer a medical em s road crashes needed to ss. poc mo st. ergency like ket he kne ve but, as Some are chi ar [xxxxx in hisDespin he rolled ove w he a ldren. All of e and x] the r, he m lost all fee ling in his leg heard a click them hel depend on caring peo The world p and hop s. went white e on the dar ple like you to brin around him Please don “The strange g kest day of . ate today. st thing is,” their lives. Som despite eve Philip explain e say it is the rything tha partne t happened, ed, “that, daughters a thing. Wh who suffer rs, the family, the son ile I was lyin I wouldn’t mo s cha and waiting for g there, hel how much st. Getting new my family pless, I just nge that phone me knew call, one has bee s, not knowing how was going to survive.” ans to me and I kne badly your n hurt. w that I loved “I’m just so It is only tha gra nks to sup day; I definite teful to everyone wh with the exp por o helped me ly think som ertise of the ters like you, togeth said Philip. crew, tha tha eone was er Devon Air t Philip had watching ove t Ambulanc emergenc scene and r me,” “Everyone y treatment e did surviv was just bril e. at the liant, and the Ambulanc A gift from e didn’t just you today Devon Air sav means mo a Philip will son e a , mo a husband and torcyclist, re patient receive the they s like father, and treatment always rem spend Chr a friend too saved they need istmas wit ember tha and . I will h their lov t.” Please don Philip had ed ones. bee ate today so familie can spend his north Dev n riding out on his new s across Dev Christmas on home wh motorbike on wit coming qui near h their lov en he was Philip’s wif ckly in the ed ones. faced with e Ann ie opp a car added: “I wan side of the osite directi heartfelt tha roa on on the t to nks to eve wro his bike sna d. Philip swerved but ryone invo convey my Charlie’s dad pped and the front fork ng lved who sav dy - you are he was thr s on ed “From the all absolute own throug I’m enormo hedge, I hea heroes.” h the air. usly proud rd another raised my of our crews doctors and hand,” he bike com – pilots and ing so I said. The guy everyone wh the paramedics, who are ext across the saw my remely skil o road and the bike led in helpin supports them – emergenc n saw my arm in bits 999.” Other ies on the g patients . He called passers-by worst day in severe also Thank you of their life holding Phi for . lip’s hand and stopped, one ones a hap listening and I wish you reassuring until help arri py and hea and your lov him ved. lthy Christm ed Yours sincer as. “By the time ely the aircrew me, thankf reached ully feel my leg , I was beginning to s but was sti ll in agony I tried to mo if ve. I was cer grateful for tainly most the morph ine the airc administere rew Nig d.” el Hare Every day, including Chr HCPC Regi stered Para Devon Air istm as medic, MCP Day, Ambulanc ara • Director PS This yea of Patient lifesaving trea e crews give r has been Services tment to two tough for Dev as it has for to three on ma patients. The support mo ny families in Devon, Air Ambulance, y bring the re than and we hospita to the roadsid e, the hillside l gift today to kee ever. So please conside need your p this vital r making a service goi ng into the If you can hel future. p, ple

Nigel Hare

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For more information on our ‘There to Care’ campaign, see pages 30 and 31 in this issue of Helipad or visit our website www.daat.org

Devon Air Am

bulance

is Christm

Trust Regis tered Ch ari

ty Numb

Our new trustee

Justin Wylie We are delighted to welcome a new trustee to our Board. Justin is a consultant specialising in public engagement and fundraising strategy, product development, market and audience insight, innovation, and performance. Prior to consulting, Justin was a senior leader and director at ActionAid, Plan International, Shelter and Save the Children. Just over 3 years ago, Justin relocated with his family from London to Exeter. They love Exeter and being a part of the local community, and they also enjoy the outdoors and making the most of the beaches and Dartmoor. We know Devon Air Ambulance will benefit hugely from Justin’s wealth of experience and expertise gained across a number of senior charity roles and specialisms.

Nigel

Why not think about signing up for your copy of our regular e-Newsletter? Our monthly e-newsletter keeps you updated about all the latest developments with our service including our helicopters and critical care cars, patient services, fundraising and community work. It’s a great way to stay right up-to-date with our Charity’s news. Just go to: www.daat.org/#newsletter to sign up for your copy.

er 107799

helipad | www.daat.org

TWO GO ON AN ADVENTURE! Despite the constraints placed on our volunteers during the pandemic, many of them have continued to support Devon Air Ambulance in whatever way they can. Exeter-area Box Collector Hazel Hutchings takes up the story of how she, her xx friend Donna and their two dogs, decided to raise money for on an epic - ile alk over advent re-ﬁlled days

life-saving airlift by DAA of a close family member of Donna’s constantly blistered feet. Donna’s motivated us to plan a 200 mile walk round Devon, After about 130 miles, both dogs seemed to be struggling following the Templer Way, the Two Moors Way and the Exe and we made a decision to ‘send them home’. We missed Valley Way, with my labrador Monty and Donna’s miniature our faithful companions, but our journey was made easier. No schnauzer, Elsa. stopping for the to sniff every piece of grass, no dog food After many delays due to the Covid restrictions, we departed to carry, less interest from cows, no charging rams and no from Kenton on the 7th July, with friends and family giving us ore adger poo to ash off onty o ore incidents of a ig send off r r cksacks ere loaded ith tents, sleeping being charged by about 100 calves and having to escape by bags and a multitude of ‘necessities’ - many of which we ndertaking the di c lt logistical e ercise of lifting oth dogs discarded along the ay he eather as kind for of the over a barbed wire fence and then doing the same ourselves. time with just two nights of rain. We did manage to laugh r first day took s to haldon, afterwards. and we were privileged to camp At beautiful Withypool, we met in a friend s agnificent garden, friends who’d persuaded the pub where we received much needed to keep their kitchen open until ‘technical help’ with our tents. we arrived. Food had become A delicious meal washed down very important to us after a with a few ciders followed. Elsa, couple of nights when we’d had not used to the tent, thought it only a few grapes and a piece would be fun to have a couple of cheese – and our camping of midnight explorations of the cooker had roken garden. I slept through. We fell in love with Exmoor, We missed the morning low stunningly beautiful, or was it just tide walk along the Templer Way, the ig reakfast in a pton resulting in hilly road walking but The walk ‘down’ the Exe Estuary we eventually arrived at our camp was very hilly, and sadly we “ It was an amazing experience site. We’d been told food would be hardly saw the river. Exhausted, available, but it proved not to be so. we luxuriated for a night in and we are grateful to everyone Kindly fellow campers drove and a hotel in Tiverton and then who helped us raise over o ght s so e fish and chips spent, as it turned out, our last £3,000 for DAA ” r ne t day took s thro gh night in Thorverton in a pub Yarner Woods - my map reading camp site. We awoke to very skills clearly need to improve, yes, we got lost over Hay Tor and et tents and decided that co pleting the final iles in one into Widecombe; the kindly folk at the Rugglestone Inn let us day as prefera le to another night nder soggy canvas camp in their car park and we ate there. Near Powderham Church we hit the 200 mile mark and he o oors ay, ith n ero s, non-dog-friendly-stiles continued into the village to a very welcome meal at a over hich e had to lift all kgs of onty, gave s so e st nning friend’s house. scenery, hich certainly co pensated for the effort ith sheep, The walk, taking 18 days, was an amazing experience and we cows and ponies for neighbours, we ‘wild camped’ near Castle are grateful to everyone who helped us raise over £3,000 for Drogo, and a beautiful sunrise woke us from our slumbers. Devon Air Ambulance, to add to the £500 we’d previously raised We were grateful throughout our adventure to family and in a pub quiz. At the grand old age of 70 – and Donna at 56 - we friends for bringing us food, clean clothes and for transporting are proud of our achievement. our seemingly increasingly heavy rucksacks between campsites. hat s o r ne t challenge asked here isn t one replied We were also grateful for the supply of blister plasters for Donna. 

winter 2020 | VOLUNTEERING

r pop lar talk has gone virtual!

DAAT Facts

Arrival

The new Airbus H145, registered G-DAAS G DAAS Larger than our current EC135 Advanced technology and aviation systems Training is now well underway as we are advancing towards our Autumn Operational launch

s an o o ill no hat o r sta an o r an ol nteers en o the ost is ettin o t an a o t as o ten as e an ithin o r o nities to share ne s a o t o r ser i e ne o the a s e ha e one this is o in alon to eet o an o r rien s an ollea es at one o o r e on ir lan e tal s However, at the start of the pandemic, we soon realised this was no longer going to e possi le, so e set a o t finding a safe ay to keep yo right p to date ith ne s and infor ation a o t o r ork d ring these changing and challenging times. o, e created a rand ne irt al alk s any of s leapt into the orld of online co nication, even ith o r friends and fa ilies, this see ed like the ideal ay to keep all this sef l infor ation availa le to yo t as a h ge step change for o r vol nteer speakers ho had to a sor their ne presentation notes and fa iliarise the selves ith everything that e had een orking on, at the sa e ti e as getting sed to speaking to a group of people sitting in squares on a computer screen rather than in the village hall! s ore co nity gro ps and cl s are eco ing tech friendly o r irt al alk is eco ing ore pop lar, t e o ld dearly like to e in to ch ith even ore of o r s pporters in this ay he ne talk takes yo on o r o rney thro gh the pande ic so far, the steps e have taken to overco e the any o stacles e faced and the sol tions e fo nd to ena le s to aintain o r service to yo t also highlights other news about our service and includes video clips too. There is also the opport nity to ask estions f yo r co nity gro p or cl is looking for an interesting and infor ative virt al talk to entertain its e ers and yo o ld like to find o t ore, contact rian, o r o nity ndraising cer at chap an daat org or, to e inspired to ook a talk for yo r gro p today, click it ly to find o t ore 

Volunteering eet Ginette Gis orne aving previo s y orked as shop gro p of e ceptional people and it

ol nteer

Devon Air A mbulance

Real people sa ving

real lives

Incomeun Genra eriatin ion Fundraising

challenges:

Traditional me thods stoppe d ove

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Shops closed Some sta urloughed most retail sta and others acr oss all departm ents Lottery canvas sers stood dow n

Any questions ?

