OUR SERVICE • OUR PATIENTS • OUR FUNDRAISERS • AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTY the official magazine of
DEVON AIR AMBULANCE
winter 2021
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winter 2021 | WELCOME
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WELCOME Heléna Holt Chief Executive Officer It is often said that winter is the season when we can make time to reflect on the year and plan for the future. Living through a pandemic has made this more relevant than ever as we have had to accept a level of change to our lives that we could not have imagined …. and Devon Air Ambulance was no exception. We have never shied away from embracing change but the scale of what we have had to achieve over the last eighteen months has gone further, and much faster, than any of us could have predicted, or, quite honestly, would have chosen. We not only had to contend with difficult practical decisions about how we work day-to-day to deliver our service, but also whether our longer-term strategy was robust enough for the future and whether we had the right people and processes in place to drive forward with our ambitions. Some of the changes we had to make were not easy; restructuring earlier in the year resulted in us losing a number of valued colleagues. However, as we have emerged from
Ali Simpson Helipad Editor I recently rooted around in the office to find a copy of every Helipad magazine I have edited and was amazed – and frankly shocked – to discover the first time I took over the reins went way back to the Winter 2017 issue (still my favourite cover photo of Dartmoor ponies in the snow!). With Helena talking about change above, it also made me think about time and how quickly it races by. I am not sure anyone of us would have thought, back in March 2020, that we would still be in the midst of a pandemic and that it would have changed the way we live and work forever … and perhaps, on a positive note, it has even made us stop and reflect for a while on the preciousness of time. Four years after my first foray into the world of editorship at DAA, this winter issue of Helipad is as jam-packed as ever. We hear the moving first-hand account from one of our amazing patients as she overcomes adversity with humour
implementing these changes, we believe we now have an agile and flexible organisation with highly skilled and professionally qualified staff and a clear direction and strategic plan for the long term. We are immensely grateful to every member of the team for bearing with us through this challenging period. Throughout this time, the board and the leadership team have really valued transparency and have been committed to sharing the highs and lows with our staff along the way. We are determined to extend this transparency to our communities too; we are working on our website to introduce up to the minute reporting against our key strategic objectives so that all our supporters can see in real-time how we are performing. With our shared vision and mission always uppermost in our minds, we are continuing to embrace the changed world in which we live and are confident Devon Air Ambulance will go from strength to strength in the years ahead.
and determination, put out a call for new volunteers, take the opportunity to thank our awesome fundraisers and look forward to an exciting calendar of events and fundraising in 2022. We also consider the valuable, but often unseen, support we give to families, friends and even bystanders who are involved in the incidents we attend and introduce you to those unsung staff who work behind the scenes in support of our clinicians. Wrap up warm and join us on a walk around Brixham to discover its significant place in our country’s history or visit the Exe Estuary to marvel at the migratory birds that flock there in the winter. If your interests are closer to home, learn how you can create your own ‘green space’, cook up an indulgent fruit pudding or just snuggle down on the sofa to test your knowledge with our prize crossword and the chance to win a tractor (not life size!). Enjoy!
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
Corporate Engagement
Tracy Owen
t.owen@daat.org
Volunteering
Becky Trout
b.trout@daat.org
PR
Ginette Gisborne
g.gisborne@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.
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CONTENTS | winter 2021 OUR WORK The Offical Magazine of Devon Air Ambulance
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Stop Press...Stop Press A round-up of news, events and people from Devon Air Ambulance.
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One inspirational patient Natasha Harris shares her personal and moving account of the long road to recovery she continues to make after sustaining terrible injuries in a road traffic collision over ten years ago, and how she took on a truly remarkable fundraising challenge to say thank you to DAA.
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The wider impact of an RTC When Sam Lewsey was involved in a serious road traffic collision, it was more than his work day that was affected. Sam’s wife Lija is supporting our Christmas campaign to raise funds for an essential piece of equipment to help other victims of trauma.
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The importance of collaboration, good samaritans and aftercare Learn how our clinicians responded to Sam’s RTC, the vital role of our Patient Liaison Clinicians and how Devon Air Ambulance not only treats the patient but provides support to everyone involved, including passers-by who stop to help.
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Project EDWARD The county’s emergency services are committed to working together to fulfil their goal of ‘each day without a road death’. Find out more about this important collaboration.
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Meet the Fundraising Team After our recent restructuring, our experienced and enthusiastic fundraising team is now complete … so find out what they do.
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Retail volunteering Whether you would enjoy being on the shop floor, sorting books, steaming clothes or even getting a qualification, and no matter if you have a lot of time to give or just a little, there’s a volunteering opportunity in retail to suit everyone.
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Community Fundraising – dare you! Meet our new community engagement officers to learn about some of the exciting community fundraising plans we have in place for 2022 – why not be brave and join us on a group skydive or wing-walk!
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
Publisher Heléna Holt h.holt@daat.org Editor Alison Simpson helipad@daat.org Advertising Sales Gaynor Garton 020 3283 4055 Design & Print Management Silver Foxes Publishing 07455 206470 Distribution & Mailing Silver Foxes Publishing 07455 206470 ISSN (Print) 2055-2343 ISSN (Online) 2055-2351 Next issue Spring 2022
is published by DEVON AIR AMBULANCE TRUST
On The Cover Issue No.30 Winter 2021 BM45 Pilgrim of Brixham © Adam Rowley
12 The wider impact of an RTC
winter 2021 | CONTENTS
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Fundraiser Focus – bowled over by Gordon As an avid lawn-bowler and fundraiser, 100 year old Gordon Short from Burrington took on his son’s challenge to play an end of bowls for every year of his life across twenty Devon bowls clubs. Gordon raised over £6,000 for DAA and became something of a media star in the process!
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Business on Board We say a big ‘thank you’ to the local businesses that continue to support Devon Air Ambulance - why not join us in 2022?
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Devon People and Junior Crew After an 18-month lull in community fundraising, we are delighted to see so many of our supporters – young and old – once again taking on amazing challenges to raise funds for DAA! Community Landing Sites Toby Russell updates us on the latest Community Landing Sites coming into service across the county – is there one near you? Saving lives behind the scenes Everyone at DAA plays an important part in the delivery of our service, none more so than the staff who work behind the scenes to support our doctors, paramedics and wider patient services team.
18 Gardening
PEOPLE, PLACES & LIFESTYLE 16
How d’you like them apples? The quintessential autumn fruit, there is a positive cornucopia of Devon apple varieties and what better way to enjoy them than our world-renowned and award-winning Devon ciders.
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Take it easy in the garden Our horticulture expert, RHS’s Richard Wilson, provides some great tips and hints on ‘effort free’ gardening so that everyone, regardless of age or ability, can enjoy their own green space.
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Prize Crossword Test your local and general knowledge with our popular prize crossword.
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Winter waders of the Exe Estuary Join Helipad’s Armchair Twitcher as he swaps his sofa for a window seat on GWR to enjoy the sights and sounds of the winter waders of the Exe Estuary.
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Brilliant Brixham With a rich and thriving fishing heritage, a story steeped in historical importance and as a magnet for gastronomes, art lovers, historians and naturalists, Brixham is simply a wonderful place to visit – whatever the time of year.
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Sweet treats As winter draws in and Christmas looms large, it’s no time for dieting! Treat yourself to one of our warming, indulgent and altogether retro fruit puddings.
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BackChat Seeing DAA land near his own house, Fitz recalls his other experiences with helicopters, including one particular trip to the Falkland Islands and why you should never stand up when a Chinook is approaching!
42 Devon People & Junior Crew GET INVOLVED 8
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Volunteering – Devon Air Ambulance Needs You! We couldn’t do what we do without our incredible volunteers – but we need more! We have a range of flexible volunteering opportunities at DAA, something to suit everyone. We’d love to hear from you if you want to be part of our amazing life-saving Charity. Lottery The money you contribute to Devon Air Ambulance as a member of our lottery is vital to our service. Whether you prefer to sign up online or in person, there’s an easy and straightforward way to join to suit everyone.
Join Our Weekly See Page
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Brilliant Brixham
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The latest news from Air Ambulance HQ
It’s all change in Aviation! After a long and illustrious flying career, first as a Royal Navy officer then for Devon and Cornwall Police and Devon Air Ambulance, Ian Payne recently hung up his ‘virtual’ wings one last time to enjoy his welldeserved retirement. Ian has been DAA’s Flight Operations Director since 2014, responsible for all aspects of our helicopter service, looking after our pilots, Ian Payne aircraft and engineering. Ian brought a wealth of experience to the role and will be very much missed by all his colleagues here at DAA and across the helicopter community. Following Ian’s departure, we are extremely pleased to announce that Steve Rush has been appointed as our new Helicopter Services Director. Steve is an experienced HEMS pilot, having flown with Devon Air Ambulance for over twelve years, the last four as our Senior Pilot. We wish Steve all the very best of luck in this challenging role as part of our senior leadership team. As well as changes in our leadership team, we have also recently said a fond farewell to Rob Mackie following 28 years of service with Devon Air Ambulance. After a career in the army, Rob joined DAA in 1993 (via the North Sea!) and flew an impressive 7,890 operations during his service. In 2015, Rob brought his extensive experience to bear as DAA’s aviation Safety Manager, before retiring earlier this year. Thank you Rob for your incredible service to DAA!
Rob Mackie
Our new Air Safety Manager is Rob Johnstone. Before joining DAA, Rob had a long career as aircrew in the Royal Air Force, latterly assuring the safety of all Defence Flying Training. Welcome to the DAA family, Rob, and we wish you well in this critical safety role.
Above: Steve Rush Right: New Air Safety Manager Rob Johnstone
Trustee leaving Nick Johnson joined DAA as a trustee in September 2019 but has reluctantly taken the decision to resign from his governance role with the Charity due to work commitments. Thank you Nick for your invaluable contribution over the last two years; everyone at DAA wishes you well for the future.
winter 2021 | NEWS
Welcome to the High Sheriff of Devon As part of Air Ambulance Week in early September, we were pleased to welcome Lady Studholme, High Sheriff of Devon, for a visit to our Exeter Airbase. Hosted by Ian Payne, Flight Operations Director and Charlotte Leventis, Head of Communications, Lady Studholme was able to meet with some of the duty crew and take a tour of our helicopter and hangar facilities. We are very grateful for the High Sheriff’s ongoing support as she champions Devon Air Ambulance and the vital work we do in the county.
Have you been helped by Devon Air Ambulance? Are you a former patient of Devon Air Ambulance who has been airlifted or treated by our service? Are you a friend or relative of someone we have assisted? You may have had contact with our Patient Liaison Clinicians but, due to patient confidentiality, Devon Air Ambulance Trust does not know who we have helped. Our Patient Stories are invaluable in helping us share the real-life stories of those people we have treated. If you or someone you know has been assisted by our service and would like us to feature your patient story in Helipad magazine, we would love to hear from you!
Love Helipad but don’t love paper? If you would prefer to read Helipad digitally rather than receiving a paper copy through the post, or if you would like to catch up on previous issues, go to www.daat.org/get-your-copy-of-helipad-magazine to download your copy. Or why not sign up to our monthly newsletter at www.daat.org/#newsletter to keep up-to-date with all the latest developments in our service, including our helicopters and critical care cars, patient stories and fundraising. New editions of Helipad will be linked to the periodic supporters’ e-newsletters from which the latest issue can be downloaded or read online. Unsubscribe at any time by clicking the ‘unsubscribe’ link at the foot of the e-newsletter.
If you are interested in us featuring your story in Helipad, please contact The Editor via email at helipad@daat.org and we will work with you to bring your patient experience to life for our readers.
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E NEEDS
LANC IR AMBU
U O Y
DEVON
A
G N I T I RECRU BOX COLLECTING
– FLEXIBLE VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES The pandemic has impacted Devon Air Ambulance in many ways. Not only has it seen many small local businesses who have supported us with collection boxes falter and fail, but the decline in the use of cash means our regular givers have struggled to support us with donations of loose change. To further impact on this situation, our wonderful team of volunteer box collectors has reduced in number as many have taken the opportunity to reassess what they do and to retire from their volunteering roles. Our communities, year on year, raise over £150,000 in small change alone – a staggering amount of coins! But, without the voluntary resources, we could struggle to service and replace our 4,500 red collection boxes across the shops and outlets in Devon.
Could you offer your time to become a volunteer Box Collector and to help ensure the future of cash donations continues? We are currently looking to recruit volunteer box collectors in:
• • • • •
Newton Abbot Ilfracombe Exeter Central Exeter Marsh Barton Exeter Quay … and many more surrounding areas.