01392 466 66 6 www.daat.o rg Use a QR Rea der or Scanne or if you hav r to donate e an iphone you take a photo of our QR cod can simply e to donate! Alternatively you will find our virtual collection buc ket at the we b address below. Thank you!

www.justgivi

ng.com/cam

paign/DAAVi rtu

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ana er

anager in s ings ridge shop pro d to take on the role of ol nteer anager r vol nteers are a ill e a privilege for e to look after the and contin e to develop the vol nteer tea in the co ing onths

Thinking of volunteering? GET IN TOUCH see page 3 e ha e lots o i erent roles or ol nteers at e on ir lan e i o o l li e to e o e a art o o r in re i le ol nteer tea lease onta t Ginette on g.gisborne@daat.org.

helipad | www.daat.org

‘He’s still my Dad’ W

hen Mike Clake had a cycle accident that left him paralysed from the chest down, one of the biggest concerns for him and his wife Sharon, was how their 13-year old son, Max, would take the news. Sharon said, “Knowing his dad would never play football with him again, or be able to run with him, or do any of the things that they used to do… it was so hard.” But, to their surprise and amazement, young Max visited his dad in hospital and said, “But he’s still my

dad, it’ll all be ok. Why is everyone worrying?” Mike had been out on a charity cycle ride on Dartmoor in May 2018, raising funds for St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth in memory of a dear friend, when his tyre rst and he e over the handlebars. He remembers the accident as if in slow motion, “I was coming down a hill when I had the blow out; the tyre split totally, the bike wobbled and I sailed through the air. I knew it was bad straight away as I couldn’t move anything. I’d fractured my eye socket too, so all I could see was blood, and I was struggling to

Mike with son Max and wife Sharon

breathe and panting for air. I remember the helicopter landing and I could hear the conversation between all the paramedics going on around me, but I could only see their feet!” evon ir lance e Mike to Derriford Hospital where scans revealed he had a C6 spinal cord injury, as well as L1, T1 and T4. He was placed in an induced coma and was in Intensive are for the ﬁrst fo r eeks after the accident. He has only limited memory of that time in hospital and has been fascinated to read the diary that the staﬀ fro ntensive Care kept for him. “I do

remember that the cocktail of drugs I was on gave me some really psychedelic dreams. Then I developed pneumonia and was put on a ventilator; talking was almost impossible and I remember that when I coughed, I sounded like a baby, it was most odd. I also remember my surgeon saying that, in his 28 years of surgery, mine was the worst accident he’d ever seen and he made no promises about my recovery – he was very blunt.” After six weeks in Derriford, Mike was transferred to the specialist spinal unit in Salisbury where he spent the ne t ﬁve onths e

“ There are stunning plants, water features, quiet areas, space to be sociable and places just to sit and think. I met some great fellow patients while I was there, many of whom I’m still in touch with, and we really helped each other. ”

“ xx. ” winter 2020 | PATIENTS

faced an array of physical and emotional challenges as he came to terms with his new way of life. “I am now tetraplegic which certainly took some getting used to. he ﬁrst ti e tried to sit p, I just fell over like a ‘weeble’. I realised then how hard it was going to be and what a long road ahead I had in front of me.” Learning to navigate as a heelchair ser, he remembers the joy of being able to visit Horatio’s Garden. “It’s the most beautiful outdoor space that gives patients in Salisbury spinal unit somewhere to go that’s calm and peaceful. There are st nning plants, ater feat res, iet areas, space to be sociable and places just to sit and think. I met some great fellow patients while I was there, any of ho still in to ch ith, and e really helped each other.” Mike’s rehabilitation and strict physiotherapy regime led to time in Holton Lee in Dorset as well as Waters Park House in Devonport. n all, it as onths before Mike was able to leave hospital. During that

ti e, having realised and accepted that their family home was now completely ns ita le, haron had sold their ho se, oved to a bungalow and overseen some major adaptations and reconstr ction ork, in readiness for Mike’s return. Sharon explained “It was such a tough time in so many ways. We even lost our dog while Mike was in hospital. t, thankf lly, a as my absolute rock through it all nd, ith s pport fro fa ily, friends and he oyal ritish egion, e got everything done. It was so rilliant to ﬁnally have ike home with us.” Family life has taken on a ne nor al no , ith Sharon back at work and a , no , st dying at icton ollege ike, ho is also ack orking part-ti e, has retained his positive outlook throughout and is optimistic about the future. “With massive thanks to my physiotherapist, no have a tand id at ho e, hich is helping to strengthen my stomach and leg muscles and I’m investigating a new wheelchair that will

Ten days afer the accident

make it easier for me to be independent outside. I still only have limited use of my arms and hands so a batteryoperated wheelchair would ake a ig diﬀerence nd, hopef lly, ll e getting an Assistance Dog too. I’ve seen

the amazing things that these dogs can help with and I can’t wait. There’s no point in looking back at what might have een, yo have to look forward. We are where we are, t there s still an e citing future ahead.”. 

Horatio’s Garden at the Salisbury Spinal nit here i e s ent the rst e months of his rehabilitation

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Keeping in Touch Þ here are any ays to contact the team at Devon Air Ambulance: www.daat.org o ll ﬁnd lots of infor ation a o t the harity and our service on our website. If yo ve een airlifted, go to o r Who We Help page and tell us yo r patient story or all sorts of fundraising advice and information, go to our Get Involved pages

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Money Matters As we near the end of 2020, Director of Finance and Infrastructure David Hawes explains how the pandemic has had a signiﬁcant ﬁnancial impact on Devon Air Ambulance and how we are adapting to these unprecedented times

‘I

wake and feel the fell of dark, not day’ were words written by Gerard Manley Hopkins back in 1885 but are sentiments that seem particularly pertinent as the mornings draw shorter at the start of this strange year’s winter. Covid-19 has drawn a shadow over many parts of our society and, as an integral part of the community, it has ha a signi cant im act on us here at e on ir mbulance. o what has been an more im ortantly will be the im act on our nances an how will this ee through to the ser ice we oﬀer our atients

Then A statutory requirement of all charities is that they must report ho ch cash and reserves rainy day oney or funds set aside to pay for a future big spend - they think they need, and then to monitor if these levels are being et his helps ens re that each charity is a le to strike a balance – able to withstand unexpected downturns while not sitting on too much cash that they should be spending. hen ovid- initially hit, the i ediate ﬁnancial i pact on Devon Air Ambulance was cushioned by a healthy level of cash and reserves. Ahead of becoming clinically independent in 2018, we had built up strong levels knowing that our cost base would increase and to make sure we were in a position to continue developing our service, as ell as planning ahead for a ne co ined head o ce and airbase in 2023. his eant that there as no i ediate press re on o r cash and reserves in the pring, even hen the ﬁnal

payment for our new aircraft was made earlier in the year. We were also helped by the introduction of the furlough scheme, hich red ced the short ter cost of so e of o r o ce and retail staff hile o r shops ere closed he govern ent s etail, ospitality, o ris and eis re rant also offset so e of the reven e o r shops lost d ring this di c lt ti e he harity as therefore ell set to eather the initial i pact and make operational decisions based on operational factors rather than financial press res espite the fact that e inc rred unexpected additional costs to ensure we could operate safely in the field and to ena le any of o r o ce staff to ork fro home, our short-term position remained comfortable.

Now Our shops have since reopened and local community fundraising started to ret rn, t oth at significantly red ced levels, only to have to stop again d ring the second lockdo n o keep the shops safe for staff, donors and shoppers has eant a significant change to the model in an environment where a large number of other charities are closing shops permanently. Our short-term cash and investment position is solid, having been established over a period of lower operational expenditure, but this decrease in income is starting to impact both reserves and cash. After years of returning a surplus, 2019 as the first year here o r e pendit re e ceeded inco e and therefore our main aim for 2020 and beyond was to increase our inco e nfort nately, ovid- serio sly derailed o r plans Now losses are being incurred each month and early estimates are that the loss for this calendar year will be in the millions.

Looking Forward Despite innovative changes in retail and fundraising, our previous regular and consistent sources of revenue are likely to remain at much lower levels for 2021 and beyond. Our most consistent income, from our lottery, has slowed as new signups are largely dependent on face to face canvassing, which is suspended during lockdowns. While income from legacies re ains a cr cial part of o r f nding and has een in enced less y ovid- , this re ains varia le and on t ﬁll the gap

winter 2020 | FINANCE

“ Despite innovative changes in retail and fundraising, our previous regular and consistent sources of revenue are likely to remain at much lower levels for 2021 and beyond ”

created by the losses of our more regular sources of income. In short, if we continue to do the same things in the same way as we have done before, this will adversely impact on the service we can provide to our patients. We therefore need to be creative and innovative in embracing ways to increase the levels of money coming in, particularly through regular and recurring income such as through our lottery or by direct debits.

What Are We Doing? We’re reviewing and renewing our fundraising strategy, and investing in new departmental Heads to push forward the progression and those staﬀ freed p fro attending cancelled shows and events are now looking at other ways of raising funds. Returning the lottery to growth and encouraging more people to sign-up for regular giving will be crucial to Devon Air Ambulance, not just to create a short-ter ﬁ t ens re that the service is s staina le in the current environment and beyond. We’ve had tremendous support from the community of evon for over years of ying, and have felt this s pport strongly in the recent months – we believe that in the current climate some people may not be able to support us in the same way they have done previously. But we know that

the appetite and willingness to support us remains strong. People have continued to give and suppliers, including our property landlords, have been as e i le and genero s as possible in what are tough times for all. ickly changing ti es offer numerous challenges and opportunities to innovate, change and improve, but times didn’t change quickly enough for Gerard Manley opkins hose dark ords re ected the challenges he as elieved to have faced fro depression and his se ality hich ere vie ed ith significant pre dice years ago et the final ords he left this orld ith ere a happy, so happy. I loved my life’. What a wonderful demonstration that there is more to a day than dark, and this positive attitude gives everyone at Devon Air Ambulance an incentive to ensure our service allows as many people as possible to enjoy a happy and healthy a life as possible. 

Finance

David Hawes is the Finance & Infrastructure Director for Devon Air Ambulance, having joined the Charity in October 2014. Email: d.hawes@daat.org

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For Valour

The Brave Men of Devon here have een , individ al recipients of the ictoria ross since it as ﬁrst awarded in 1857. Many brave men who were either born in Devon, or called it home, have received this award and it would take a whole book to adequately commemorate and celebrate the achievements of them all. However, the stories of these fo r recipients e e plify the ravery and self-sacriﬁce of every one of the

The Corporal who caught the Russians between a rock and a hard place John Prettyjohns VC (1823-1887) was born at Dean Prior, Buckfastleigh. He worked as an agricultural labourer before enlisting in the Royal Marines at Stonehouse barracks in Plymouth at the age of 21. After clearing some caves of Russian sharpshooters at the Battle of Inkerman during the Crimean War, Corporal Prettyjohns and his troop were low on ammunition as the enemy began to creep back up the hillside to retake the caves. A report by Sergeant Turner RM, stated: “Prettyjohns, a muscular West Countryman, said, ‘Well lads, we are just in for a warming, and it will be every man for himself in a few minutes. Look alive, my hearties, and collect all the stones handy, and pile them on the ridge in front of you. When I grip the front man you let go the biggest stones upon those fellows behind. “As soon as the first man stood on the level, Prettyjohns gripped him and gave him a Westcountry buttock, threw him over upon the men following, and a shower of stones from the others knocked the leaders over. Away they went, tumbling one over the other, down the incline; we gave them a parting volley, and retired out of sight to load; they made off and left us, although there was sufficient to have eaten us up.” Prettyjohns was awarded the VC for his actions. He later served in India and China before being discharged after 21 years’ service in 1865 and became the steward of a golf club in Manchester. He died on the 20th January 1887 at the age of 63.