As a volunteer, we would ask you to collect our charity boxes two or three times a year, count and take the money to the bank and replace the box with a new fresh empty one! This is an incredibly flexible way to support us as you can work around your other commitments, calling at your locations when it is convenient to you. If you think you would enjoy counting, recording, and depositing donations, building a rapport with local supporters, at the same time as doing something amazing, please contact our Interim Volunteer Manager Becky Trout on b.trout@daat.org.
winter 2021 | VOLUNTEERING
RETAIL VOLUNTEERS
– THERE’S A VOLUNTEERING ROLE FOR EVERYONE! Devon Air Ambulance is grateful to our amazing community of volunteers who help to keep our High Street charity shops open and our crews delivering life-saving specialist care. A huge thank you goes out to all our Retail Volunteers for standing by us through thick and thin over these past 18 months. We continue to need new and existing volunteers more than ever. We are so grateful for any assistance we receive at our shops and for any task which needs completing so we are reaching out to you for help!
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The great thing about volunteering in our retail shops is that we have a role suitable for everyone, even if you can only spare a few hours. Whether you are a student or retiree, an outgoing type who would love to be out on the shop floor with our customers or someone who likes to work behind the scenes, there is a retail volunteering role perfect for you. As with all volunteering roles, you can choose where, when and for how long you would like to volunteer. If you are interested in supporting your local Devon Air Ambulance charity shop, please contact our Interim Volunteer Manager Becky Trout on b.trout@daat.org.
We have a range of tasks in retailing that we need your help with. To learn about the volunteering opportunities we have in our shops- from steaming clothes to sorting books and much, much more - turn to page 36 for more details.
Let Cara introduce you to our new Interim Volunteer Manager, Becky Trout I am delighted to announce that, while I am away on maternity leave, our volunteers will be expertly supported by our new Interim Volunteer Manager, Becky Trout. Becky started in her new role at the end of October and I am sure you will all join me in welcoming her to our Devon Air Ambulance family. Here are a few words from Becky... “Hello, I am really excited to be joining Devon Air Ambulance. As a Devonian, I really appreciate the importance of the service to our beautiful and rural county. I have supported volunteers at Cancer Research UK for the last five years and I am really looking forward to getting to know all of Devon Air Ambulance’s amazing volunteers soon.”
Volunteering Profile: Cara Jones - Volunteer Manager Cara is responsible for coordinating volunteering across Devon Air Ambulance, including the recruitment, induction, training and support of our volunteers working in our shops and in the community. While Cara is away, please contact Becky Trout b.trout@daat.org to discuss all our volunteering opportunities.
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From road traffic collision to fundraising triumph Over ten years ago, Natasha Harris suffered terrible injuries when she was a passenger in a vehicle that was involved in a serious road traffic collision. Not only has Natasha shown resilience and determination to overcome everything she has faced so far, she is an inspiration to many people who have also experienced life-changing injuries. Natasha shares her first-hand experience of being assisted by Devon Air Ambulance, her journey of recovery, how she refuses to allow this traumatic incident to take away the things she loves doing most and her amazing fundraising challenges.
“I
t all started on the 23rd March 2011 when I was a passenger in a road traffic collision. It wasn’t pretty so I’ll spare you the details, but the little Citroen Saxo I was travelling in ended up in a head-on collision with a great big Isuzu Trooper and I was left trapped and crushed between the handbrake and dashboard of the car. So it is quite personal for me to share my full story here, because only those nearest and dearest to me really know it all because they’ve lived it with me. I’m not going to lie, it was an awful experience but I was so truly relieved once I knew there was a paramedic there that I just ‘conked out’. If I could forget the
“ I had an amazing surgeon who likened the repair to my pelvis to completing a 1,000-piece interlocking jigsaw puzzle ” Paramedic Nigel Lang
feeling of my neck cracking and bracing myself for the inevitable, trust me I would. I can only give you snippets of the subsequent months based on what my mum has filled me in on and my own sparse recollections. I was taken to RD&E by air ambulance under the incredible care of paramedic Nigel Lang (who has since become a good friend and my youngest son’s godfather). I was rushed to theatre to stabilise my neck, which is now fused with metal rods. Following this initial surgery, I was transferred to Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, where I had an amazing surgeon who likened the repair to my pelvis to completing
winter 2021 | PATIENTS a 1,000-piece interlocking jigsaw puzzle. Today parts of it are held together with screws and plates – as you can image, airport security is always an exciting time! After a few weeks in Derriford’s ICU I was taken back to RD&E but as I was still having an extra-long sleep, I have to take my mum’s word that it was all perfectly okay. At this point, I won’t bore you with the copious tests and scans, plus an operation to stop internal bleeding somewhere, so much happened it would make an extremely long list as well as a total of four life-saving operations. The rest of my long stay at RD&E is a blur for everyone, except I do have a really clear memory of my vicar coming to visit, and another of picking lavender when someone pushed me out for a ‘walk’ (I was wheelchair bound at the time). A police officer also interviewed me while I sat on the floor
because dangerously I kept falling out of the standard hospital bed. Skip past all the horrid bits, and ignore me being a dreadful patient, and we get to August 2011 and my transfer over to Mardon Neurological Rehabilitation
Mardon several months later (admittedly I got to the end of the path and slumped back into the chair and got wheeled to the car, but shhh...). Again, we’ll skip the ongoing rehab at home because that really is long
Centre. I’d like to say I became the model patient there, but let’s just say I remained the same stubborn independent 19-year-old I had always been. I was originally told that I may never walk again - You will always have to have a wheelchair just in case you get tired - but that soon changed. I walked out of
and boring. I’ll sum it up by saying there’s been a lot of frustration, pain, tears and tantrums, but along with that some incredibly special highlights. I walked down the aisle to marry my amazing husband and have had two more beautiful children. I’ve abseiled down the Exeter fire services training tower and ‘virtually’
c g i n t i s s i a t a n r a d n F Fu
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cycled the circumference of Crete (1,064km), the Grand Canyon and the 90-mile length of Hadrian’s Wall, something I had previously done in person. I’ve started studying for a degree in law and criminology and, most importantly of all, I’m walking independently 100% of the time – as you can imagine, the day my wheelchair was returned to the NHS was an amazing feeling! Don’t get me wrong, I have in no way made a full recovery and I’m not making light of the disability I’ve been left with. It is far from ideal, but sometimes you just have to make the most of the cards you’ve been dealt. I have been left with permanent brain damage, have limited use of my left arm and hand, and have shocking issues with my balance. I sometimes struggle with simple everyday tasks and walk as if I’ve had a few too many drinks!.o
Having raised funds for DAA through a number of other activities in the past, I set myself a new challenge to walk (virtually because of COVID) from John O’Groats to Lands End within 365 days of the 14th July 2020. I’d been counting my daily steps and distance towards this mission, but I hit a bit of an unexpected blip in January when I broke my pelvis in a fall and I had to take a week or so out which put me a little bit behind. Not to be deterred, I took the distance I completed on my peloton spin bike instead to put me back on track, but I have walked the rest! Despite this setback, I am thrilled to have completed my latest challenge which made £335 for Devon Air Ambulance, bringing the total I’ve raised overall to almost £6,000. You’ve read my story and those that know me will know that I am proof that the pilots and medical team at Devon Air Ambulance really are lifesavers. This is a charity that is very close to my heart which is why I was so determined to raise the vital funds they need to keep helping people like me”.
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The wider impact of a road traffic collision
During 2020 Devon Air Am attended 216 road traffic bulance collisions
Your support means we can save lives this Christmas and keep families like Sam’s together.
W
hen a road traffic collision trapped Sam in his vehicle, it was more than just Sam’s workday that was impacted. Sam and his wife Lija, share their recovery story. Five years ago, Sam Lewsey was involved in a road traffic collision that meant it was touch and go as to whether he would walk again. When the incident happened, Sam was working for Western Power and was the passenger in a work Land Rover. As the vehicle was stationary in the middle of the road, waiting to turn right, they were hit from behind with such force that the Land Rover was flipped into the air, landing on its side. Sam recalls ”As I tried to pull my trapped leg free I knew Paramedic Mark Hawley at the scene of the collision
I wasn’t getting out of there quickly. I could feel a cold rush down my back and thought I must be bleeding. Later I found out that it was my nerves sending signals to my spine not to move.
sound of the approaching Devon Air Ambulance helicopter. This must be bad, I thought. They don’t send a helicopter to any old incident! The ketamine eased the pain, but I don’t remember the journey to hospital. Due to the
“ I was in and out of consciousness, though the diesel engine was revving, and smoke was billowing. I became aware of the whirring sound of the approaching Devon Air Ambulance helicopter. ” Time-critical care by land and air I was in and out of consciousness, though the diesel engine was revving, and smoke was billowing. I became aware of the whirring
nature of my injuries, I went to hospital by land ambulance accompanied by Devon Air Ambulance Critical Care Paramedic, Mark Hawley, who kept me stable and monitored my pain relief. I didn’t realise it at the time but Devon Air Ambulance paramedics have additional training and are experts in critical care. Sometimes they need to use those skills when accompanying patients to hospital by land ambulance. Once I was on my way the helicopter returned to base so that it was ready for another emergency. A long road to recovery for Sam Although I had to undergo surgery and was off work for a
year, my close-knit work team kept in touch regularly, even ringing me from McDonalds to see if I wanted anything! My buddy, Jon, who was the driver that day is still driving me around today. I felt uneasy about getting back into a Land Rover, but Western Power was great and sorted out a different vehicle. When Jon first came to pick me up, I was waiting in protective gear and a motorcycle helmet, which helped him relax - he saw the funny side! But there were other changes. I realised I wouldn’t be able to continue the sporty lifestyle that my wife and I had enjoyed before the crash. Sadly, the pain in my back and risk of further spinal injuries was too great, and we had to refocus on what was most important in our lives. Toby was born in 2017 and changed our lives completely. We tell him about Devon Air Ambulance and how the clever paramedics helped Daddy. Occasionally we see it fly over as we have two community landing sites nearby, which is a highlight of Toby’s day as he’s helicopter mad. I’ll be forever grateful to Devon Air Ambulance and to people like you who support them. Your support and donations mean that they
winter 2021 | CHRISTMAS APPEAL have the skills and equipment needed when time is critical and emergency care needs to be delivered at the scene... I know for sure that the sound of those rotor blades filled me with hope and relief.” Baby steps Sam’s wife Lija, is also grateful to our supporters whose generosity made the swift arrival of the specialist care Sam needed possible. “One day, after a procession of visitors, Sam and I were waiting for the doctor and feeling the gravity of it all. We were told that the damage to his spine might mean him being fitted with a spinal cage
Our current patient monitor and defibrillator unit - a similar unit will be sourced in 2022 to replace the existing one
and the doctor didn’t know if Sam would walk again. How would I care for Sam? Sam had been incredibly
active and outgoing; how would he cope with such a long-term recovery? To his surprise, following
Christmas Appeal
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surgery, Sam was encouraged by the physiotherapy team to start exercising straight away and, having been fearful he might never walk again, he was keen to prove otherwise. We were both over the moon when Toby came along. He is a fantastic, joyful little boy who has given us a new outlook. Family means everything and ours is complete thanks to the Devon Air Ambulance team that assisted that day and the amazing care and support we received. Sam adores his son, and I am so grateful to everyone who supports Devon Air Ambulance for helping our family to be together.”
Help raise £25,00 0 this Christmas for a new patient monito r “Thi
s Christmas Devon Air Ambulance needs to raise m oney to buy a ne w patient monitor and defi brillator – an esse ntial piece of equipmen t used at road traffi c collisions and othe r trauma and med ic al incidents in Devon . If you are able to help, please com plete the donation form en closed with your edition of Helipad or visi t bit.ly/DAAEquipm ent to make a donation and help ensure th at this vital piece of kit is there for people lik e Sam in an emergency whe n every second co unts.”
Thank you!
Christmas is always a special time for Sam and his family
Lija x
Why our patient monitor is so important... One of the pieces of kit that our crew carries is a Patient Monitor. This allows our critical care paramedics and doctors to quickly monitor patient vital signs and make decisions about the best critical care to deliver. Mark Hawley, attending specialist paramedic at Sam’s incident describes the importance of having the right equipment to hand -
“Every week our crews are called to accidents just like Sam’s, where lives are on the line. Our patient monitor and defibrillator plays a vital role in monitoring the patient’s vital signs including blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation. Depending on the severity of the patient’s condition, the equipment allows clinicians to monitor other parameters, such as endtidal CO2, which tells us how well the patient’s cardiovascular system is functioning.”