Undeterred by a hail of bullets Henry Singleton Pennell VC (18741907). Born in Dawlish, Pennell was a Lieutenant in the Derbyshire Regiment when he won his VC at the age of 23. His citation read: “During the attack on the Dargai Heights, Tirah, British India, when a captain of The Derbyshire Regiment was struck down, Lieutenant Pennell ran to his assistance and made two attempts, under a hail of bullets, to carry and drag him back to cover. The Lieutenant only gave up when he found that the wounded officer was dead”. Always a man to embrace adventure, Henry Pennell was accidentally killed in 1907 while tobogganing on the Cresta Run in St. Moritz and is buried in Dawlish Parish Churchyard. .

The most decorated non-combatant in the First World War Theodore Bayley Hardy VC (1863-1918) Exeter born Hardy was an ordained Church of England priest. In 1916, at the age of 53, he enlisted as an army chaplain attached to the Lincolnshire Regiment, administering to troops during the build up to Passchendaele. This earned him the Military Cross for “repeatedly going out under heavy fire to help the stretcher bearers during an attack.” His continuous bravery and for the rescue of a wounded man under fire saw him awarded the Victoria Cross. Hardy refused to leave the battlefields for a safer posting and was killed by machine gun fire in October 1918.

winter 2020 | HISTORY & HERITAGE

Fearless on the rugby pitch, fearless in battle Arthur Leyland Harrison VC (1886-1918). Harrison was born in Torquay and served as a Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy. He remains to this day the only England rugby union international to have been awarded the VC. In the final year of the war, in the midst of the German Spring Offensive, the Zeebrugge Raid was an audacious attempt to scuttle three ships in the mouth of the Bruges Canal to prevent the launch of German U-Boats that

were wreaking havoc on British shipping. Harrison’s role was to create a diversion. Under a cover of smoke, he was to land a small platoon on the Mole pier before launching a frontal assault on an enemy emplacement that included twelve seaward guns, two anti-aircraft guns, a machine gun nest and 1,000 troops. Unfortunately, the smoke lifted and Harrison was shot through the jaw before his ship had even made contact with the pier. Quickly regaining consciousness and in spite of the severity of his wounds he led his men on their fatal charge. He was posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross for bravery. His body was never recovered and he was posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross to honour his bravery.

The raid at Zeebrugge

The Victoria Cross was, unsurprisingly, introduced by Queen Victoria in 1856 to honour acts of valour during the Crimean war, and can be awarded posthumously. The Victoria Cross is the highest and most prestigious award of the British Honours System, awarded for valour “in the presence of the enemy” to members of the British Armed Forces. Legend has it that all the medals since 1914 are made from the metal taken from Russian cannons captured at the Siege of Sebastopol, although later research suggests these cannons may have been Chinese! The jewellers Hancocks of London has been responsible for the production of every VC awarded since its inception. Only 15 medals have been awarded since the Second World War and, given their rarity, the medals are highly sought after and have been known to sell at auction for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

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Nectar ‘drink of the gods’

t the beginning of my four-month furlough erio eci e to oﬀer myself and my skills as a volunteer to whoever needed assistance. Among the opportunities that opened up before me was a call for help working in a Nectar Garden. So, for two days a week, I found myself in an unusual position - actually planting the very plants that, in y for al day o , identiﬁed, removed and disposed of! However, the experience

did give me an appreciation of these sometimes unloved and often unwelcome

ectar is a s gary id produced by glands in a plant called the nectaries and is

“ As you can see, some plants that we often remove from our gardens are a very rich source of nectar so, while the temptation to clear and tidy our green spaces is often strong, a more relaxed attitude is worth a try ” garden plants. So, now for the science’y bit …..

secreted ithin o ers to encourage pollination by

insects and other animals and is collected by bees to make into honey. When listing the nectar yield of a plant, it is in icrogra s g per day and per oral nit, hich is one or ltiple o ers that can e visited by an insect without having to y et een the If we bear in mind that a n o er has a yield of g, then yo can see ho rich in nectar some of the examples shown on the next page are.

winter 2020 | GARDENS

Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)

Dandelion (Taraxacum oﬃcinalis) (which incidentally makes beautiful, extremely sweet, barley sugar honey)

Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

As you can see, some plants that we often remove from our gardens are a very rich source of nectar so, while the temptation to clear and tidy our green spaces is often strong, a more relaxed attitude is worth a try. I took part in the “No Mow May” campaign this year and was astounded by the number and diversity of o ers that appeared in y modest patch of grass. We can all help to provide nectar well into the autumn and throughout the winter. From my experience at Rosemoor, the following plants are s re-ﬁre inners for autumn nectar: Sedum, Hylotelephium (Herbstfreude Group) ‘Herbstfreude’ AGM, with its eshy, green leaves and large at ter inal cl sters of starry o ers in early a t n, it ill tolerate dry conditions and enjoys a sunny spot. Verbena bonariensis AGM, the regular of many sunny gardens with its tall branching stems and clusters of small, p rple o ers t ill self-seed freely if allowed. Hedera Hibernica, Irish Ivy maybe not the top of your list as an addition to your plot but if you have the space, the s all greenish o ers in umbels provide an important late nectar boost. All of these plants provide a vital food source to help our insects get through the winter. One such insect is the inter foraging ﬀ-tailed Bumblebee. Some colonies will remain on the wing throughout the winter here in the south of the UK and the following garden plants can be an important source of winter food in addition to adding scent, foliage and colour to your winter borders: Lonicera fragrantissima,

Other jobs to busy yourself with over the winter months include:

Clear up fallen leaves, especially from lawns, ponds and beds. Raise containers onto pot feet to prevent waterlogging. Prune roses to prevent wind-rock. Put out bird food to encourage winter birds into the garden. Insulate outdoor taps and prevent ponds and bird baths from freezing. Prune acers, birches and vines before Christmas to avoid bleeding. Take hardwood cuttings. Clean pots and greenhouses ready for spring. Inspect stored tubers of Dahlia, Begonia and Canna for rot or drying out. Plan your vegetable crop rotations for the coming season. Prune winter-flowering shrubs that have finished flowering. Divide bulbs such as snowdrops once flowered. Prune hardy evergreen hedges and renovate overgrown deciduous hedges. Cut back deciduous grasses left uncut over the winter. ...and, don’t forget, recycle your real Christmas tree so it can be shredded and turned into mulch!

inter- o ering honeys ckle, Mahonia japonica, Viburnum tinus, Eranthis hyemalis, Winter Aconite and the ever lovely Galanthus nivalis, Common Snowdrop. inter, ﬁnd is a good time to take stock, look over pictures and perhaps notes you have scribbled throughout the previous seasons of changes you have in mind or new ideas. ﬁnd

myself trawling garden centres, magazines and the internet in search of inspiration but also to carry out what I like to call “mind gardening” some of which may even come to fruition? 

Gardens

Images © RHS

Meet: 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!

Photos: © RHS

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Walk the

Templer Way Three generations of builders and entrepreneurs from the same family have had a remarkable impact on the history of Devon and between them left a legacy for all to enjoy today – the Templer Way.

t began with Exeter-born James Templer (1722–1782) who ran away to sea and amassed a fortune in India. His expertise was in dockyards and he returned to Devon with a contract to rebuild Plymouth Docks and, later, the Royal Marine Barracks in Stonehouse, both using granite quarried at Haytor on Dartmoor. He used his wealth to acquire the Stover estate near Newton Abbot.

His son, also called James (1748–1813), built the church of St Peter and St Paul at Teigngrace on the estate inherited from his father and later he constructed the Stover Canal to support the transportation of ball clay to cellars on the banks of the River Teign for onward transportation by barge down the river to Teignmouth. It runs for nearly two miles north from the Jetty Marsh Local Nature Reserve, Newton Abbot to Ventiford Basin at Teigngrace. In 1820, the next Templer, George (1781–1843) opened the Haytor Granite Tramway that ran for 8.5 miles from his granite quarries at Haytor to the Stover Canal. Granite carried on this tramway was used to build London Bridge, the British Museum and the National Gallery. Tramway, canal, country park – put them together and you have the wonderful 18 miles of the Templer Way tracing the carriage of granite from Haytor to Teignmouth through an everchanging landscape from open moorland, woodland, meadow, river valleys, urban land to the estuary foreshore. The route is generally divided into six bite-sized walks – Haytor to Edgemoor; Edgemoor to Great Plantation; Great Plantation to Locks Bridge; Locks Bridge to Newton Abbot Town Quay; Newton Abbot Town Quay to Coombe Cellars; Coombe Cellars to Teignmouth. Each stage ranges from 4-6 iles and offers largely at and level alking ith plenty of signage along the way. Starting at Haytor, arguably Dartmoor’s most famous Tor, you can visit some of the disused quarries and get some spectacular vie s efore yo find the ra ay itself t then skirts arner Wood near Bovey Tracey and passes through a beautiful beechlined avenue and on to a restored apple orchard. The Heritage Trail is a circuit in the centre of the Templer Way, based on the Templers’ Stover Estate. It starts and finishes in tover o ntry ark, acres of oodland, heathland, grassland, lake and marsh. Here you can walk by the Stover Canal and, after Newton Abbot, join the River Teign for a riverside amble to Teignmouth. The origins of the Templer Way are embedded in the industrial heritage of Devon and its particular association with granite and ball clay. Thanks to three generations of the same family, today the Templer Way is a great place to get out and enjoy some of the best countryside in the county.

winter 2020 | LOTTERY

Why your regular Lottery membership means even more to us this year! All charities have experienced uncertain financial times during this challenging year so, now more than ever, Devon Air Ambulance values regular donations which help us greatly with our financial planning as we go into 2021 and beyond. By keeping your Lottery membership going, or signing up for

additional lucky numbers, you are making a vital difference to keeping our helicopters flying … with the added bonus of potentially winning a great cash prize every week! A huge thank you to everyone who has continued to support us during this uncertain time.

YOU could be a winner! 3 Great Reasons to join our Lottery

Ways to join...

to say that we We are very pleased way of joining or can now offer a new ership with our upgrading your memb ne form new Direct Debit on-li

NEW! Online join our weekly To securely and safely r website Lottery, simply go to ou ur-lottery -o ay www.daat.org/pl we will fill out the form and ! do the rest your ‘lucky’ You will then receive number by post.