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Teams from the emergency services demonstrate their collaborative skills at a training event
The lifesaving importance of collaboration, Good Samaritans and aftercare
S
eptember’s Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death) campaign helped to raise awareness surrounding road safety, both regionally and nationally, illustrating just how essential collaboration across emergency services is (see page 20). Devon Air Ambulance is part of the response in the immediate aftermath of an incident and is vital in ensuring the swift delivery and administering of specialist post-crash care to patients at the roadside. Were it not for the generous help of supporters like you, our Helipad readers, this swift response and expertise would not be available to patients like Sam featured on the previous pages. Sam’s is a story where a collaborative response to a collision was fundamental to his recovery. First on the scene was a police officer who happened to be parked in a layby not far
from the crash when he was alerted by a passer-by, and it was he who contacted the emergency services. It was the fire service who helped to
free Sam from the wreckage, and a land ambulance that took Sam to hospital. Because of the nature of Sam’s spinal injuries, he had
“ Following an incident, clinicians will always reflect on the treatment given, how effectively they have interacted with colleagues and whether they performed together to the best of their ability ”
to be kept level and still, so the land ambulance was deemed more appropriate for conveying him to hospital on this occasion. He was nevertheless accompanied by our own Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care, Mark Hawley, who administered pain relief and monitored him throughout his journey. Mark says “All RTCs will involve working alongside colleagues from other emergency services. Having excellent communication, trust and respect for each other’s specialisms is important to allow us to give the patients the best possible treatment as quickly as possible.”
The crews response to an incident
Sam on board the land ambulance
Mark Hawley describes how the crew’s response to an RTC will vary depending on the seriousness and complexity of an incident.
winter 2021 | OUR WORK “Serious collisions may involve individuals or multiple patients and can be extremely challenging in relation to being able to treat the patient where they are (especially if trapped inside the vehicle like Sam), and while other emergency
services are working around you. Competing with the noise levels can also be a challenge. Being able to come together quickly to form effective teams with colleagues from other emergency services is vital. Following an incident,
clinicians will always reflect on the treatment given, how effectively they have interacted with colleagues and whether they performed together to the best of their ability. A fatality can have a knockon effect as to how clinicians
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feel about the incident. Often what happens, upon return to base, the group reflects and debriefs. Not only to understand what was done to help the team to perform better, but also to allow colleagues to decompress. From this comes learning.”
Good Samaritans
connected to the patient but who stop and provide either first aid, practical intervention or even psychological Road trauma accounts for a third of the incidents Devon support and comfort to a patient or their family or friends Air Ambulance is called out to. Road traffic collisions are before the emergency services arrive. the second most common cause of trauma and a very If you have been a Good Samaritan at an incident Devon common cause of death within the major trauma network. Air Ambulance attended, we would like to say Thank You, as Of course, a road traffic collision doesn’t impact the we know from experience just how important our patients patient alone, or just the emergency services who fi nd such support. respond. As we saw in Sam’s story, the incident impacted However, we also understand the potential long-lasting colleagues, family and friends too. It can also impact eff ects on you of providing that support and while we as a passers-by, or ‘Good Samaritans’. In Sam’s story it was a team are able to discuss/debrief after the event, you may passer-by who first alerted the police officer who called for well only have the option support. As members of the public, “ Life can change in a second for our to go home and reflect on your actions alone. we can assist a patient, patients, however, it can also present While we are unable first by approaching the to provide you with any an unexpected and often challenging scene with caution. Roads patient-specifi c details, are dangerous places situation for those people who provide due to our obligation to and keeping oneself safe help to the patient before professional maintain the confi dentiality means there are no further of our patients, we can offer accidents. If you have a hi-vis support arrives ” support to you, talk through vest available, put it on. After what happened, discuss how your actions will have helped that it’s about getting help by calling 999 to describe the and assisted the patient. accident, how many people are involved and what their So, if you find yourself with questions about your actions, injuries look like. This helps the response team to identify the help you provided, or the things you witnessed that are which patients are the sickest and in need of the most bothering you, then please do get in touch. Alongside the immediate care. support we can provide, we can also signpost you to other Life can change in a second for our patients, however, resources where you can find out more about the type of it can also present an unexpected and often challenging incident you provided help at, or put you in touch with other situation for those people who provide help to the agencies off ering more specialist support. patient before professional support, such as Devon Air If you have been a Good Samaritan at an incident we Ambulance, arrives. have attended, then we may be able to help you to achieve Our Patient Support team provides support to patients closure. Contact the team at: and their relatives following our attendance, but we also daatcl.co.uk/good-samaritans offer support to the Good Samaritans who are not directly
Our Patient Liaison Clinicians Following a road traffic collision or any other incident our crew attends, aftercare is available to patients even after they have been treated. Since we became clinically independent in 2019, our Patient Liaison Clinicians (PLCs), Adrian, Kate and Paul, have been enlisted to offer follow up support to patients and their families following their incident. Our PLCs are operational HEMS Critical Care Paramedics, each with 20 years’ experience dealing with sudden injury and illness. Their role is to quickly and sensitively help patients and their families to fill in any gaps patients might have while in their care and to answer questions about the incident and treatment. The PLCs are also there to direct patients to other agencies that can offer further support.
The PLCs weren’t in post at the time of Sam’s incident, but we are pleased to say the team has helped many people like Sam and his family to get an insight into their experience over the last two years. o
Our team of Patient Liaison Clinicians Kate, Paul and Adrian
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helipad | www.daat.org
The Apple of our Eye The apple is one of this country’s best loved and most versatile autumn fruits, eaten raw or cooked, sweet or savoury … but there is surely no better use for this humble ‘pome’ than to turn it into Devon cider!
winter 2021 | DEVON HERITAGE
I
f you’ll forgive the pun, cider has often had a bad press. It is believed drinking apple cider goes back thousands of years, perhaps even as far back as the Celts, and it is known that the Romans brought new apple varieties, orcharding techniques and cider-making knowledge when they arrived on these shores. Since then, cider has been in and out of favour, sometimes depending on who we Brits were fighting at the time. Wars with the French and Spanish resulted in a shortage of wine and brandy and an increase in popularity of home-produced cider. During famine and plague, or when a cider tax was levied to pay for war, cider’s popularity waned. As apples are able to thrive in much lower temperatures than grapes, the continuity of supply of a decent alcoholic beverage began to appeal to the more privileged classes and by the 17th century it was often thought of as apple wine and not just a thirst quencher (or even payment) for farm labourers. Indeed, some believe that sparkling cider and the means to bottle it safely was perfected by Sir Kenelm Digby in 1633, predating the ‘methode champenoise’ associated with the French monk Dom Perignon by five years. During the Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815), British farmers turned their land over to producing grain and livestock to ensure domestic supply was maintained. As a result, cider orchards became neglected, ancient tree stocks were destroyed and old cider apple cultivars lost. By the 1960s, the big cider producers were tending to go more for quantity than quality, using few tannin-rich apple varieties and instead favouring higher yielding varieties that resulted in easydrinking but sometimes bland, homogeneous ciders. Cider’s popularity waned further because it only needed to be made up of 35% apple juice plus water and supplements. Today’s resurgence in cider-drinking can be attributed in part
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to the ‘Magners Effect’, a cider manufactured by Irish drinks giant C&C Group plc backed by a £25 million advertising campaign that portrayed cider as a trendy beverage, cool and refreshing and drunk by beautiful young people! It galvanised the cider industry increasing sales of cider in the UK by 23% in 2006 alone and awakened interest in younger consumers. Even the Duke of Cambridge was once alleged to have proclaimed his preference for cider over beer. The ‘Magners Effect’ reawakened the nation’s love of cider, helping to sustain those long-lived family businesses and encouraging a huge raft of new artisan makers who are producing new tastes from rare and old apple varieties. It is reckoned there are over 2,500 indigenous apple varieties to choose from, with a vast array of tastes from sweet to sour, hints of apple pie or smoky, tangy or acidic undernotes. Cider-making takes place across the UK but is mostly associated with Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Despite knowing that cider was being produced by the Celts and Romans, according to the Devon Cidermakers Guild there is no concrete evidence of its commercial production until the early middle ages, with records showing cider being made for sale from Exminster Manor in 1285 and in Sampford Peverell in 1358. At one time, every farm would have had an orchard producing cider for the family and the farm labourers with the surplus going to cider merchants. Today there are countless commercial cider makers across Devon most of them centred to the south of the county although there are some as far north as Barnstaple. Many traditional family run heritage cidermakers have survived all the vagaries of consumer choice and are thriving today – such as our friends at Ventons Devon Cyder in Cullompton and Sandford Orchards in Crediton. o
Forget the ubiquitous Granny Smith and Bramley, in Devon we have our own basketful of county-grown apple varieties with exquisitely odd names! Slack-ma-Girdle ◆ Barum Beautye ◆ Fair Maid of Devon Docker’s Devonshiree ◆ Johnny Voune ◆ Hangy Down Listenere ◆ Hollow Coree ◆ Tidecombe Seedling Spotted Dicke ◆ Pig’s Nosee ◆ Devon Crimson Queen Payhemburye ◆ Sops in Wine Sweet Coppine ◆ Devonshire Nine Square
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helipad | www.daat.org
Easy Life Gardening RHS Rosemoor’s Richard Wilson looks at some popular ideas to make our gardening life easier.
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good for growing fruit and vegetables. e have all been to our local garden centres and have Some common high maintenance aspects of a garden can been bombarded with adverts and grand claims that be avoided, such as multiple containers and pots, tender or this gadget or that contraption will remove the strain from our bedding plants, fast growing or large specimens and plants horticultural efforts and even, (dare I say it) that plastic plants that require regular pruning such as Wisteria. Weeding is an and grass are the way ahead! But while there is no such thing inevitable and back testing task, however this can also be as an effort free garden, making a green space for yourself that minimised by gap free planting and applying a thick mulch to requires minimal work for maximum return is ultimately do-able your borders. In these times of hotter, drier summers, watering is for everyone. becoming an ever-increasing burden, Whether it is old age creeping up on us, a disability, busy life “ In these times of hotter, drier so consider installing a water point or water butts close to where they are responsibilities and children or even summers, watering is becoming needed or even utilising an automatic having to manage a rental or holiday an ever-increasing burden, so irrigation system. The planting of home garden, there are a number of things worth considering to ease the consider installing a water point or drought resistant plants is becoming an ever more popular water saving workload. water butts close to where they strategy and my three suggestions The overall design of your garden would be Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’ AGM, is key and with some simple tweaks, are needed ” Lavandula angustifolia Miss Muffet you may be able to manage it more (‘Scholmis’) AGM, and Cistus × pulverulentus ‘Sunset’ AGM. effectively as opposed to being a slave to it. Low maintenance planting can also be achieved by using Consider siting favoured features that are more labour a mix of easy, mainly evergreen shrubs, hardy herbaceous intensive closer to the house or shed to minimise the distance perennials and ‘plant and forget’ bulbs. Here are a few to get walking, carrying or barrowing. Raised beds are well worth you started: considering if you find bending over difficult, and are particularly
winter 2021 | GARDENS Shrubs: Aucuba japonica ‘Crotonifolia’ (f/v) AGM (Spotted Laurel) Hebe Midnight Sky (Garden Beauty Series) Hebe ‘Caledonia’ AGM A compact Buddleja: Buddleja davidii Buzz Hot Raspberry (Buzz Series). Herbaceous Perennials: Symphyotrichum novi-belgii ‘Jenny’ (Aster) Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ PBR Geranium Rozanne (‘Gerwat’ PBR) AGM Heuchera villosa ‘Palace Purple’ Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ Bulbs: Crocus Narcissus (Daffodil) Muscari (Grape Hyacinth) Galanthus (Snowdrop) Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’
Most of us enjoy an area of grass with purists lavishing an enormous amount of effort in the pursuit of a quality lawn. We are, however, being encouraged to leave our grassed areas uncut for a month or so, encouraging pollinators but also significantly reducing the maintenance burden. Removing small fiddly areas of lawn and having a mower with a wider cut can also save on effort, and if you are feeling extravagant, a robot lawnmower is the poshest gadget of all! Living alternatives to grass are an option, you could try an area of fast spreading Thymus serpyllum ‘Snowdrift’ or ‘Pink Chintz’ AGM if the foot traffic is low, merely trimming it after flowering. As we get older, we start to slow down but, ironically, tend to have more time to spend in the garden as retirement dawns. Garden tools have come a long way in recent decades and there is a tool to assist with all kinds of needs such as, long reach tools with soft grip handles, geared loppers, combined kneelers/seats and all sorts of ergonomically designed hand tools. It was a real education looking into this particular aspect of gardening - there is so much out there! Hopefully, I have provided some food for thought with this article as it is such a shame to see so many lovely garden areas being dug up and laid to paving or gravel but for a few laboursaving ideas. o
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On the subject of garden maintenance (and how to reduce it), here are some traditional winter tasks to think about, but with some additional ideas on how to ease the burden. • Clear up fallen leaves - especially from lawns, ponds and beds (perhaps invest in a hand held, battery powered leaf blower). • Raise containers onto pot feet to prevent waterlogging (wheeled pot caddies elevate your containers and aid moving). • Prune roses to prevent wind-rock. • Put out bird food to encourage winter birds into the garden. • Insulate outdoor taps and prevent ponds from freezing. • Deciduous trees and shrubs can still be planted and transplanted. • Recycle your Christmas tree by shredding it for mulch (take to the council recycling centre). • Dig over any vacant plots that have not been dug already (consider a ‘no dig’ garden). • Plan your vegetable crop rotations for the coming season (with simple, less fussy crops). • Prune winter-flowering shrubs that have finished flowering.
Gardens
Richard Wilson - RHS Rosemoor Horticulturist
I have been with the RHS as a member of the Formal Gardens team here at Rosemoor since May 2015 and am currently responsible for the maintenance of our colour themed gardens, the Hot and Cool gardens. In addition to this, areas of shrubbery along the stream side fall within my remit. I live near Barnstaple and enjoy helping with volunteer garden projects. I run competitively, row with Barnstaple Pilot Gig Club and enjoy long distance cycling. In my spare time, I tend to sleep!
Thymus serpyllum ‘Snowdrift’
helipad | ROAD TRAFFIC AWARENESS
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BRINGING THE EMERGENCY SERVICES TOGETHER
To help raise awareness of the importance of post-road-collision crash care, on Monday 13 September, Devon Air Ambulance proudly stood alongside the county’s other emergency services, all supporting a national road safety initiative called Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death) and Vision Zero.
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he event was the first of its kind to physically bring all emergency services together in support and alignment with a campaign for road safety called ‘Fit for the Road’. The Devon Air Ambulance team helped to showcase the importance of post-crash care, while other agencies, organisations and emergency services promoted discussion around vehicle safety, safe road use, safe speed, and safe roads and roadsides. Project EDWARD’s ambitious aim is to halve road deaths by 2030 and reduce to zero by 2050!
An alarming statistic... Last year, 216 missions of the 1507 missions that Devon Air Ambulance’s two aircraft and two Critical Care Cars attended were to road traffic collisions. This accounts for over 14% of all missions.
driving with greater attention to the road conditions and other road users.” Devon Air Ambulance is incredibly proud to see the project EDWARD team, those from Vision Zero South West and our emergency services colleagues, recognise just how important post-crash care is and how they regard our service as an essential part of a collaborative team that helps save the lives of patients in Devon and the surrounding areas. Former patient Darryl Riches was saved by the collaborative efforts of the Police, Fire & Rescue, Ambulance and Devon Air Ambulance... When Darryl was involved in a horrific collision with a 40 ton lorry in Dawlish, he was not expected to survive. Darryl had suffered severe injuries, with every bone in his skull being broken to name just a few. After 20 years on a remarkable road to recovery, we were thrilled that Darryl and his partner Peta, could join us on this incredible day and although it was quite emotional for him at times, he was beaming and humbled, having met representatives from all of the emergency services that took part in his dramatic rescue and helped to save his life.
Devon Air Ambulance Operations Director, Nigel Hare said: “Every fatal road traffic collision is a tragedy for the family and friends of those that have died. It can also be extremely traumatic for others who were directly involved or who kindly stopped to render help and assistance. The greatest tragedy, however, is that often these collisions are avoidable. All of us who drive can help reduce the chances of such tragedies occurring, simply by Throughout the day and days following the event, Devon Air Ambulance was mentioned over 2.9 million times, on TV, by social media influencers/vloggers, social media posts, mentions and retweets. All this exposure really helps to highlight the vital work of our Charity and serves to emphasise that we are part of the wider emergency services team working together to help and support those in our local communities across Devon whenever needed. o
winter 2021 | LOTTERY
Only
10es of
Priz
2nd & Prize 3rd s
£er 1weeyk
£13
5
p ntr e
£50 How to win our weekly top prize of £1,350 for only £1.00 a week and help to keep our crew flying!
Our weekly lottery continues to grow from strength to strength, year on year and, although 2020 was a difficult year for all of us, we are back to the level of membership we enjoyed before the first lockdown. This vital income, which started back in 2001, has achieved
Our Weekly Prizes
10es of
21
First P r £1 ize
2nd & 3 Prizes rd
350
First Prize
£1350 £50 £135
Priz
amazing results and has brought in an overall income of just over £25m! So, THANK YOU for allowing us to carry on our life-saving work and continue to future-proof our service, ensuring we can continue to help the critically ill and injured for many years to come.
So how can you join and be in with a chance to win one of 13 cash prizes every week for just £1.00 entry?
online
A secure and safe way to join or upgrade your existing membership. Just visit our lottery page on our website and choose the Direct Debit option. Follow the instructions and you will get an acknowledgement once the process is completed. As soon as your payments start, you will be entered into the draw. www.daat.org/play-our-lottery
our canvassers Our amazing team of canvassers, despite several obstacles over the past twenty months, are still doing fantastically well. You will see Marcia, Ted and Lisa around various outlets and small businesses throughout our county, so if you do see them, please sign up or upgrade your membership with them to continue to support our lottery.
Lottery
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cash agents We have had to say a sad “Farewell” to three of our cash agents recently: Rivermead News, Exmouth; Rock Villa, Beer and Merton Garage, near Okehampton – the lottery wouldn’t be where Jeff from Bulpins News, Tiverton it is today without their support – so a big THANK YOU! Check on our website to see if there is a local agent near you www.daat.org/agents
by phone or email
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Meet: Tracy Owen - Corporate Engagement and Lottery Manager Email: t.owen@daat.org Tel: 07494 292384 Tracy has been with DAA for over 16 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 2021 | CROSSWORD
23
Prize Crossword WIN A
COUNTRY STORE VOUCHER & A MODEL TRACTOR
Thank you to everyone who entered our Helipad Prize Crossword in Summer 2021 issue - Denise Passmore of Lapford (in a joint effort with husband Bruce!) was the winner of tickets to RHS Rosemoor. Congratulations Denise and Bruce, we hope you have a great day out! As usual, we hope you all enjoy this new crossword which once again tests your local and general knowledge. For winter Helipad, we are delighted to team up with our long-term supporters, Masons Kings, to offer our lucky winner a £20 voucher to spend in one of their Country Stores at Chudleigh or Exebridge – there’s something for everyone, including clothing, footwear, toys, gifts and homeware … and also receive a fantastic 1:32 die-cast scale model John Deere tractor! Masons Kings is a family run agricultural and machinery dealership with over 30 years experience, offering a range of services to their agricultural, horticultural, leisure and domestic customers. Thank you to them for their continued support of Devon Air Ambulance.
Clues Down 1. Surname of notorious pirate Blackbeard (5) 2. Old name for a tax collector and scourge of smugglers (9) 3. Double reed woodwind instrument (4) 5. In Greek Mythology Chiron was one (7) 6. __________ Fabulous’ sitcom where much ‘Bolly’ was imbibed by the main characters (10) 7. Argentina born María Eva Duarte de _____ whose pet name became the title of a hit musical (5) 8. The oldest football club in Scotland nicknamed ‘The Sons’ (9) 9. Cruel and oppressive ruler (6) 14. Medical imaging techniques used to visualize the inside of blood vessels and organs of the body (10) 15. European city that hosted the 1928 Summer Olympics (9) 17. Lived longer (9) 19. Type of Afro-Caribbean folk song often witty or satirical (7) 20. North Devon estuary village with a beach and a Grade II listed railway signal box (6) 22. Character encoding standard for electronic/computer communication (5) 24. A projecting piece of wood made for insertion into a mortise in another piece (5) 25. East Devon coastal village on the Jurassic Coast (4)
© Proteus
Clues Across 1. Name of Plymouth’s new museum and art gallery (3,3) 4. Had a fight; disposed of a vehicle (8) 10. Small salty fish used in cooking (7) 11. Medical concoction without proof of effectiveness (7) 12. Biblical name for an army (4) 13. Moroccan town and 1942 film directed by Michael Curtiz (10) 15. Devon town famous for carpet-making (9) 16. Fish species commonly Rainbow or Brown in the UK (5) 18. Egyptian desert peninsula (5) 19. West Devon village 6 miles North of Tavistock (9) 21. A preacher who seeks to convert others to the Christian faith (10) 23. Immanuel, 18th century German Philosopher (4) 26. Marcel, French-American artist associated with Dadaism and Cubism (7) 27. Waterside community in Plymouth, home to the Plym Yacht Club (7) 28. Personalised advertising or promotional campaign via post (8) 29. John, the outstanding poet and dramatist of the Restoration (6)
How to enter (and terms and conditions) Complete the crossword to reveal the letters in the yellow shaded boxes – simply solve the anagram to identify a word relating to Devon Air Ambulance. Enter online at www.daat.org/crossword-competition-winter-2021 or by writing your name, contact details and the answer on a postcard, and posting to : Helipad Crossword Competition Winter 2021, Devon Air Ambulance, 5 Sandpiper Court, Harrington Lane, Exeter, EX4 8NS. The competition is free to enter, one entry per person. The closing date for entries to be received is midnight on Friday 31st December 2021 when the successful winning entry will be selected at random. Full Terms and Conditions can be found at www.daat.org/crossword-winter-2021-terms-and-conditions or by writing to The Editor at the above address.
Summer 2021 Solution - The answer to the anagram was - AMBULANCE ACROSS 1 Scrapyard 6 Comic 9 Osborne 10 Greater 11 Phi 12 Thesauruses 14 Pagans 15 Ice Cream 17 Galmpton 19 Sparks 22 Amontillado 23 Sot 25 Tea Shop 27 Tainted 28 Yodel 29 Pennymoor DOWN 1 Sloop 2 Rubbings 3 Puritans Pit 4 Avener 5 Dogwatch 6 Cue 7 Matisse 8 Christmas 13 Reciprocity 14 Pageantry 16 Lollipop 18 Leonardo 20 Risotto 21 Tawton 24 Tudor 26 Hal
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helipad | www.daat.org
Watching the
Winter Waders
Curlew Numenius arquata
Swapping his sofa by the window for a seat on a train, Helipad’s Armchair Twitcher spends an enjoyable afternoon spotting some of his favourite birds along the Exe Estuary – the winter waders!