Lottery Meet: Tracy Owen - Fundraising Manager

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Canvassers - It’s been a difficult year for our team given the restrictions we have all faced but, when you do see them out and about at various outlets across Devon, please pop over, say ‘hello’ and consider signing up to be a Lottery member.

Cash Agents and Devon Air Ambulance shops (Government restrictions allowing) – Pop in at our various locations throughout Devon. A list of those local to you can be found on our website at : www.daat.org/agents

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Thank you from the whole team to all our wonderful Lottery members!

Email: t.owen@daat.org 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.

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winter 2020 | PATIENTS

Small steps to recovery fter s ﬀering serio s in ries in an horriﬁc car crash, cy c lroy fro ortha near ideford as inspired y the pheno enal f ndraising s ccess of aptain ir o oore hen she decided to set herself a very personal alking challenge

riving home from work on the North Devon link road in October 2019, Lucy remembers seeing a car coming towards her on the wrong side of the road. Despite swerving onto the grass verge, Lucy’s car was hit head-on, knocking her unconscious and trapping her inside. s she ca e aro nd, cy tried to ove t as a are of a lady and t o oyal arines, all advising that she st stay still he has no e ory of the t o evon ir lances that attended the incident or her treat ent at the scene t she does re e er eing in the helicopter and learning that they ere only ten in tes fro hospital ean hile, cy s h s and teve as co pletely na are of the incident ntil he sa an article on evon ive, the co nty s online newspaper, with a photo of his wife’s car at the scene n a state of shock, he called all the local hospitals one had ad itted his ife e also called the police, ho initially said there had een no report of a collision t p that evening,

ho ever, a police o cer did call Steve, with the news that his ife s car had een involved in a collison and she had een conveyed y air a lance to the a or ra a entre at erriford

Lucy taking small steps

ospital, and then ack to orth evon cy ﬁnally ret rned ho e in arch this year, nearly si onths after the collision As well as help with her physical recovery, incl ding

“ “Having watched Sir Captain Tom complete his walk, I was inspired to do something to raise funds for the Air Ambulance that had saved my life. I was in hospital for 144 days, so I decided to challenge myself to walk 144 steps unsupported!” ” ospital in ly o th fter a orrying drive to erriford, teve learned that cy had s ﬀered ltiple in ries, incl ding reaks to her pelvis, hip, fe r incl ding the head of the fe r , knee and ankle cy as in traction for t o eeks efore a or s rgery to co pletely replace her shattered pelvis and hip and insert a titani rod in her fe r he spent si eeks in erriford efore spending ti e in orth evon istrict ospital, o th olton

adaptations to her ho e, cy has also needed psychiatric help as she attled ith sy pto s of nitially she as na le to leave the ho se as she as so fearf l of any tra c t she is no re ilding her life aving atched ir aptain o co plete his alk, as inspired to do so ething to raise f nds for the ir lance that had saved y life as in hospital for days, so decided to challenge

yself to alk steps ns pported cy set her goal for e actly one year after the accident and as a sol tely thrilled ith her achieve ent t ay not so nd ch t, to e honest, it s an a sol te drea kno have to set s all goals to i prove oth y physical and ental ell- eing and, if can raise f nds for evon ir lance y achieving this goal, it akes it even ore orth hile teve, ho has een y cy s side the hole ti e, has nothing t praise for evon ir lance, saying t ight so nd clich d, t they are a sol te life-savers cy o ldn t e here she is today if she hadn t had s ch e pert treat ent at the scene and een transported to hospital so ickly o spend so long in hospital and to have to learn to alk again hasn t een easy t s een a long, and still ongoing, recovery t her s ccessf l challenge on the anniversary of the incident arks the eginning of a hole ne chapter 

One Pot Wonders...

, If you are in a stew pressed for time or just at want a simple meal th can be served straight from the pan with no need for any other not accompaniments, why d try one of our quick an easy one-pot recipes?

Mediterranean Chicken and Rice This dish takes very little preparation and the combination of citrussy chicken, unctuous oven-baked rice, tangy chorizo and Mediterranean vegetables make it a winning all-inone supper dish. It keeps well, can be easily reheated in a microwave the next day, and is also nice cold! Serves 4 Ingredients 4 chicken breasts (preferably skin on), cut into 12 pieces or 8 chicken thighs Half a regular chorizo ring, cut into ½ inch (1cm) slices 1 medium onion, sliced 2 medium peppers - any colour but a mixture is nice 1 bulb of fennel, cut into 8 pieces 1 large courgette, cut into ½ inch (1cm slices) 2 cloves of crushed garlic or a teaspoon of Lazy Garlic from a jar o ml rice basmati works well o ml o li ui make o ml o chicken stock, add a splash of Tabasco or Worcester Sauce, a generous glug o lemon uice an to u to taste with whate er you ha e to han white or re wine orange uice or more egetable stock are ne. you are using ennel a drop of Pernod or Ouzo adds a lovely zing of aniseed! A handful of pitted green or black olives Flat-leafed parsley A lemon

Method You will need a large oven-proof frying pan or casserole dish with a lid. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and, when fairly hot, brown the chicken well. Once nicely coloured, remove the chicken and set aside. In the hot oil, add all the vegetables – for an a thentic editerranean avo r, se any of the vegeta les suggested above, or mix it up with courgettes, green beans or sweetcorn – whatever you have available! Stir well until the vegetables start to soften and brown at the edges. Add the chorizo slices, cook for a further 5 minutes then stir in the rice, making sure it is well coated in the rich paprika oil from the chorizo. Add the liquid and stir well before transferring the ingredients to your casserole dish (if you are using one). Place the chicken on top of the mixture, preferably wedged in tightly so it covers the rice and vegetables. Add a few pitted olives and cover with foil before putting on the lid. Cook in a pre-heated oven (180°C, Gas Mark 4, 350°F) for about an hour. Scatter with some chopped at-leafed parsley and serve straight from the pan with wedges of lemon.

winter 2020 | FOOD & DRINK

Lamb and Apricot Tagine Nothing says ‘winter’ more than a warming North Africaninspired tagine. Make it traditionally with lamb or, if you prefer a vegetarian option, cook the sauce without the meat and just add cubes of salty Halloumi cheese 15 minutes before you want to serve. Serves 4 Ingredients 1 lb (450g) neck fillet lamb, sliced into 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces 1 standard brick of Halloumi cheese, cubed (if vegetarian option) 1 large onion, sliced 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) cubes 2 sticks of celery, sliced 2 cloves of crushed garlic (or from a jar – see chicken recipe) 400g tin chopped tomatoes 300 ml (10 fl oz) lamb or vegetable stock – using a cube is fine! 1 ½ teaspoons of Harissa Paste (it is worth having a jar in the cupboard as it can also be used as a tangy rub when roasting meat, stirred into vegetables or cous cous, or mixed with natural yoghurt to form a spicy dip) 1 inch (2.5cm) of fresh ginger grated, or a teaspoon of Lazy Ginger from a jar 1 tablespoon of Cumin, Coriander and Cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick if preferred) 1 tablespoon tomato puree 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed 12 ready-to-eat dried apricots, halved Chopped coriander

Method You will need a large oven-proof frying pan or casserole dish with a lid, or a traditional earthenware Tagine pot. Heat the oil and brown the lamb well. When golden brown, transfer it to a plate using a slotted spoon. Add the vegetables to the pan and cook until they have started to soften and take on some colour. Add the garlic, ginger and spices. Stir once and then add the tomatoes, tomato puree, chickpeas, stock, harissa paste and apricots. Return the lamb to the pan, cover tightly with foil, pop on the lid and simmer very gently for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Alternatively, transfer to a lidded casserole dish and cook in a pre-heated oven (150°C, Gas Mark 2, 300°F) for an hour. If you are making the vegetarian option, cook the vegetables as above, then uncover the dish 15 minutes before you plan to serve, and stir in the cubed Halloumi. Scatter with chopped coriander and serve with crusty bread to soak up the juices!

helipad | www.daat.org

Axminster

A world of Arts, Crafts and Carpets

Helipad’s Neil Devons takes a trip around this charming market town on the

ou can’t go much further east in Devon than Axminster, a lovely historic market town in the Axe Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and just inland from the Jurassic Coast. In fact, somewhere around Axminster they say there is a spot where you can put a foot in the three counties of Devon, Dorset and Somerset – if you had three feet, that is! Axminster’s location is

historically signiﬁcant eing on the crossroads of the Roman Fosse Way which linked Seaton to Lincoln, and the Exeter to London coaching route. The town dates back to Celtic times of around 300 BC and is one of only 15 British towns that appears on the Roman era Peutinger Map. It was, and is, a busy place. In the 18th century up to 16 coaches every day would stop at the centrally located George

Hotel which, appropriately, as opened in the ﬁrst year of the reign of George III in he high level of tra c then is re ected in the to n today as articulated trucks and huge tractors thunder through Trinity Square amid the local shoppers and curious visitors reminding us that it is still an important thoroughfare. A possible ‘decongestion’ solution continues to be the subject of considerable debate. The importance of River Cottage and the River Cottage Kitchen & Deli

Axminster was such that it was granted a Charter to hold a cattle market as far back as 1210 and this was held in various locations for almost 800 years until the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001 took its toll, closing it for good a few years later. Nevertheless weekly markets still provide an outlet for local produce and the town is full of independently owned specialist shops and eateries including celebrity chef and TV presenter Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall’s organic shop/ market and canteen.

Images © www.coolplaces.co.uk

eastern edge of the county to celebrate its rich heritage and amazing creativity

winter 2020 | BEAUTIFUL DEVON - AXMINSTER

Arts, Crafts and Heritage Although modest in size (the population is under 6,000), there are some wonderfully grand buildings and a Blue Plaque Heritage Trail to guide you round them. The mile long trail has 15 sites to visit and takes in such places as the Minster Church which dominates the town centre, the Old Courthouse with its secret garden, the Old Carpet Factory and the Archway Bookshop, the arch of which possibly dates back to a 13th century abbey. In parallel, another trail guides visitors around the arts and crafts heritage of Axminster including its Arts Café, the browser’s paradise at the Old Chapel Antiques Centre and Belle Vue Walkway where various artworks include a farmer and cow sculpture and much more.

Axminster Carpets – a tale of two halves No mention of Axminster will ever be complete without a reference to its worldwide reputation for carpet making. Thomas Whitty began making Axminster method carpets in 1755 after seeing a large Turkish carpet in a London market. Some of his creations grace buildings such as Chatsworth House, Brighton Pavilion and Powderham Castle, as well as being bought by King George III and Queen Charlotte who visited the Axminster factory in 1789. The business folded in follo ing an earlier ﬁre t yo can still see a ea tif l 1769 Whitty carpet in the town’s Heritage Centre. arpet aker and entreprene r arry tﬁeld reestablished carpet manufacturing in Axminster in 1937 years on fro hitty fo nding his co pany and, although it has witnessed tough times, ‘Axminsters from Axminster’ remain a potent symbol of the town’s culture and heritage. By maintaining the highest quality, using the best raw materials, employing highly skilled craftsmen and women and a world class carpet design capability, Axminster Carpets™ is still weaving luxurious bespoke carpets for the Royal household, stately homes, luxury hotels and grand residences around the world.

Workers on the Axminster loom

Image © Axminster Carpets

Axminster carpet at the recently restored Royal Pavilion in Brighton

helipad | BEAUTIFUL DEVON - AXMINSTER

When I retire, I’m going to paint!

Images: Thanks to Marine House at Beer - www.marinehouseatbeer.co.uk

The oft repeated mantra of former head teacher and academic, Michael Morgan RI, not only came to fruition but turned this long-term resident of Axminster into one of the co ntry s ﬁnest and ost innovative watercolourists. e developed his o n techni e foc ssing on re ote upland scenes with distant, isolated buildings, using a vivid and contrasting colo r palette is vis ally po erf l paintings have een vario sly descri ed as charismatic, escapist and intense. As far as we know, the locations depicted are not of any real place but the n orldly interpretation helps create a ni e ood or e otion in the vie er hey are also f ll of s tle surprises although interestingly no animate objects are ever incl ded, leaving yo to decide on the conte t as yo see it hese enig atic i ages are tr ly captivating Michael enjoyed two successful careers. Firstly in academia where, among many other roles, he became headmaster of Dartington Primary School, the Principal of the roe el nstit te at the niversity of oeha pton and fo nding tr stee of the erican niversity in ondon n the arts, he as e ally s ccessf l not st as a painter - he was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI) – but also as a founding academician and former Chairman of Trustees of the South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts as well as President of The Honiton Art Society. Mike Lambert, owner of Marine House at Beer where Michael Morgan prints and some original watercolours are on sale, said at the time of the artist’s death in 2014, aged 85: ”Michael described his orks as oving ne interpretations of lonely and beautiful places which imbue a sense of escapism, and strike a chord ith any in o r fast oving and pressured world. He was a man of great personal charm who has left an enduring legacy.” 

winter 2020 | PATIENTS

Everything happened so quickly! Charlie and Julie Geach from Exminster often watch television programmes about hospitals, ambulances and emergency helicopter services. Until recently, however, they had never i agined that they o ld ﬁnd themselves grateful for the knowledge they had gained from the TV!

n Saturday 25th July, Charlie was happily feeding the chickens in his garden when he felt he had been stung. He wasn’t unduly alarmed at the time but decided to head indoors to take an antihistamine tablet. His wife, Julie, takes up the story: “Charlie came indoors and asked me to grab him a Piriton tablet as he’d been stung by hornets, but wasn’t aware how many. But almost immediately after he’d taken it, he explained that he really didn’t feel right. With that, he collapsed to his knees with his head in his hands, before passing out and hitting his head as he fell. I could see that he was sweating profusely, and his face was swelling – I phoned 999. At that time, Charlie was still breathing, although it was laboured and I was struggling to feel a pulse. “I got through to the ambulance service and the call-taker insisted I follow her instructions, which included turning my husband onto his back and giving him CPR. By this point Charlie’s pulse was so low, he was almost unconscious. Every minute felt like an hour and I was so relieved when the emergency

services arrived. First a land a lance cre , then a first responder team, then the Devon Air Ambulance landed in o r field o r hall ay as filled ith professional medics – and only then did I have the confidence to leave Charlie while I telephoned our

Devon Air Ambulance aircrew treated Charlie for the severe anaphylactic reaction he had s ﬀered, other para edics explained things to Julie and their daughters and advised that they should head to the hospital where he would be taken. Charlie was taken in the land ambulance, along with a Devon Air Ambulance paramedic, to A&E at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital where he went straight to resus. he ﬁrst e ory harlie has is waking up in the Acute Medical Unit later that afternoon before being moved to the Intensive Care Unit because his blood Charlie, Julie and their granddaughters

“ I’ll never forget the sense of relief when I knew that expert, professional help was on hand for Charlie. I had ashbacks or uite a while ” daughters, Emma and Katie.” With a huge sense of relief that expert help was now on hand, Julie got through to the girls and both rushed to be with their parents. As the

pressure was so low. “I can vaguely remember parts of what happened, but it is all quite vague,” he explained. “It was quite a shock to realise that I’d been so unwell and

in need of such emergency care. Thank goodness I went indoors after I’d been stung and I’m so grateful that Julie was there when I collapsed. I really can’t begin to imagine what might have happened otherwise. Coincidentally, our daughter Emma had a severe anaphylactic reaction to an insect sting when she was very small, so we’ve always been aware of the dangers. But I hadn’t realised just how quickly things can happen. I don’t want to become an obsessive worrier about insect bites, but I’ll certainly carry an epi-pen with me from now on.” The family have nothing but praise for the help they received that day; from the first responders, to the land crew, the Devon Air Ambulance team, as well as all the staff at , “they were all incredible.” Amazingly, just 24 hours later, with his blood pressure and heart rate back to normal, Charlie was discharged from hospital and has since made a full recovery. Julie concluded, “I’ll never forget the sense of relief when I knew that expert, professional help was on hand for Charlie. I had ash acks for ite a hile - and even had to administer the epi-pen when Charlie was stung by a wasp just a few weeks later! But, as we look forward to Christmas as a family, we are just so grateful that we can celebrate all together – things might have een very different itho t Devon Air Ambulance coming to our rescue this summer.” 

helipad | www.daat.org

’ e r a C o t e r e Th ‘ e r a We this Christmas ulance has ome at evon ir mb his year charitable inc ising events the hundreds of fundra been hit hard due to e we ﬁnd t evon. or the ﬁrst tim cancelled throughou d we are reaching extra help this year an ourselves in need of hristmas 0 0 evon to support our out to the people of . Appeal ‘There to Care’ service for you all r ou ve maintained ha to d ou pr are e W to respond ic and remain ready em nd pa e th ut ho throug , when every ever we are needed whenever and wher second counts.

Thank You to ourts wonderful patien peal we 20 Christmas Ap As part of our 20 you the nt to share with rta po im as w it felt the patients service has on impact that our er patients ss than 14 form we attend. No le campaign throughout our are highlighted tremely them, we are ex and to each of

grateful. cer ebbie nt iaison orking with Patie ed the ve bravely shar Gregory they ha rience n personal expe ow r ei th of ils ta de ofold, to . The reason is tw of their incident arity and atitude to the Ch reinforce their gr ess of the d to raise awaren its supporters an d medical of the aircrew an ill sk le ib ed cr in during what ‘There to Care’ e er w at th s team ents of their the worst mom might ve been lives. we did not remember that t is important to ing to our pain and suﬀer of f lie re g in br only pport to much needed su patients but also l our patients . Thank you to al their loved ones your stories. ones for sharing and their loved al will help Christmas appe r ou at th pe ho We abling us to eded funds en to raise much ne years to come. e patients in the help many mor

ries of some aign, we share the sto Throughout the camp have had tients, many of whom of our wonderful pa our service and riods after needing lengthy recovery pe who were there our medical teams of ills sk ing az am e th u will see the e coming weeks yo th er Ov . em th r fo to care ges and you can our social media pa stories appearing on r website. also read them on ou the life saving ding the word about rea sp by t tha pe ho e e’s mum, dad, provided for someon service that we have d kindness with the generosity an aunty or child, coupled ar’s Christmas t we can make this ye of our supporters, tha r future s and go on t o see ou ampaign a big succes ise. ial ter ma ir mbulance ambitions for evon ing part rd to lots of people tak We are looking forwa from Hat for DAAT fundraiser in our Wear a Santa to say a big ber and would also like the 7th 1 th ecem mitted a sub dy ea alr who has thank you to everyone Christmas loved one on our online Christmas Wish for a activities ls about both of these ishes tree. ore detai bsite. are available on our we

l appeal letter Don’t forget to read our specia impl ll in the enclosed here ith elipad. nate (or any form, select an amount to do y welcome!) and amount of your choice is ver elope. return to us in the Freepost env

winter 2020 | CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

12 Gifts you can give to support Devon Air Ambulance this Christma s

1. Volunteer – do you have a littl e time or skills that you could don ate to support DAA? 2. Host a collection box – in 201 9, loose change from DAA collec tion boxes added up to £190,000! Do you run or work at a business or organisation tha t could help by having a collection box on display? 3. Sign up for our DAA newsletter – stay up-to-date and spread the news by sharing it with family and friends. See Sto p Press on page 7 to find out how to register. 4. Be a fundraiser – have some fun thinking of inventive and cre ative ways to fundraise, either individually or with your family and friends. 5. Book a virtual talk – listen to knowledgeable speakers who are now delivering DAA talks to schools, businesses and community groups online. 6. Get your business on board – business supporters are som e of the most enthusiastic, but 2020 hasn’t bee n easy for many businesses so any help you can give us is invaluable. 7. Remember DAA in your Will – leave a lasting gift for others, knowing that an essential life-saving service is ava ilable for generations to come. 8. Donate to DAA shops (when safe to do so) – your pre-loved items will make the perfect purchase for someone and go a big way towards raising much needed funds for the service. 9. Visit the DAA online shop – at www.daat.org/visit-our-online -shop where you can find lots to buy to create your ow n unique style from the comfort of your own home. 10. Give a regular gift by direct debit – make a difference by giv ing a regular gift securely from your bank accoun t. 11. Join the DAA lottery – in 201 9, lottery members boosted DA A’s income by £2m. There is a chance every week to win a top prize of £1,350, two priz es of £135 or 10 runners-up prizes of £50. See pag e 21 for more details on how to join. 12. Donate today – DAA is 100% independent of external fundin g and depends on public funding to bring specia list critical care to patients in time-critical solutions.

e a donation ed o er our support or ma f ou ould li e to et involv at.or or call us on contact us at fundraisin da

helipad | www.daat.org

Peter Willes with his three children

Determined to work through the pain Farmer and cheese maker, Peter Willes, of Horwood near Bideford was seriously burned in June this year when a high-level hot water tank pipe burst, soaking him in boiling water

eter takes up the story. “I was working in the barn when, in a split second, the pipe burst and boiling water gushed out all over me. I knew immediately that I needed to get out, but I was trapped in the corner and the only way out was through the torrent. I was soaked through as I ran 50 metres to reach and get in a cattle trough of cold water.” Realising something serious had happened, Peter’s son Jack was alerted and called 999 and, along with Peter’s partner Ros and Miranda fro the o ce, they ran to the cattle trough to help and reassure Peter. A land ambulance crew arrived just minutes later and, on seeing the severity of the in ries eter had s ﬀered, they called for Devon Air Ambulance. The aircrew arrived and administered Ketamine as pain relief, as they gently

wrapped Peter in specialist cling ﬁl to help ini ise the risk of infection. Through his agony, Peter recalls the coincidence of recognising one of the critical care aircrew paramedics, Chris Saunders, from a joint love of rugby and connection with Bideford Rugby Club. Peter continues, “I remember that way back as a 16-year-old, I didn’t have

The paramedics from both land and air conveyed Peter as gently as possible to the helicopter and he as o n to Southmead Hospital in Bristol for care in their Burns Unit. Assessments revealed that he had s ﬀered rns, speciﬁcally his right shoulder, arm, hand and torso and both legs. It was decided that due to the extent of his injuries,

“ Thankfully, I do now have about 80% movement in my right arm and shoulder and, hopefully, that will continue to improve.” ” enough money to pay for something I needed at the Club – and Chris lent me £5. I’ve tried since to pay him back, but he’s never taken it. And then he turned up as one of the aircrew to rescue me. I really hadn’t expected that!”