A
s it skims the sparkling water’s edge, not only is the train journey from Torquay to Exmouth surely one of the most picturesque in the country, it is also an ideal way to spot some of Devon’s most beautiful seasonal visitors. Over winter, wading birds such as dunlins, oystercatchers, avocets, lapwings, godwits, curlews, grey plovers and redshanks all call the sheltered and abundant tidal mudflats of the internationally important Exe Estuary home. As summer breeding grounds in Siberia and Scandinavia start to feel the first icy blast of the impending winter, and as food supplies start to dwindle, thousands of water birds, many traveling in large family groups, make the exhausting annual migration to Devon to enjoy the milder climate and abundant food sources. Although the mudflats may look uninspiring to the untutored eye, it is home to such a rich variety of invertebrates and aquatic organisms like snails, worms, molluscs and crustaceans, that experts have likened the richness of its biodiversity to a tropical rainforest … and all of this abundance provides a cornucopia of food for hungry beaks! I’ve even read one statistic that each cubic metre of estuary mud contains the same calorific value as fourteen Mars bars! Most wading birds have long legs which help keep them clear of the water and gives them a much better line of sight to their food. Most importantly of all, the shape and size of the bill or beak helps each individual species locate their prey. Waders with longer bills such as snipe and curlew use them
Here are just six of my favourite wading birds to spot on your travels along the Exe Estuary this winter... Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) Highly distinctive wader with striking black and white plumage, red legs and eyes and with a long sturdy looking orangy red beak. Resident birds are joined by their migratory cousins from Scandinavia in the winter, mostly feeding on cockles, mussels and oysters.
to probe the deeper mud for worms and tiny shellfish, those with upturned bills like the avocet use them to skim across the water and the shorter bills of birds like plovers and dunlin are ideal for picking up insects just under the mud surface. As well as the waders, the Exe Estuary is also home to a dizzying array of other birds which are well worth spotting as you travel along, from grebes, kingfishers and cormorants, to grey herons, little egrets and mute swans … as well as a wealth of duck species including shelduck, teal, wigeon and mallard. Oh, and don’t forget the different gull species (lesser, black-backed, black-headed and herring), more of which in my article next summer! Importantly, the estuary is also the winter home of 1% of the world’s population of dark-bellied Brent Geese, which rest at roosts above the high tide line and look for food among the eelgrass beds. If you want to tarry a while on your train trip around the estuary, I would recommend alighting at Dawlish Warren. Designated as a national and local nature reserve, it includes a significant range of flora and fauna, including grey seals and otters. Over 2,000 different species of invertebrate have been recorded at the site, including the splendidly named hairy dragonfly and the Jersey Tiger moth and, botanically, it is incredibly rich with over 620 species of plants such as the rare Warren Crocus and 260 different types of fungi! o
winter 2021 | NATURE
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Curlew (Numenius arquata) The largest of the European wading birds, with a wingspan of close to a metre, the curlew is a distinctive estuary bird, easy to spot because of its size. The curlew has a small head and long downward curved bill, ideal for probing deep into the mud for worms, shellfish and shrimps. It is noted for its eerie ‘cur-lee’ call. Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) In winter, the grey plover is a ‘chunky’ bird that is largely a winter visitor to Devon. It loses its black feathers in winter and takes on a more brown-grey hue, although it continues to display its distinctive black ‘armpits’ in flight. Stands still and upright, then nimbly runs forward to pick up its prey. Its call has been likened to that of a human wolf-whistle!
Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) An elegant wader with distinctive black and white plumage and long blue legs. Its most distinctive feature is its delicate upwardly curved bill, perfectly designed for swishing from side to side just below the water to filter up its prey, such as worms, small crustaceans and insect larvae.
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) The commonest of the small coastal waders, with attractive brown and white top feathers that become greyer in winter and a slightly down-curved bill. Can be seen in large flocks in winter, when the numbers in the UK swell from 10,000 pairs to upwards of 350,000! Often seen roosting in very large groups in nearby fields or above the high tide mark.
Redshank (Tringa totanus) Redshanks are insect eating, ground nesting birds, with long vivid orange red legs and attractive black and red bills. They are sometimes thought of as ‘nervous’ birds, frequently uttering a loud distinctive peeping alarm call. Their numbers have declined sharply over the years, although one of only two breeding sites in the UK can be found in Exminster.
Don’t forget, birds are especially sensitive to disturbance and being in close contact with humans and dogs can even threaten their survival. If visiting the Exe Estuary, consider your impact on the wildlife you are observing – stick to the designated paths and viewing points and avoid wildlife refuges which should be clearly marked with yellow bouys with “WR” in black lettering. For an excellent leaflet, including maps of the area, the best places to bird watch and the Exe Estuary Code, visit: exe-estuary.org/visitor-information/wildlife/wildlife-on-the-exe and download their handy printable explorer guide.
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helipad | www.daat.org
Brilliant Brixham
Helipad’s Neil Devons explores the brilliant diversity that is the fishing port of Brixham including a personal memoir of directing one of the town’s most important events in living memory.
T
o the casual visitor, Brixham is just what they imagine a Devon fishing port to be – busy, colourful and picturesque. With its distinctively tinted harbourside buildings reflected in the water, a quayside packed with pubs, restaurants and art galleries, a modern working fishing fleet and a real sense that there is always something going on, Brixham is a special place. There is a strong sense of community identity and togetherness in Brixham, founded on a very proud fishing history. It was here that ‘beam trawling’ was developed in the 19th century enabling fishing to be carried out far beyond local waters and helped make Brixham home to the UK’s largest fishing fleet. Today, the town is simply a wonderful place to visit. Quite apart from the enduring
influence of fishing, Brixham would be a magnet for its food, drink and art alone. It has a fine selection of beaches, a replica of Drake’s Golden Hind in the harbour, a 500 berth marina, pleasant gardens, a theatre, heritage museum, seawater swimming pool and an acclaimed nature reserve. Brixham has also hosted some great annual events such as the renowned Pirate Festival, where you can enjoy the slightly surreal spectacle of scores of ‘Jack Sparrow’ impersonators lolloping around the harbour with their distinctive shabby garb, black eye make-up and battered tricorn hats.
A diverse history There is more to the industrial and economic heritage of Brixham than fishing. Quarrying and stone played a significant role in the town’s prosperity, with local limestone being used to build the breakwater and for houses and road-making. The sails of the fishing boats were daubed with the mineral ochre to protect the canvas from sea water and iron mines were active locally until 1925.
winter 2021 | BRIXHAM
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A new king arrives in Brixham At the invitation of the English Parliament, William of Orange became the country’s joint monarch with his wife Mary after he landed in Brixham on 5th November 1688 with an army of Dutch troops and mercenaries estimated to be around 20,000 men. A Grade II listed statue of William stands in a prominent location on Brixham harbourside complete with his famous quote “The liberties of England and the Protestant religion I will maintain”. Evidence of the Dutch presence remains with the name ‘Overgang’, a steep hill from the harbour to where the army made camp and meaning ‘passage’ in Dutch.
Abide with me Inspired by the story of Jesus rising from the dead, one of the Christian world’s most famous hymns, Abide With Me, was written by Henry Francis Lyte as he lay dying of tuberculosis at Berry Head House.
The Coffin House The Coffin House is an unmissable landmark building in Brixham, so called because of its shape. The story goes that when a father was asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage, he allegedly said he would ‘see her in a coffin, before she wed’ … so, ingeniously, his future sonin-law built the marital home in the shape of a coffin! It is told his fiancée’s father was so impressed by his enterprise and inventiveness that he gave his blessing to the union. Since then, the building has been used as an inn and as a number of shops, including a spiritual store.
Walk of Fame
A breath of fresh air
As part of the ’Lighting Up Brixham’ initiative, a Walk of Fame has now opened on the Victoria Breakwater. It consists of a series of forty purpose-designed cast-iron floor plates, etched with individual names to celebrate locals and those who love Brixham, past and present. Phase 1 of this splendid innovation is now open and organisers are aiming for a spring 2022 opening for Phase 2. Money raised by The Walk will be invested in permanent town improvements including painting more houses in colourful pastel shades and seasonal lighting. Find out more about this great local project by visiting: www.brixhamswalkoffame.com
Away from the harbourside bustle, a visit to Berry Head National Nature Reserve situated on the outskirts of Brixham will certainly give you a blast of fresh air. Its high cliffs provide a bird watching paradise with a vast range of species including one of the largest guillemot breeding colonies on the English south coast. Extensive sea views just might afford a glimpse of dolphin at play and there are twenty acres of woodland to explore. As part of the English Riviera Global Geopark, this award-winning heritage site combines its wildlife and fascinating topography with history. Recently restored Napoleonic fortifications including the Guardhouse Café give a real sense of Berry Head’s military past. There are also plenty of activities such as climbing and kayaking and, in the summer, you can even go on an escorted Bat Walk to explore the home of the Greater Horseshoe Bats that roost in the extensive limestone quarries. The lighthouse at Berry Head was originally built in 1906 and is reputedly the shortest and one of the highest at the same time, being only 16 feet tall but 190 feet above sea level. Berry Head is also often featured on the national weather forecast, as it frequently records some of the strongest wind gusts in the country! Berry Head Nature Reserve is open all year, is dog friendly and best of all, it’s free. If you visit, especially with children and dogs, take care and be vigilant – this wonderful headland has very steep cliffs and very sheer drops!
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helipad | www.daat.org
A Royal Slice of Luck
David Fitzgerald with Neil Devons
– a personal memoir of Brixham’s big event
suddenly became overcast, followed by an almighty storm that caused the sewers to burst and flood the area of the harbour beneath where the Royal Party had been sitting. ‘Phew’ is a gross understatement of what I felt at that point as I made myself scarce and headed to the nearest pub with fellow Helipad columnist David Fitzgerald who was covering the event for Devonair Radio. The whole thing was a marvellous experience and roaring success, made more so by the help and support of the people of Brixham. o
The Queen meeting locals dressed in period costume for the tercentenary celebrations
Image © Herald Express
If you are asked to stage a significant public event there are a few things you’ll need - stamina, a thick skin, an imaginative use of budgets, helpers who don’t confuse decisions with actions, a vision of what the end result will look like and, above all, luck. In 1988, I was invited to direct the Tercentenary of the landing of William of Orange in Brixham and was aware right away that I would need all of these factors to fall into place, especially as we were planning fifty-six events across a week including a ‘triple’ Royal visit from Her Majesty The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and Willem-Alexander, the Crown Prince (now King) of the Netherlands. The Royal Group and their entourage arrived in Brixham and took their place on a specially constructed dais beneath the old fish market on the harbourside to witness one of the five re-enactments we were staging that week. William, played by local resident Roger Rees, was duly rowed ashore accompanied by all the pomp and pageantry we could muster and by a fusillade of cannon fire which had seriously alarmed the Royal Protection Squad during rehearsals. The roars of a massive crowd were encouraged by a costumed actor on horseback who kept everyone informed of proceedings. His commentary was broadcast through a computerised system to prevent feedback and delay and proved to be the key to a successful event especially as we ignored the Council’s suggestion that there was a perfectly good tannoy system somewhere in the stores (imaginative use of budgets!). The date was 31st July 1988 (the actual landing was in November, but it was felt there were just too many risks to combine royalty, an open air event and winter weather!) and I admit it was with some relief on my part when the Royal party rose to leave. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth opted for one of her famous walkabout departures so she met with local people on the quayside before rejoining the barge to take her back to the Royal Yacht Britannia and on to the Armada 400 celebrations in Plymouth. At this point, I cashed in all the luck available to me. As the barge departed, what had been a lovely sunny day
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helipad | www.daat.org
Tutti Frutti
Pear ‘Upside Down’ tart A take on the classic French Tarte Tatin, this super simple but spectacular pudding is equally at home as a fabulous dinner party dessert and just as good made with Devon apples (see page 16). Also eats well served cold. Ingredients Serves 6-8 • 8 pears, preferably ripe but firm • 100g caster sugar • 100g butter • The seeds from 3 crushed cardamom pods • 500g block of all-butter puff pastry • 2 tablespoons of Amaretto liqueur (optional)
As the nights draw in and we hunker down for winter, there is nothing nicer to warm the frostiest of tummies than a rich, indulgent or frankly just plain old-fashioned pudding! These three impressive but easy recipes can be enjoyed for a special occasion, as a simple mid-week family treat or when you just fancy something warm and comforting.
Method • Peel the pears and cut each one in half. Take out the stringy core and slice each pear half into medium slices. • Put the sugar, butter and cardamom seeds into an overproof frying pan, about 20cm wide. • Place over a high heat until the mixture starts to bubble, then stir the buttery sauce until the sugar starts to caramelise. • If you want to add a special festive feel, stir in 2 tablespoons of Amaretto liqueur to the mix. • Once caramelised, remove the pan from the hob and allow to cool slightly. • Arrange the pear slices in concentric circles in the pan until the base is covered. • Roll out the pastry to about ½ cm thickness. • Using a plate slightly larger than the top of the overproof frying pan, cut out a circle of pastry and drape over the pears, making sure you tuck the edges down the pan sides so the fruit is completely covered. • Pierce the pastry a few times then place the pan directly in the oven at 180ºc fan/200ºc non-fan/Gas Mark 6 and bake for 15 minutes. • Reduce the temperature to 160ºc fan/180ºc non-fan/Gas Mark 4 and bake for a further 15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. • Remove the pan from the oven and leave to cool for 10-15 minutes. • Invert the pan onto a large plate or platter ready for serving.
winter 2021 | FOOD & DRINK
Orange & Lemon ‘Sussex’ Pond Pudding
This a magical suet pudding – sliced unpeeled lemons and oranges go in, a sweet and tangy filling comes out! Perfect with lashings of cold pouring cream or caramel ice cream. Ingredients Serves 6-8 • 1 unwaxed lemon • 1 medium orange • 100g cold butter, cubed • 250g self-raising flour • 100g vegetable suet • 150ml whole milk • 100g golden caster sugar
Spiced Raspberry and Ginger crème brûlée A cold pudding but with a spicy warming kick that won’t disappoint. In the summer, this recipe is equally good made with rhubarb.
Ingredients Serves 6 • 400g whole raspberries • 190g caster sugar • 80g of stem ginger in syrup, chopped • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 2 teaspoons of cornflour • 500ml double cream • 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways and the seeds scrapped out or a teaspoon of vanilla extract • 3 large eggs • 5 tablespoons of soft brown or demerara sugar
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Method • To make the crust, combine the flour and suet in a bowl. • Add the milk and knead the mixture to form a rough dough. • Divide the dough into two portions, roughly 1/3 and 2/3 ratio. • Roll out the larger ball of dough and use it to line the base and sides of a buttered 1.5 litre pudding basin. • Fill the pudding basin with half of the cold butter cubes and half the sugar. • Slice the fruit and add into the basin. • Top with the remaining butter cubes and sugar. • Roll out the smaller ball of dough to make a lid (make it nice and thick as this will form the base when the pudding is turned out). • Brush the edges of the dough with water and press tightly to seal the pudding dough. • Cover the pudding basin with a circle of baking or grease-proof paper and tie under the rim with kitchen string, adding a little extra loop over the top of the pudding to create a loose handle. • Place the basin in a large saucepan and pour in hot water until it is about three- quarters of the way up the pudding basin. • Cover and simmer very gently on the hob for 3 ½ hours. • Remove the saucepan from the hob and carefully take out the pudding basin. • Allow to rest for about 15 minutes, then turn out carefully onto a serving dish – make sure it has a lip to capture all the juices when you cut into it!
Method • Put the raspberries, 40g caster sugar, chopped ginger and cinnamon into a saucepan and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes until the fruit has broken down. • Take out two or three teaspoonfuls of the liquid/fruit juice from the pan and, in a separate small bowl, mix into a smooth paste with the cornflour. • Pour the cornflour mixture back into the pan and continue to stir until thickened. • Pour the mixture into a shallow serving dish or individual ramekin dishes and leave to cool. • For the custard, pour the double cream, the remaining 150g of caster sugar and the vanilla pod and seeds (or extract) into a pan and bring to a gentle simmer. If using a vanilla pod, infuse in the warm cream for two minutes and then discard. • In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs and gradually pour over the cream mixture, stirring continuously. • Immediately return the mixture to the saucepan and continue to stir over a low heat for about 10 minutes until it thickens. • Pour the mixture over the cooled raspberries, smooth or tap to level the mixture and chill in the fridge overnight. • Just before serving, sprinkle the soft brown sugar or demerara sugar over the top and caramalise to a deep golden brown using either a kitchen blowtorch or by putting the crème brûlée under a very hot grill (don’t forget to watch it carefully so you don’t set your smoke detectors off!).
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Meet the team...
Fundraising! After a challenging period of restructuring, our new strengthened Fundraising Team is now complete. Combining experience and professionalism with enthusiasm and passion, our new team is focused on helping all our supporters in their community fundraising endeavours, supporting fundraising initiatives and events, and looking after our local business supporters and amazing volunteers. Let’s meet the team... Sally Hilton, Head of Fundraising Sally has a broad range of fundraising management experience, having worked at charities of all sizes from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution to a small hospital. Sally’s aim is to engage with a wide range of people in Devon and beyond, grow DAA’s fundraising so everyone benefits from this amazing cause and to support her diverse team. Jo-Anne Rigby, Supporter Engagement Manager Jo is responsible for leading and developing the Fundraising Team, now comprising a blend of new and long serving staff. Her aim is to maximise new and existing fundraising opportunities and make sure we are giving our supporters the best possible fundraising experience. Sarah Shaw, Supporter Engagement Officer (Individual Giving) Sarah is responsible for developing an Individual Giving programme, a new initiative for the Charity which includes engaging new supporters, encouraging individuals to set up a regular monthly gift, donate to support key appeals and consider leaving a gift in their will. Tracy Owen, Corporate Engagement and Lottery Manager Tracy’s role is to develop new markets to grow DAA’s lottery at the same time as supporting our existing members. Tracy is also responsible for managing relationships with our corporate and business partnerships, existing and new, through their own fundraising or as our Charity of the Year. Lottie Clark, Supporter Engagement Officer (Community) Lottie will be working alongside Steffan to oversee all aspects of community fundraising, covering Plymouth and West Devon. She is getting to know her local communities, working to build relationships with them and supporting their fundraising experience.
winter 2021 | FUNDRAISING
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Steffan Anderson-Thomas, Supporter Engagement Officer (Community) Working alongside Lottie, Steffan will oversee community fundraising in north, mid and east Devon, and will be working alongside his local community in supporting their fundraising endeavours. Learn more about our Community Fundraising work on page 38 Cara Jones, Volunteer Manager Cara is responsible for steering and coordinating all aspects of volunteering across Devon, including recruitment, induction, and day-to-day support of our 700 strong volunteer family. As many of you know, Cara has recently gone on maternity leave and we all wish her and her family the best for the coming months. Becky Trout, Interim Volunteer Manager We are delighted to have Becky join us to cover Cara’s maternity leave. Becky will be working with, and supporting, our fantastic volunteer community. Our volunteers are so important to us and Becky cannot wait to meet as many volunteers as possible. Jenny Jameson, Database & Insight Officer Jenny is responsible for enabling staff to record and maintain relationships with all supporters and prospects by maintaining data integrity, producing mailing files for our fundraising campaigns, and supporting and training users of the charity’s Customer Relationship Management system. Rhys Lucas, Logistics Support Officer Rhys plays a vital role in supporting the Fundraising Team in getting materials to our supporters, helping plan and set up our events, liaising with our shops and getting things done among a whole host of other important logistical tasks. Vickie Headon, Supporter Services Assistant Vickie is an integral part of the team and helps keep everything running smoothly, from taking calls from our lottery players to processing donations and thanking our lovely supporters, among some of the many fundraising administrative tasks that she deals with. To contact the team, email: fundraising@daat.org.
...and let’s not forget Ambrose the Bear! Ambrose has been in hibernation for a while but looks forward to coming out of his den soon, donning his red flight suit and meeting our supporters again next year!
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helipad | www.daat.org
RETAIL VOLUNTEERING Give it a try!
To keep our helicopters flying, our critical care cars on the road and our clinicians treating patients, Devon Air Ambulance needs a whole community of volunteers - and retail is no exception.
O
ur nineteen charity shops keep us deeply rooted in the communities we serve, and all our retail volunteers contribute hugely to the overall success of our charity. Retail Operations Manager, Chrissie Peel, tells us why there is a retail volunteering opportunity to suit everyone! Whether you are young and looking for work experience, need a focus for your Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or are interested in a qualification, or are retired and are interested in spending a few sociable hours contributing to a worthwhile cause, and whether you have lots of free time, just a few regular hours or can help on a one-off basis, there is literally a volunteering role in our retail operations to suit you. Each of our different retail formats has a unique character, from selling online and our traditional charity shops, to our specialist ‘vintage and variety’ and our ‘discount’ shop.
Shop volunteers may be asked to undertake several different roles including:
• window dressing, • sorting stock, • steaming, • labelling, • researching, • advising customers, • promoting Gift Aid, • dealing with enquiries, • using the till and dealing with different types of payment.
Our outgoing and chatty volunteers love helping on the shop floor or on the till. Others prefer to beaver away in the background and help with sorting and steaming. We have creative volunteers who enjoy window dressing or producing unique displays. We have specialist volunteers who have an eye for photography and a passion for researching the weird and the wonderful. We love our volunteers to tell us if they have a particular interest in any area, as it can be very handy to have someone on the team who can spot an antique vase or a fashion-house label. Some of our shop volunteers are also eligible to undertake retail associated NVQ qualifications through a partnership with Derby College. So, if you would like to learn a new skill, gain a qualification, or simply do something worthwhile, why not give volunteering a go. We will invite each person who has expressed an interest in volunteering to come in and see us, and we can arrange a trial session first so you can meet the managers and get a feel for the shop. Our volunteers come from all walks of life and cover an incredible age range of 14 years to the grand age of 94! We have younger volunteers undertaking their Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards, students who would like to gain work experience, individuals who would like to meet new people and those who would like to do something fun and worthwhile. We offer occasional or regular volunteering opportunities in our shops, for anyone who can spare an hour or two to help. Our volunteers do not need to have any previous retail experience as we offer friendly support, training, encouragement and the all important tea and biscuits!
winter 2021 | RETAIL
Behind the scenes… You may not be aware, but there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of each shop. In order to ensure we are selling excellent quality stock, we need a team effort to sort through all our lovely donations. Our clothes need to be clean, without tears, rips or stains and still with their original care labels, our books need to be unspoiled and unmarked, our electrical items need to be in good working order and PAT tested and our ornaments and bric-a-brac needs to be clean and damage-free. We try to recycle all the items we can’t use by selling them on by the kilo to a recycling company that works with the charity sector. Each individual item for sale gets a shelf life of four weeks in each shop before it is moved on for sale in another one of our shops. By rotating our stock in this way, we are able to ensure our customers see different items for sale each time they visit. To guarantee our prices are fair and consistent across all our shops, we have a brand guide and price list to help us to value each item correctly and we use the internet extensively to check up on some of the quirkier items we receive!
DEVON AIR AMBULANCE Online shopdaat.org
Search DevonAirAmbulance
Did you know? Steaming and labelling one rail of ladies’ tops will make an average of £90 for DAA!
Learn more about volunteering on page 8 of this issue
You can find our shops in...
Barnstaple Bideford Budleigh Salterton Dartmouth (Vintage & Variety) Exeter Cowick St and Exeter Heavitree Exmouth (Discount Shop) Honiton Kingsbridge Newton Abbot Okehampton Plymouth Sidmouth South Molton St Marychurch Tavistock Topsham and Topsham Vintage & Variety Totnes We cannot thank our supporters enough for donating their pre-loved items for sale... but it is worth knowing that we can further extend the amount of money raised by these items if the donor is a UK taxpayer - through the Gift Aid scheme. Gift Aid enables registered charities to reclaim tax on donations made by a UK taxpayer, effectively increasing the amount of the donation. Using Gift Aid means that the taxman will add 25p to every pound donated – in 2019, that came to an additional £168,000! If you are donating items to us for sale for the first time, please do sign up for the Gift Aid scheme, as the extra money we receive on every sold item really adds up!
Retail Meet: Chrissie Peel - Retail Operations Manager Email: c.peel@daat.org
Thank you very much for your ongoing support of Devon Air Ambulance. Your contribution is making a real difference to our patients and their families.
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Hi, I’m Lottie. I joined Devon Air Ambulance in May and have absolutely loved getting to know our wonderful community of supporters since. With the return of in-person events, I am really excited by my calendar which is getting busier by the day - I want to meet and work with you all! I am local to the Plymouth area and will be covering most of the fundraising activity in South and West Devon (the opposite to my counterpart, Steffan). Please do get in touch with me if you would like to fundraise in this area: l.clark@daat.org or call 07399 115358
Huge thanks for your
virtual support We are so excited to see the rapid increase in face-toface events, which started to return this summer. While we remain cautiously excited by these in-person events, we want to acknowledge the incredible impact that ‘virtual fundraising’ had at DAA during the last eighteen months. We want to thank everyone who adapted their fundraising and remained dedicated in their mission to support us: our March March participants, the online quizzers, virtual marathon runners, the people who climbed mountains via their hallway stairs – thank you! And while we have seen a decline in virtual participation since the return of in-person events, we still want to remind you all of the immense benefits of online fundraising. It connects people from across the world, they are inclusive for those who cannot leave their homes and who may not feel comfortable returning to mass gatherings yet and they allow ticketed events to reach more people with livestream. We really do believe digital fundraising is here to stay, it holds so much power and flexibilty, so please continue to explore this as a fundraising option.