Peter should be moved immediately to Swansea Specialist Burns Unit. To manage the severity of the pain, Peter was placed on a ventilator in an induced coma for the following ten days. During his stay in Swansea, Peter had major skin grafts,

from his left side to his right arm, torso and legs. His memory is very limited, “I do, however, remember that the nurses had to roll me twice a day but it was such absolute agony, they had to administer extra painkillers before each time.” Ros remembered that before the Air Ambulance took oﬀ eter as f lly conscious and making conversation. At this point, Ros had no doubt that Peter was going to be okay; it was not until she received the call from the doctors later that evening that she realised how very serious the injuries were. Ros commented that “it was a very worrying time for everyone and some very di c lt days follo ed the support the family and I received from so many people over the following weeks was overwhelming. Due to the Covid restrictions we were unable to visit Peter

winter 2020 | FUNDRAISING in Swansea which was heart wrenching, but I reassured myself by knowing he was in the best place he could be. The whole medical process, team and care Peter received, and is still receiving, is amazing.”

Peter remained in Swansea hospital for six weeks, with a further two weeks rehabilitating in the Bristol Burns Unit, including intensive physiotherapy. “As well as the burns, I had lost such a lot of muscle

Henry and friends ‘take to the road’ While Peter was in hospital, his family and friends rallied around. Jack continued to manage the farms and the cheesemaking business in his dad’s absence and daughter Katie carried on with her milking shifts. Meanwhile younger son, Henry, aged 13, along with his mother Alli, were motivated by the accident to organise and arrange a cycle event to say thank you to Devon Air Ambulance. Henry’s target was an ambitious £5,000. However, the event proved more successful than he could ever have imagined. By the weekend of the challenge, it had been promoted far and wide and attracted support from friends, family, locals and businesses from around the area. The £5,000 target had been well and truly exceeded and, incredibly, was already sitting at over £10,000! In addition, Torch Vets, Tarka Spring Water and ea on the a had also contri ted oth ﬁnancially and with refreshments to all the cyclists. A total of 56 cyclists took

that I was unable to walk. The physios have been working really hard with me and I still go to Barnstaple Hospital twice a week and back to Bristol once a week to rebuild my strength. They also have to ‘stretch’ the skin,

which is so unbelievably painful; it makes doing the physio really hard. But, thankfully, I do now have about 80% movement in my right arm and shoulder and, hopefully, that will continue to improve.”

part in the stunning 33-mile route along the Tarka Trail, with a celebratory socially distanced gathering at the end. Peter was thrilled to be at the start and end of the ride. “It was amazing to see so many friends turn up in support of Henry’s event. But everyone knows just what a great cause Devon Air Ambulance is. No-one ever knows when they might need the service. My injuries were so time critical; I just can’t imagine what might have happened if they hadn’t helped me that day. I am so proud of Henry for galvanising such great support and everyone had such a brilliant day. The fundraising is now over £16,000 and still rising – we are all overwhelmed. But it just doesn’t bear thinking a o t ho diﬀerent things co ld have een so e ill be forever grateful to Devon Air Ambulance and to everyone for their s pport to help keep the service ying, co pled ith o r thanks to the a a ing staﬀ at o th ead, ansea and Barnstaple who were just incredible!” 

f ou ould li e to o er our support to enr s our de illes ou can donate at the follo in site . ust ivin .com fundraisin henr illes

Thinking of fundraising? If you are planning a fundraising activity of any kind - including virtual! - please do give s a call e can oﬀer s pport aterials s ch as posters, alloons, collection o es and even running vests, and we can promote your event on our website and social media.

see pa e

helipad | www.daat.org

NEW HELICOPTER UPDATE

G-DAAS

has taken to the skies n ednesday th ove er , o r ne helicopter, registration G-DAAS, was introduced into service, ready to bring emergency medical care to patients across Devon

s the hangar doors were rolled back on a mild but overcast day, that morning’s crew readied G-DAAS for its rst ay o ser ice. lthough the routine to re are or take oﬀ was ust like the start o any ty ical ay shi t at eter airbase, it nevertheless marked the culmination of years of care ul nancial an o erational lanning in or er to e elo the best ossible aircra t to meet our current an uture o erational nee s. In practical terms, putting a new helicopter into service is a complex process. It involves the collective knowledge and e perience of a n er of o r operational staﬀ across

fter any onths eing ilt, o r helicopter as o n to the UK where the internal air ambulance equipment was fitted and then, on the th ne this year, a s all gro p of operational staff fro evon ir lance travelled to ford to for ally accept the aircraft into o r eet here then egins a rigoro s co pliance process eca se it is a ne aircraft type to , it re ired significant and detailed documentation to be submitted to the Civil Aviation thority to vary o r ir perator s ertificate In addition, as well as the lengthy pilot training required to learn to y a different aircraft type, there as also edical

“ We look orwar to the ay we can meet our su orters once again in erson to thank them or their in aluable contribution in hel ing bring G-DAAS into service ” helicopter services and patient services, starting with detailed research into the suitability of each available helicopter type in terms of what would be the best option for Devon Air lance nce the est helicopter type is identiﬁed and signed-oﬀ y o r oard of r stees, the aircraft starts to e built to order. Airbus kept us updated with progress from their facility at Donauworth in Germany as the airframe took shape, and a small team from Devon Air Ambulance visited back in late 2019 to check on progress.

crew training to be completed, detailed technical checks and co ple ork to ens re all the on oard digital syste s were correctly programmed. Only then did the CAA approve the helicopter for use and we took delivery of our very precious operating certiﬁcate hich conﬁr ed e ere ready to y Flight Operations Director Ian Payne explains how our new bigger aircraft will help enhance the critical care we can provide he ir s provides an e citing addition to o r operational capacity t has a igger airfra e than o r

winter 2020 | NEW HELICOPTER helicopter, and that means we have increased space onboard, including a larger medical compartment to treat and convey patients. Added to that, we have designed our own medical fit-o t hich incl des a ni e seating config ration so that p to three clinicians can all access a patient, either on the ground or hen in ight, ith their vital life-saving e ip ent and monitors laid out systematically and within easy reach”. Devon Air Ambulance will be able to utilise the extra space to carry ore edical e ip ent to the scene of an incident, and the additional seating ill have a tangi le enefit, not only when operating a team of two paramedics and a doctor, but also because there is still enough seating to accommodate a parent or guardian, or for a trainee clinician or pilot to ride along. Ian added “The bespoke medical interior of the H145 also includes a wheeled stretcher system to ease the transfer of a patient from the scene of the incident, into the aircraft and then into the hospital A&E, making the journey more comfortable for the patient”. G-DAAS will be based at our Exeter airbase, with our current EC135 helicopter, G-DAAN, operating out of our northern airbase at

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Eaglescott, near Torrington. The service will provide up to 19 hours of service every day, operating until 2am, seven days a week. Helena Holt, Chief Executive said “The introduction of our new helicopter is exciting news for us, and great news for the people of Devon. It underlines our ambition to provide the very best possible service for critically ill or injured patients across the county”. “All our supporters should be really proud of how they have helped us to achieve this long-term strategic aim for our service” Helena added. “We look forward to the day we can meet our supporters once again in person to thank them for their invaluable contribution in helping bring G-DAAS into service”.  Original project illustration from early 2018

July 2020: Pilots go back to school!

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Sustainable shopping goes online... When the country went into lockdown back in March, like so many retail sinesses, o r shops ere significantly affected ith pre ises closed and staff f rlo ghed ince then, e have een orking tirelessly to reopen o r shops in a ovid-sec re ay and have also spent the intervening onths looking at opport nities for f t re-proofing o r i portant retail sales, co ing p ith innovative ays to reach o r c sto ers in the ne virt al orld and pro ote o r passion for s staina ility hrissie eel, etail perations

anager, takes s on a to r of o r ne

Devon Air Ambulance launches it’s our first ever online shop! t has een a it of a roller-coaster e citing and scary in e al eas re - t, ith a lot of hard ork ehind the scenes, e are thrilled to have recently opened o r first ever online evon ir lance shop, perfect for c sto ers to ro se any ti e of the day or night, and fro any here in the orld e kno o r loyal and ne c sto ers ill love to s pport s y p rchasing one-off, pre-loved ite s to create their o n ni e style r ne online shop feels and looks ite different to any charity shop yo ay have ever visited r tea of talented and creative staff have designed a stylish, sophisticated and odern online space, perfect for ro sing and ying fro the co fort of yo r o n ho e nitially la nched ith s of o en s clothing and accessories, we are already planning to add so much more, incl ding ens ear and children s clothes, as ell as niche departments like Vintage and stylish homeware and accessories ecognising that o r c sto ers se social edia platfor s to share their ne s and vie s, o r ne online shop also oasts its very o n social edia channels here shoppers can keep pto-date ith ne additions to o r stock, as ell as pro otional

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offers and essages r ne online shop offers free shipping for ost ite s and a simple purchasing and returns process, so you can shop with evon ir lance in total confidence isit o r ne online shop at shopdaat org for a totally ne charity shopping e perience

For something a ‘little more special’ - shop with us on eBay f yo are looking for a ni e collecta le, ea tif l vintage dress, anti e clock or specialist ook, look no f rther than o r ne e ay shop esigned to co ple ent o r online shop, o r re arka le e ay tea are dedicated to researching a ide range of e tra-special ne and pre-loved ite s hich e are l cky eno gh to have donated to s, ranging fro clothing and accessories to jewellery, watches, household items, toys and entertain ent e are all very pro d of the hard-earned rep tation that o r shops have, not only for the standard of presentation and e cellent condition of o r prod cts, t also the range and ality of ite s e sell e kno yo ill e pleased

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

Thank you very much for your ongoing support of Devon Air Ambulance and your understanding as we embark on the ne t hase o our ourney your contribution is making a real iﬀerence to our atients an their amilies.

winter 2020 | RETAIL

to hear that we are maintaining our very high standards across our eBay range too – each item of clothing is carefully checked, steamed and made ready for sale and other items will be thoroughly washed and, even if they have grown old gracefully, returned to as close to their former glory as we can make them! We are using Royal Mail to send out your purchases but have also rolled out a Click & Collect service to enable you to pick up your items from your local Devon Air Ambulance shop. You can even set us up as one of your ‘favourite sellers’ to make sure you don’t miss out on the latest items that go on sale!