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Introducing your new Community Engagement Officers
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Hi, I’m Steffan. Originally from South Wales, I joined Devon Air Ambulance in May this year and it’s great to have been a part of a busy summer with the Charity. With restrictions easing, it’s been brilliant to get to know our supporters and volunteers at our events. I I live near Tiverton, covering fundraising in North, Mid and East Devon. Let’s hope that next year can be even busier! Please get in touch with me if you have any fundraising events taking place: s.anderson-thomas@daat.org or call 07399 115351.
winter 2021 | COMMUNITY FUNDRAISING
The return of Shows and Events This summer has been a busy but brilliant one. It has been so rewarding to see the return of some of the events that are the pillars to our Devon Air Ambulance calendar each year. Devon County Show introduced us back into the world of in-person events, and what a way to kick off the season! Lots of us took part, including our fundraisers, Helena our Chief Executive and our some of our amazing Critical Care Crew, and we all enjoyed three days of engaging with the wonderful community and local businesses again. We would also like to give special mention to some of our amazing fundraisers who jumped at the chance to start getting out there and fundraising this summer:
Sidmouth Lions Duck Derby
Fundraising events can be wonderful, weird or downright wacky! As was the case for the Sidmouth Duck Derby, which took place this summer. Chris Rignall, President of the Sidmouth Lions, contacted us with the details of this fantastic and unique fundraising event which took place at the Lawn Vista Cycle Bridge. Several thousand little yellow ducks splashed down into the River Sid, watched by the enthusiastic crowd on both riverbanks. The Sidmouth Lions very kindly presented a cheque for £2,020 to our team outside our Devon Air Ambulance shop in Sidmouth. A huge thank you to the team at Sidmouth Lions for hosting this fantastic event and for raising a brilliant amount for Devon Air Ambulance.
Southey Farm Paella & Ponies
Just before the lockdown in March 2020, Margaret Paramore had a very serious accident while cutting wood in her garden. First responders and Devon Air Ambulance attended and, after some emergency surgery, Margaret was able to recover in the capable hands of RD&E ICU. Margaret’s son and daughter-in-law, Alan and Zoe, from Southey Farm in Wrangway, then decided to ‘give back’ and host a Paella and Ponies event to raise money for Devon Air Ambulance. Southey Farm is a stables which specialises in breeding and training Iberian horses, particularly Lusitanos, a rare breed of horse native to Portugal. And so, a two-hour display show was put on for a crowd of around 150 guests, with demonstrations including tent pegging, working gun dogs, jousting, working equitation, a musical drill ride, a parade of mares and their foals, a traditional Portugese parade and a side saddle display of Southey Farm’s prize Lusitano horse, Atinado. During the break there was paella for all the guests and a raffle. The evening then concluded under flood lights with
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international Grand Prix rider Ricardo Wallenstein performing a variety of impressive dressage routines. With such an amazing display, it is no surprise that the Paella and Ponies Party raised an incredible £1,620 for Devon Air Ambulance. Thank you to the hosts, organisers, and riders that helped to make this amazing event such a success. Pictured handing the cheque over to Lottie Clark from Devon Air Ambulance are Margaret with husband John, Alan Paramore, and in their traditional Portuguese turnout, Zoë Paramore with her black Lusitano Atinado and Louise Baker with her grey Lusitano Educado.
30th Anniversary
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We are fast approaching our 30th anniversary YEA and we want to celebrate with you! RS We have been serving the people of Devon since 1992 and we want you all to join in the celebrations of this momentous milestone with us. Keep an eye out across our website and social media as we head in to 2022 to find out more about what we have planned for our anniversary year! In the meantime, please do start thinking about ways you can fundraise to celebrate 30 years of Devon Air Ambulance supporting the people of Devon.
Skydive
Celebrate our 30th Anniversary and do something out of your comfort zone! Join us on the long Diamond Jubilee Weekend, on Saturday 4 June 2022, for our first ever Devon Air Ambulance Community Skydive Day. We will be at Skydive Buzz HQ @ Dunkeswell, Devon, waiting to cheer you on as you Jump 15,000ft, or take on a knee-wobbling Wingwalk challenge. Bring the family! We want your nearest and dearest to be there to cheer you on, so we’ll be hosting a variety of fun activities to keep your friends and family entertained whilst you take on your challenge. Food will be available, and you can take the opportunity to meet some of staff and ask them any burning questions about the work we do. By taking on one of these mighty challenges, you will be helping to keep our Critical Care Crews responding to the people of Devon who need it most: those who are in need of urgent, time-critical care. Contact us to find out more about this fun-filled, thrilling family day out! o
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BOWLED OVER
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ne hundred year-old Burrington resident Gordon Short and his family have been regular supporters of Devon Air Ambulance over the years, organising numerous charity golf days, donating diamond wedding anniversary gifts and, more recently, making a donation of £1,000 in celebration of Gordon’s 100th birthday. Born in 1921, Gordon caught polio as a youngster and only learned to walk when he was eight years old. Despite this and other health challenges, Gordon enrolled in the army in 1939 and served for seven years throughout the Second World War, living through a bombing on his transit through the Mediterranean as well as surviving the unforgiving jungles and dangers of Burma when he served in that conflict. Gordon is one of only a handful of over 100-year-old active Burma Star Veterans. Outside of wartime service, Gordon is a real philanthropist and has dedicated his life to serving his local community. With thirty years on his local parish council, thirteen years as a County Councillor, thirty-three years of service as secretary, chairman, vice chair to the British Association of Seed and
“ Gordon is a real philanthropist and has dedicated his life to serving his local community ”
Spanish Armada. Drake famously didn’t let that news stop his game, so nothing was going to stop Gordon either!... Until...while preparing for his challenge, Gordon had a fall in a practice game that resulted in a fractured hip. This setback wasn’t going to stop Gordon, and he simply set out on his challenge a little later than expected and undeterred, he eventually bowled his first end from his wheelchair. Twice a week for a month, Gordon traversed the length and breadth of Devon, challenging Bowls Clubs across the county to play against him and has even become something of a local media star with his appearances on BBC Spotlight! As at the end of September, Gordon had raised an incredible £6,485 for Devon Air Ambulance with his ‘100 Ends of Bowls’ challenge, smashing his original goal. Devon Air Ambulance is very grateful to the whole Short family for their ongoing commitment to help keep our specialist medical crews responding throughout our beautiful county and beyond, and for everyone who has supported Gordon with a donation. Thank you Gordon – and here’s to the next challenge! o
Agricultural Merchants, plus many years spent serving various other local committees, Gordon’s community work has been an integral part of his adult life. As well as this impressive array of community work, Gordon also built up the family seed and agriculture business, was a loving husband to his late wife Joyce, father of John, Graham and Nigel, and Grandfather and Great-Grandfather to 11! Now this amazing centenarian has recently completed a brand new fundraising challenge set by his son Graham, who challenged his father to play five ends of bowls at twenty different clubs across Devon (one end of bowls for every year of Gordon’s life) in support of Devon Air Ambulance. As a member of the South Molton Bowling Club, Gordon’s interest in bowls was passed down to him by his grandfather, who even built two bowling greens on his farm to teach the family to bowl! Gordon has now passed that love down to his own children, a hobby the whole family enjoys. Gordon was elected President of Devon Bowling Association in 1993, and has played all across the world, from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, to Portugal, Spain, the United States and Canada. So, challenge duly accepted, Gordon’s first game was scheduled to take place at the Plymouth Hoe Bowling Club, where Sir Francis Drake was informed of the invasion of the If you would like to congratulate Gordon on his achievements and show your support, please donate and leave a message for him at: www. justgiving.com/fundraising/Gordon-Short100
winter 2021 | BUSINESS SUPPORTERS
BUSINESS on Board At Devon Air Ambulance, we are honoured to be supported by so many local businesses, now and over the years. Whether small or large, they have all made a significant contribution to helping maintain our vital local life-saving service.
Our local business supporters, through individual staff members, small teams or the whole organisation, hold their own fundraising and sponsored events for us, whether as oneoffs or as part of nominating us as their ‘Charity of the Year’. As well as direct fundraising like golf days, jail breaks and sky dives, there are lots of other ways in which our business supporters have contributed to the vital work that we do at Devon Air Ambulance, including:
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Volunteer hours Free training to staff Hosting collection boxes Discounted rates on goods and services Grants Prizes Lottery (via Payroll) Pro bono work Team participation in our annual Dragon Boat or Royal Marine Commando Challenge
sinesses Thanks to the following local bu t and, who have supported us past, presen hopefully, in the future too! ters! You really are all-around suppor
Who’s your Charity of the Year? Is your business thinking about fundraising for a local charity, or even nominating a local charity as your ‘Charity of the Year? Why not join us in 2022 as Devon Air Ambulance celebrates its 30th anniversary! If you fancy coming on board, and would like to learn more about what your business can do to support us, please contact our Corporate Engagement & Lottery Manager Tracy Owen on t.owen@daat.org or call 07494 292384 GET IN TOUCH see page 3
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Real people saving real lives – what could you do to save a life? We love to showcase our fantastic fundraisers and say ‘thank you’ for all the wonderful, weird and wacky things they do to raise money for Devon Air Ambulance.
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Adam Williams walked the 40 mile East Devon Way in one day in August as a thank you to DAA for assisting his dad Richard five years ago after he was knocked off his bike. Richard was able to join Adam for part of the walk and they are pictured here together. Adam raised a fantastic £1,942.50 – amazing thank you Adam!
Nichola Chant was inspired to do a Wing Walk in support of DAA by her aunt who also recently completed a wing walk for charity. Nichola was thrilled to have raised £691. Thank you Nichola and a very well done! Running newcomer Darren Shepherd recently completed the Plymouth Half Marathon in support of DAA and raised over £1,300! Darren is also a paraglider pilot so, knowing the importance of the service, wanted to set himself a challenge to be able to support us. Brilliant – thank you Darren.
Exeter University medical student Oliver Kennet, accompanied by two friends cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats at the end of July in support of DAA and raised £2,399.16. Oliver said ‘I have chosen this charity because of the incredible work they do, but also because one day I aspire to work as an Air Ambulance doctor’. Fantastic – thank you Oliver!
winter 2021 | DEVON PEOPLE & JUNIOR CREW
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David Sanders wanted to give something back to DAA after his wife slipped and broke her ankle while they were out walking on Dartmoor in May. David decided to walk the 84 mile Hadrian’s Wall Path in July in support of DAA and raised £796.25. Thanks so much David. Former DAA patient Michelle Parrington and friend Caroline completed a 25km Peak District Challenge at the beginning of July, and to date have raised over £1,700! Incredible – thank you and well done to you both.
Gemma Oke said ‘I wanted to fundraise for DAA because they recently helped me’. So Gemma, together with her loyal companion Charlie, set about walking 100 miles in July and raised £1,467.50. Well done Gemma and Charlie!
At the beginning of August, Joanne Huxford ran the London Half Marathon in memory of her fiancé Richard who was assisted by DAA. Joanne did amazingly well and raised £445. Thank you so much Joanne.
Having let her hair grow for the last five years, Jay Walker decided it was time for a haircut and invited friends and family to donate towards a sponsored haircut in support of DAA as well as donating her cut hair to The Princess Trust. Jay raised a hair-raising £410. Thanks Jay, and we love your new haircut!
A big thank you to Hedges FC who raised £800.40 for DAA from charity football matches in June in memory of friend and club member James Hedges.
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DAA Volunteer and experienced runner Graham Gordon initially encouraged and supported his friend Sue Reynolds to take on the Couch to 10km Challenge and then went on to persuade her to enter and complete the Exeter 10km run in September. Together they raised over £300 for DAA. Well done Sue and Graham!
David Fisher and his siblings set themselves personal challenges in support of DAA as a tribute to their brother Miles who celebrated his 30th Birthday this year. Miles is an NHS nurse in the Intensive Care Department and walk-in clinic, and has been playing his part in assisting COVID patients. David’s Challenge was a 116 mile cycle ride from Aberdeen to Braemar. To date the family’s Just Giving Page has raised £715! Thank you to the Fisher family!
Kathryn Kingdon and daughter Keeleigh recently completed sky dives in support of DAA and between them raised a brilliant £1,233. Kathryn said ‘DAA is such a valuable service because you never know when you might need it’. Thank you Kathryn, you both look like you enjoyed your sky dives and your support is much appreciated! Thank you to Mandy Spencer who raised £2,155 for DAA by taking part in the South West ‘Coast to Coast’ Challenge in memory of her grandad who was airlifted in 2008. Mandy says ‘without doubt DAA saved his life and gave him another 13 years with family and great grandchildren’. Thanks again Mandy and well done to you!
Darren Whitworth’s father was fortunate to have had the assistance of DAA on two separate occasions. This inspired Darren and his wife Emz to complete a 700 mile cycle and run between them over five weeks earlier this year and which raised a fantastic £614 for DAA. Twenty miles of the Challenge was completed by the whole family who cycled in fancy dress, raising many smiles along the way! Fantastic – thank you so much Darren, Emz and family.
winter 2021 | DEVON PEOPLE & JUNIOR CREW
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Thank you to the Kingsbridge RFC who once again held their annual Charity Golf Day in support of DAA at the beginning of July and raised £2,523. Thank you very much to the Club for your ongoing support!