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Chrissie added: “By providing these two different online platforms, coupled with the ease and simplicity of online shopping, we are delighted that our customers are still able to purchase from us and, in doing so, are contributing to maintaining the income we need to keep our vital emergency service operational. My thanks to all the brilliant retail staff and our colleagues across the charity for their amazing support in helping to create our two new online shopping options. It has taken a lot of hard work but we are very pleased with the final products, and look forward to welcoming all our customers, new and old, into our new Devon Air Ambulance online shops” 

As well as going ‘virtual’, our 18 shops are still open (lockdowns permitting!). While you will not be able to browse items as you did before, we will continue to showcase our best products via our shop windows for you to purchase. You can be reassured that all our retail premises have been made Covid-secure, with the provision of screens, hand-sanitising stations and strict adherence to government advice in terms of wearing masks and social distancing. Receiving your items for sale is still paramount to maintaining our retail sales, so we have introduced a simple, safe 3-step process for when you kindly wish to donate items to us – please check out our website www. aat or to n ore in or ation a o t o r onation ro ess an o r safety procedures, as well as to locate your nearest shop.

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helipad | www.daat.org

BUSINESS on Board

RGB Building Supplies are one of the region’s leading builders’ merchants and, back in summer 2020 Helipad, we told you about their initiative to donate 25p from every dumpy bag of building aggregates they sold in the region. We are delighted to report that this initiative has been incredibly successful and, so far, the initiative has raised around £2,000 for us and for Cornwall Air Ambulance. That’s a lot of great landscaping going on in our region! Thanks to RGB and their customers for their ongoing support.

As well as their dumpy bag initiative, RGB are also selling beautiful calendars for 2021, again to raise funds for Devon Air Ambulance and Cornwall Air Ambulance. Priced at £7.50 each, these large calendars contain stunning images from their recent ‘Love Where You Live’ photography competition. This calendar would make a great stocking-ﬁller for a loved one this Christmas and are available to buy in one of our shops or through our eBay shop (plus P&P).

Based in East Devon, Cosmic is a social enterprise oﬀering digital skills training and services to a wide range of organisations, communities and individuals. We would like to extend our very grateful thanks to them for their donation of £1,500 towards the purchase of a 3M Clean-Trace ATP Hygiene Monitoring System. This essential piece of kit helps to deliver a rapid and reliable solution to monitoring biological contamination on surfaces and will be rolled out to crew following on-line training. Henry at Cosmic said ‘‘We are delighted that our donation has been able to contribute to this very worthwhile cause”.

Here are some of the ways local Devon businesses are supporting Devon Air Ambulance

Greenergy is a UK fuel supplier and biofuel manufacturer. One of their commitments as a business is to involve their employees in supporting local communities across the globe. With many staﬀ working in Devon, one of the teams nominated DAA to receive a large donation because of the important and meaningful support our service provides to the community.

Devon Air Ambulance already work with Exeter-based IT and cyber security specialist Securious, so are delighted that, this ﬁnancial year, not only have they decided to support us as their Charity of the Year, but also to waive their fees to us of £4,000 so that more funds can go towards keeping our service operational. We are grateful for their generosity and that their expertise in cyber security keeps our business safe.

winter 2020 | FUNDRAISING

AVillageShow very 2020 style The conventional village show is synonymous with rural life and, here in Devon, communities around the county have long enjoyed the custom. But, along with many other activities this year, the pandemic has seen most events postponed or cancelled. However, the residents of Newton Poppleford in East Devon were determined not to miss out and Zoe Adey of Paws, Rosettes and Ribbons, came up trumps to create a unique 2020-syle virtual village show. Zoe explains what happened:

“I

have always wanted to run a ‘real life’ traditional village show but the ongoing Covid situation put paid to any chance of that happening this year, so I decided that I would turn it into an online event instead. “I set up a Facebook page and asked local businesses and individuals to sponsor each competition category to cover the cost of the rosettes. Making rosettes is what I do for a living, so I was able to make them at cost. The support I got was brilliant, and I came up with 50 categories for people to enter. “The schedule was released and people began sending in their entries. They were all uploaded to the Facebook group – Newton Poppleford Online Village Show. I chose this name but it was actually open to all residents of East Devon and we had entries from further afield. “We ended up with around 400 entries for the show – which was incredible - the pet section was by far the most popular with handicrafts coming a close second. “We also had some brilliant entries from children, but perhaps not as many as I would have liked and I did wonder if this is because children now spend less time crafting and

drawing than they used to. “Each category had an overall winner and the ‘Show Champion’ was then chosen from all these winners. The judges were all from outside Devon, so they didn’t know any of the exhibitors which meant that the decisions made were totally impartial. “Our overall Show Champion was Georgie Ashton who had won the needlework class and best in section, with a fabulous Unicorn head she had created – it was absolutely stunning and really beautiful! I would like to thank all of our sponsors, judges and the exhibitors who sent in entries and raised £541 for Devon Air Ambulance.” Such was the success of this year’s online event, Zoe is already planning a repeat for next year. “I was really delighted with the enthusiasm and support this year. It was brilliant to have entries and winners from right across the board; men, women, young and old. I loved organising it and helping people to be involved. I even had enquiries from people who lived elsewhere in the country asking if they could enter – you never know, maybe next year I’ll also organise a regional show!” .

If any other DAA supporter is inspired to organise an online show in their own village, Zoe has offered to share her experience of “Do’s and Don’ts” from this year and has even offered to make rosettes at cost. Contact fundraising@daat.org for further information .

helipad | www.daat.org

Devon People Our fantastic supporters mean more to us than ever at this diﬃcult time. With huge thanks to ALL our fundraisers!

Alex Tapp and Martin Greenslade - Former patient Alex Tapp donated £1,000 to DAA following the sale of his tractor to Martin Greenslade, another former DAA patient! Sharl Heys raised £232.50 when she shaved her head in memory of her stepdad Stephen, who had been assisted by DAA but sadly died.

Retired nurse, Caroline Griﬃths from Paignton, raised over £500 for DAA selling hand-crafted face masks.

Sarah Brown, from Moreleigh near Totnes, raised £1,252 selling facemasks for DAA this summer. Bev Faulkner cycled in fancy dress each weekend in May and raised over £1,100 and many smiles along the way.

winter 2020 | DEVON PEOPLE

Linda Gilbert, who featured in our Summer issue, is still busy making masks and has raised over £9,000 so far.

taﬀ at the House of Marbles donated their tips from St Patrick’s Day in March just ahead of the ﬁrst lockdo n

George Graham (L) raised £2,750 for DAA during his year as Captain at Yelverton Pals Golf Society.

DAA was delighted to receive £500 from supporter Jean Pardy following sales of her book of poems, Jean’s Jottings.

Wendy Watts sold plants outside her house in Exmouth and donated £202 to DAA.

Mr & Mrs Britton raised £220 during the summer selling fruit and veg outside their home in High Bullen, near Torrington. Keen supporter Rodney Glover, from Woolsery near Bideford, raised a fabulous £648.24 by shaving his head for DAA. Geo raised £150 fro sales of his ﬁrst published book ‘Coat with Long Sleeves’, sold at The Grove Inn, Kings Nympton.

helipad | www.daat.org

Junior Crew our We always love to learn about what the inspirational youngsters in county do in order to raise money for Devon Air Ambulance  Brother and sister Will (12) and Abi Studley (14) walked 13 miles from Stonebarrow in September and raised £886.25.  Molly Ralls raised £550 for DAA by cycling 10k over 5 days in April, so “they could have more medical equipment to help them rescue more people.”

Prou

o t d

DEV

 On a particularly wet day in October, Torrington AFC Girls took part in a sponsored walk along the Tarka Trail and raised over £1,360.94 for DAA.

 10-year old Max Hedley exceeded everyone’s expectations when he rowed 26 MILES on his indoor rower for the 2.6 Challenge and raised £293.75.

winter 2020 | JUNIOR CREW  Twins Alex and Ben White, who have BOTH been airlifted, raised £1,568 after cycling 145 miles around Devon this summer.

 Casey Binding raised £100 in sponsorship after a week of walking, running and cycling – to thank DAA for airlifting her Grandad, Martyn Bucknell.

 Inspired by Capt. Sir Tom Moore, Riley Dore did a sponsored cycle ride, completing 70 miles before his 7th birthday, and raised £989.67.

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 Henry Willes organised a cycle ride on the Tarka Trail to say thank you to DAA for helping his dad Peter, and raised a whopping £16,000!

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winter 2020 | OPERATIONS

Community Landing Sites:

Spotlight on Torbay D

espite the continued disruption caused by the pandemic, we are seeing lots of ‘can-do’ spirit and commitment by Councils, community groups and individuals as they work hard to develop their community landing sites. In this edition of Helipad, we wanted to take a closer look at Torbay, where our work with Torbay Council, community groups and local sports clubs aims to create a network of sites across ‘The English Riviera’. Work has already started to identify six potential sites located at: Steps Cross Park, Cricketfield Road Recreation Ground, Quinta Playing Fields and Torquay Recreation Ground (which are all in Torquay) as well as sites at White Rock Playing Field (Paignton) and Galmpton Football Club. These new sites would be added to three sites already in operation at Paignton Rugby Club, Foxhole Community Centre (in Paignton) and Brixham Rugby Club, creating a network of nine sites in total across the Torbay area. We know that establishing these new night landing sites will help local people. During 2018 and 2019, the three existing sites in Paignton and Brixham have helped Devon Air Ambulance reach and treat 16 patients during the hours of darkness. Those patients were then either treated at scene, ground assisted to Torbay Hospital (i.e. with our clinicians) or conveyed by air to Derriford Hospital. Creating this network of strategically located community landing sites in Torquay, Paignton and Brixham will give Devon Air Ambulance excellent coverage of the Bay area during the hours of darkness and will be a fantastic outcome for the residents of Torbay. We are very grateful to Torbay Council and the various Sports Clubs who have all readily lent us their support by offering their grounds for us to use at night and backing the new lighting solutions and access improvements required. Although in the early stages, we know the success of this project will rely on a Torbay-wide effort and so we are now looking to build a wider partnership – involving local communities, businesses and voluntary groups who can help bring this project to a successful conclusion. 

Torbay’s network of nine community landing sites – the three operational sites (green) and six sites in development (blue).

Existing night landing sites at Paignton Rugby Club, Brixham Rugby Club and Foxhole Community Centre (as shown) have helped DAA to reach and treat 16 patients in 2018/2019.

Community grant scheme extended Great news – to give communities more time to access grant funding to help develop their night landing site, our community grant scheme has been extended until late 2021: Lighting – lighting solutions vary from site to site and grants have funded new lighting solutions (standalone or attached to existing buildings/structures), upgraded existing lighting at sites and funded new power supplies to run lighting. Access – working with community groups we have provided grants to improve/install gateways, paths, ramps and parking areas to assist emergency crews move around a site and to ease the transfer of a patient from a land ambulance to the aircraft.

If you would like to get involved and support the Torbay 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.

helipad | www.daat.org

BUSY & CHALLENGING TIMES

Training on G-DAAS

As we all come to terms with the second wave of COVID-19 and the ongoing restrictions, Operations Director Nigel Hare shares with you how Devon Air Ambulance has overcome some of the challenges we have faced this year, and how that has enabled us to continue delivering high-quality clinical care to patients during the pandemic.

As I write this in mid-November, we are much better placed. ike most healthcare providers, securing adequate We continue to source essential items responsibly, not simply Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to safeguard our stockpiling and therefore leaving other health and care team, and therefore ensuring the safety of our patients, providers without enough. However, we remain cognisant that was a real challenge. However, it wasn’t just PPE that was demand might once again outstrip supply and we continue to i cult to secure. s hos itals ambulance ser ices an other monitor and manage the situation on a daily basis. healthcare providers began using more medical and surgical Our operational crew face challenges every summer when the consumables and medicines, so the ability to source those a ient te perat re rises eavy a e-retardant ight s its items became i cult. We were not able to secure all we and vinyl e a ination gloves ake it di c lt to keep cool hen needed through our normal supply chain, which included carrying, often at pace, our heavy rucksacks full of life-saving well-established links with the NHS. Our team of support equipment to the patient. It becomes even hotter when rapidly staﬀ worke tirelessly behin the scenes seeking to ensure delivering the care many that our doctors and of our patients require. paramedics always had “ It was a pleasure for us to be able to say This summer, as you all the equipment they ‘thank you’ to each of you on social media, and I will be aware, broke UK needed to help our patients. also want to take this opportunity to say a huge temperature records. These abnormally high We never ran out, ‘thank you’ here in Helipad to everyone that temperatures were a real although it is fair to challenge for our team as say that prior to the helped keep our service running. ” wearing waterproof and production of these non-breathable isolation suits with hoods, as well as goggles items increasing, we were anxious at times. Locally, we and respirator masks, meant the heat was close to unbearable. were sourcing essential items through novel means; face arrying patients to the helicopter and then ying to hospital in shields were being 3D printed by companies keen to help, what is essentially, due to the number of windows the helicopter and we were even supported by distilleries who switched has, a ying greenho se , as e ha sting for o r tea espite their production from gin, to alcohol hand rub. Logistically, the use of cooling towels, turning the ventilation up to maximum, volunteers were also providing the means to collect and and carrying extra chilled water for the crew to rehydrate, deliver these essential items to us and other providers. The ensuring our patients received the care they needed safely support that companies and individuals provided us was both during the pandemic has been demanding. inspiring and humbling in equal measure. It was a pleasure for This would have been a challenge for any summer. However, us to be able to say ‘thank you’ to each of you on social media, after the initial period of the pandemic where the call upon our and I also want to take this opportunity to say a huge ‘thank services was much reduced, as we headed out of lockdown and you’ here in Helipad to everyone that helped keep our service people began to return to work and their normal activities, the running.

winter 2020 | PATIENT SUPPORT demand for our service increased. n a nor al year, the n er of patients e o ld e called on to assist o ld drop off after the traditional school s er holiday period his didn t happen in he graph opposite compares the number of patients we deployed to this year, compared to our average deployments over the past three years s yo can see, the de and for o r service as significantly higher follo ing the ending of lockdo n t not only that, it remained higher through to the end of September. Sadly, some of the challenges we have faced were also challenges for our patients and their relatives. The isolation s its and hoods e ear r stle aro nd yo r ears, aking hearing conversations ith people ore di c lt earing face asks that e yo r voice and prevent people fro seeing the ove ent of yo r lips st added to challenges of conversing with patients and their relatives. s spect yo have all e perienced this yo rself hile earing face coverings t has eant that the s pportive and gently spoken conversation anner in hich doctors and paramedics converse with patients has, on occasion, had to be replaced with the raising of voices, and in noisy environments, so eti es even sho ting o ld like to take the opport nity to say thank yo to o r patients and their relatives and the good sa aritans helping the , as ell as e ers of the other emergency services, for their understanding and support as we all sought to communicate in challenging circumstances. s yo can read in o r oney atters article on pages and , o r inco e has fallen considera ly d ring the pande ic at the sa e ti e as e sa a significant increase in the de and

Our paramedics training in full PPE

for our service and therefore an increase in our operating costs. Your support is more important than ever to help ensure o r service contin es to respond to the people of evon in their time of need. On behalf of our patients and everyone at evon ir lance, o ld like to say a h ge thank yo for your continuing support during these challenging times. 

Number of missions deployed to:

Ensuring all our team were adequately trained and proficient in delivering their life-saving interventions safely hile earing f ll as a priority for s raditionally e ndertake o r training in larger groups. Not only does this help ensure we are spending the money you so genero sly donate e ciently, it also ena les s to learn fro the e perience of others ithin a group setting. However, social distancing meant that gathering large groups together was no longer possi le ltho gh e tilised the approach of r nning s aller gro p sessions, ith st the minimum number of people present to enable the training aspects to be delivered and practised, e also developed other ays of ndertaking training and assessment. We created online training packages and sed video conferencing to deliver taught sessions and recorded training videos that the crew could watch without the need to be part of a large group. The crew also used either video conferencing or recorded video to fil them simulating their delivery of new techniques to s pport the a ility to receive feed ack safely, ahead of a for al sign off process

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 ell as leading o r tea of para edics, doctors and s pport staﬀ igel oined evon ir lance in as an ircre ara edic

helipad | www.daat.org eter as different n even older building which had to be totally gutted and two massive studios constructed as this pioneer station basically invented the system to broadcast to two different areas of the co nty t as the first radio station in the United Kingdom to be split, everything had to be doubled up including the commercials, jingles and records … yes records! The commercials were played on large plastic cassettes, if you remember eight track stereo players, that is what they looked like. They had to be taken from Exeter to Torquay

orty years ago I walked into a brand-new radio station called DevonAir Radio as a Youth Opportunities Person. I had left school with one O’ level and then went to college to double that achievement and to get the highest score at pinball, which I believe still stands today. I worked behind the scenes of this unique broadcaster and, despite the fact that they set me the task of doing some wiring in the building, they kept me on. This was a rash decision as I am colour blind and to this day have no idea which is the earth wire! But one rainy day I was asked to go ‘on air’ and do a programme for the ery rst time. ha been at the old Devon County Show ground at Whipton in Exeter and had just managed to get The Wurzels out of the car park by lying on the bonnet of their car so it could get some grip in the mud. Being colour blind was a disadvantage but being overweight came in handy! The evening presenter had

been standing in the pouring rain all ay an was now oﬀ to his bed with a terrible cold so I was selected to stand in and thus the start of my broadcasting career began. Rummaging through the loft a few days ago I found some very early photographs of the people that used to broadcast to the county and some of the very special guests that walked in through the doors of St David’s Hill Exeter and Harbour Point in Torquay. The building in Torquay was absolutely incredible, designed on a grand scale, with huge operating areas all of which are now totally unnecessary in the industry. They became known for the best view in I.L.R. (Independent Local Radio) as the panoramic windows took in the whole of the harbour and beyond. But the project had taken a massive amount of engineering and design. The weight of its structure alone was to prove a problem for the elderly building so it had to be set on a giant metal cradle supported by girders.

into the st dio s for hakey , almost one bloke searched for two whole minutes – but sadly he was never found! The box of photos I found was damaged and I must have lost a lot along the way. These would have included Clive Dunn from ad s r y, e is ollins from The Professionals and Ian Dury from Harrow! Clive panicked when his wife drove oﬀ itho t telling hi , e is sent me out for cigars, which he never did pay me for and Ian Dury kicked the radiator in his enquiry as to why the place as so cold it it ith your Rhythm Stick’ I replied

“ ...the entire weekend’s commercials ha allen off the back o the bike and were somewhere in a hedgerow on the A380... ” and vice versa. It seems bizarre in our digital world of today where I can throw a switch at home and speak to so e ody in entral erica t in e had to rely on a motorcycle courier to get the recordings to Torquay. One evening a phone call came through to inform me that the entire weekend’s commercials had fallen off the ack of the bike and were somewhere in a hedgerow on the near shco e orse than that, the new Shakin’ Stevens single was missing. e fo nd the commercials, wiped off the leaf litter and slugs and got them

Backchat

Meet: David Fitzgerald - BBC Broadcaster and DAA Patron avid ﬁrst egan roadcasting on co ercial radio in the early s, efore oving to television roadcasting career avid still ﬁnds ti e for riting as ell as en oying a reg lar ro nd of golf

ell as a

and got a slight chuckle. long ith the radiators, the building, and indeed the radio station, went cold for good some years later.  A young Fitz in Devon Air days

Fitz

The Flight Before Christmas re Christmas ‘Twas the flight befo And at the airbase irring The rotors were wh ce. ra The crew had to ed The heli, it glimmer d re In its smart suit of ar, As it lifted them cle sped. Then away they all roads While down on the nter air Through the chill wi ng home They saw folk drivi their care. To show loved ones ges, In hamlets and villa Cities and towns, All were preparing -down. For the festive wind

Thank you to everyone who has continued to support

Devon Air Ambulance

during the challenges of 20 20. We wish you all very happy Christmas and look forward to a positive, peaceful and safe 20 21!

d home, The crew had calle s goodnight; Wished their familie ady They had to stay, re ght… fli ht nig For a Christmas d rung, Then the phone ha ion; An emergency miss The pilot had sprung To fire the ignition. ited The team were all su In red kit and gear, ady Their skills at the re ar. Their mission was cle ies, So across winter sk flew The air ambulance A pilot, a doctor And paramedic too. tient To the aid of the pa d, ite wa Whose family heavens, Eyes turned to the bated. Tense, their breath y Swift and yet stead ended, The crew they desc care Bringing life-saving tended. To the patient they r supporters, It’s thanks to you, ou That we can attend ed us: The patients that ne . nd pe On you, we de ristmas: We’re not just for Ch e. th We’ll always be er inty, In times of uncerta . We’re there to care

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