Eight year old Riley is no stranger to raising funds for DAA having raised £989.67 last year from a sponsored 70 mile bike ride. This year Riley announced he would like to continue his fundraising by having a sponsored ‘Mullett Haircut’ and raised another £70 to add to his total! Fantastic Riley – we think you look super cool!
Year 6 students Caitlin Nock, Beth Moseley and Eve Whitehead organised a sponsored cycle and fundraiser at their school in connection with their Civic Awards and raised £661.93 for DAA! Well done girls, that is fantastic - many congratulations on achieving your Civic Awards.
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Mark Hawkins was assisted by DAA in 2014 after falling from a ladder. After his recovery, Mark has completed many marathons in support of DAA. Despite a knee injury Mark was determined to finish one last marathon run in his home town of Okehampton at the end of July. Spurred on by locals, family and friends he finished in fine time and raised another £3,700 for DAA, bringing his overall total to just over £10,000! Mark you are amazing – thank you so much.
Nine year old Carys Woodhead raised a brilliant £150 for DAA by selling books, toys and cakes in connection with her Charity Brownies Badge. That is fantastic Carys – thank you so much for choosing to support us and for achieving your very well deserved badge!
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helipad | LEGACY GIVING
Did you know… 44% of our income in 2020 came from gifts in wills. Leaving a legacy helps our lifesaving service to be available for generations to come.
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e would like to thank everyone who leaves us a gift in their will, large or small - every penny really does make a difference. We know your loved ones will always come first but, when the time comes to write your will, we would be extremely grateful if you would consider a legacy gift to Devon Air Ambulance. To make a will, or amendments to an existing will, we recommend that you visit a solicitor. If you would like to leave a gift in your will to Devon Air Ambulance your solicitor will just need our details as below: Devon Air Ambulance Trust, 5 Sandpiper Court, Harrington Lane, Exeter, EX4 8NS (Registered Charity No. 1077998)
Thank you for being one of our amazing supporters and helping to save lives.
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winter 2021 | OPERATIONS
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Community Landing Sites: An update on the latest sites to join the Devon-wide network Representatives from Airband, Romansleigh Parish Council and members of the Webber family gather to celebrate the launch of the night landing site
Romansleigh
Recently established on farmland kindly made available by the Webber family, this unique project partnership involved Airband, the rural broadband provider, who enabled new lighting to be installed on its comms mast and Romansleigh Parish Council.
Uplowman
Uplowman Parish Council, with support from Uplowman Village Hall & Recreation Assoc., have installed new lighting by the football pitch to facilitate operations into the village ‘during the hours of darkness’.
Burrington
Located on the playing field in the heart of the village, a lighting column has recently been installed by Burrington Parish Council with the support of the Village Hall.
Woodbury
Woodbury Parish Council, in partnership with Woodbury Tennis Club and Woodbury Playing Field, have established a night landing site on the football pitch, with new lights being installed on the existing Club lighting.
Rackenford
Spearheaded by Rackenford Parish Council, this project has involved works to improve access at Rackenford Common for our night operations and install new lighting, with widespread fundraising support from the community.
Ashburton
Established at Varwell Field, the home of Ashburton Cricket Club, this community project combined Ashburton Town Council and Ashburton & Buckfastleigh Hospital League of Friends and involved installing new lighting alongside access improvements.
Members of Ashburton Town Council, the League of Friends and Ashburton Cricket Club gather to formally launch the night landing site
Each of these projects is a great example of how Councils, businesses, voluntary groups, farmers/landowners and local funders have come together and formed successful partnerships for the benefit of their communities. Devon Air Ambulance would like to thank all those people whose hard work and commitment has helped establish these community landing sites.
Thank you for your support! If you would like to get involved with a community landing sites project, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Please contact CLS Development Officer Toby Russell on: 07943 207673 or t.russell@daat.org.
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Saving lives behind the scenes ‘Unprecedented’ is a word many of us have both heard and ‘lived’ since COVID-19 entered our lives. It certainly accurately describes Devon Air Ambulance’s experience across various aspects, none more so than over spring and summer this year. Nigel Hare tells us more.
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he graph below indicates how our deployment to patients in 2020 (red line) and 2021 (blue line) compared to our average over the previous 4 years (grey line). Deploying this year on average to 33% more patients than we would normally experience, March and April were extraordinarily busy, with the latter seeing us deploy to 80% more patients than we would traditionally expect. Our Critical Care doctors and paramedics, alongside our pilots,
have worked hard in challenging circumstances to deliver our service to patients; however, behind the scenes, our support staff have been working just as hard to save lives. In this edition of Helipad, I thought I would introduce you to the often unseen lifesavers within Patient Services who enable our clinicians to reach and treat our patients. Each person’s role is equally integral and essential to facilitate the delivery of our
Operations
service, so in alphabetical order, let me introduce you to the people and the role they undertake. Belinda Tibbetts Quality Improvement and Research Officer Delivering exemplary time-critical care doesn’t just happen. It requires a great deal of commitment from many people and only works by recognising there are always ways to improve what we do or the care we provide. Belinda helps identify opportunities to improve the quality of our care and processes and works with others in our team to develop projects that will enhance quality. Importantly, she also ensures that any changes are reviewed over time, providing assurance we continue to offer the best quality to our patients and staff. Cat Moss-Crump Executive Assistant to the Operations Director Delivering healthcare is a complex and highly regulated activity, even more so when the people delivering that care arrive by helicopter or Critical Care Car. Coordinating, prioritising, monitoring and researching the multiple aspects needed to deliver our Mission and realise our Vision, while ensuring we remain compliant with a wide range of legislation and regulations, is something that requires great organisational skills. Cat makes all this possible and ensures everything is scheduled and prepared for when needed, not just for myself but also for Committee and Board meetings.
Meet: Nigel Hare - Operations Director Email: n.hare@daat.org Nigel is accountable for overseeing the care we provide to our patients, including liaising with the Care Quality Commission, NHS and emergency services, as well as leading our team of paramedics, doctors and support staff. Nigel joined Devon Air Ambulance in 1997 as an Aircrew Paramedic
winter 2021 | PATIENT SUPPORT Darren Goodwin Operations Manager As a Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care, Darren looks after our Specialist Paramedics as well as overseeing the operational aspects of our service. This includes our medical equipment, electronic medical devices, Critical Care Cars and the infrastructure used by the team at both our airbases. Darren also provides the day-to-day interface with our Helicopter Services team for operational aspects such as equipment integration with the helicopters. Dave Dungay Clinical Manager Dave is an Advanced Paramedic in Critical Care and looks after our other Advanced Paramedics. Working with our Lead Consultant, they oversee the development of our education, clinical training, the treatments we provide and the day-to-day delivery of our care to patients. Dave is also responsible for the ongoing competency assessment and certification for all our paramedics and the authorisation of their clinical ‘Scope of Practice’ . Edward Corwood Operations Logistics Officer Keeping our clinical teams and airbases equipped with everything they need to treat patients is Edward’s role. This includes delivering hundreds of medical consumables such as oxygen masks, ventilator circuits, defibrillation pads and Personal Protective Equipment, alongside the cleaning equipment needed to maintain the highest level of cleanliness within our helicopters, Critical Care Cars and airbases. Edward also ensures our Critical Care Cars are safety checked and maintained so they are safe and ready to respond when needed. Hannah Trebilcock & Gerry Waugh Business Intelligence and Audit Manager Currently covered by Gerry while Hannah is on maternity leave, Hannah oversees the data collection, statistical analysis and provision of the business intelligence data that we use to monitor our activity and the care we provide to patients. This helps inform our performance against a range of both national and internal quality indicators, enabling us to strive to continually improve the care we provide our patients. Kate Sharpe & Tony Kehoe Clinical Governance Lead Tony is currently standing in for Kate, who is on maternity leave, in overseeing our Clinical Governance processes. As Critical Care Doctors, they review the care we provide our patients and seek to identify examples of excellent care in challenging circumstances, or any occasions where perhaps a different approach may have brought additional benefit to our patients. Reviewing and presenting these cases with the wider team enables our
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clinicians to be informed, safe and effective when delivering their care to our patients. Nikki Bolt HEMS Delivery Manager Supporting and coordinating a range of staff and managers throughout the organisation and the South Western Ambulance Service, Nikki’s role ensures the right people, with the right skills, are in the right place, at the right time, with the right equipment. Nikki also oversees our Patient and Family Support Service, which as well as providing support to patients and their family after their incident, also enables us to learn from their experience so we can provide the best care and experience during what is often a distressing time. Sam Slater Patient Services Administrator Sam helps ensure our service operates efficiently and effectively by coordinating orders and deliveries of medical equipment and consumables as well as overseeing the couriering of equipment for servicing and maintenance. Sam also supports Dave in ensuring our clinicians’ training records and authorisation are up to date. Tim Nutbeam Lead Consultant Tim is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Doctor and is responsible for overseeing the care our service provides as well as supporting our other Critical Care Doctors. Tim leads on the development of our Clinical Guidelines and Standard Operations Procedures and our advanced medication and prescribing processes. With a keen interest in medical research, Tim works closely with Dave as they seek to ensure that our doctors and paramedics provide care based on the latest research, evidence, or specialist consensus.
There are many other people within Devon Air Ambulance helping to ensure our service remains able to respond to patients. They ensure aspects such as helicopter maintenance, pilot training and assessment, supporting our people, processes, IT and facilities and ensuring all our suppliers are paid on time, are all managed effectively. There are also important aspects some members of our clinical crew undertake alongside their clinical role, by supporting us in areas such as research, wellbeing, Infection Prevention and Control and the safe management of our equipment and medicines. There certainly isn’t enough space over these pages to list all the other lifesavers supporting Devon Air Ambulance, and that includes you! Whether you volunteer your time, support our shops, play our lottery, organise fundraising events, seek sponsorship, make a donation or have bequeathed a gift in your will, your continued support has never been more important; as the more patients we are called to help, the more it costs to provide our service. Thank you for continuing to save lives with us. o
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Beware of downdraft and sheep droppings! Fitz recalls his experiences with helicopters over the years, and a particularly memorable adventure in a Chinook - complete with bullet holes.
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o, and forgive my dodgy photography skills, but DAA landed about a hundred yards from my back door recently. As said, not a particularly spectacular picture but a spectacular result from the entire crew who climbed out and saved another life. This, and every landing, seems to attract a crowd and a growing and disembarked, did what we had to do and waited for the return of the Chinook. As it lumbered over the horizon, I sat appreciation of what Devon Air Ambulance does. down, clutching my recording equipment tightly to my chest. It got me thinking about some remarkable experiences I’ve In awe at the sight of this monster of a helicopter, my ‘nonhad with helicopters over the years and I even managed to military’ friend from the press just stood there watching. root out a few photographs of the aircraft involved. I shouted at him to get down, he ignored me and promptly My favourite is this, an ancient Chinook which I boarded in lost his notes, his cap and scarf. Shortly after that he blew Port Stanley in the Falklands in 1987 while there on a press past me like a carrier bag. The down draft from a Chinook trip. I had just completed a 7,700 mile journey in a Tri Star from is remarkable. As we picked up the pieces of his life, the Brize Norton via Ascension Island and was asked to complete journalist in question was now the final ten miles in this elderly in a thin layer of bracken, beast. “ As we picked up the pieces covered sheep poo and mud. The first thing I noticed was a of his life, the journalist in We strapped him into a seat curious array of patch marks on and set off for our next stop. He the body work behind my head question was now covered in a obviously had an odd attraction for and, when I asked a member of the thin layer of bracken, sheep poo animal droppings that day because, crew what they were, the answer on jumping out at Onion Ridge, he was a little surprising bordering on and mud. ” landed in a pile of dog mess – to alarming! I had expected to be told compliment the sheep poo from earlier! One pile in thousands that some modification for flying or communication had been of acres, what are the odds of that?! Later he was being installed to cope with the demands of the South Atlantic, but transferred back to base on the same aircraft as we went via the crew member pinned me with a steely stare and gave it to road to Mount Pleasant. Somewhere just outside Port Stanley, me straight … ‘They’re bullet holes, it’s an old American model the rear door of the Chinook fell off. The aircraft landed safely and we think it was shot down in Vietnam!’ and a four ton’er was sent to pick up the bits. Needless to say, the rest of the journey did take on a slightly It was all part of the trials of the Falklands in 1987. Our ‘nontense atmosphere for me and my fellow members of the military’ friend didn’t seem to think that way and was strangely press. If I was being kind, I would describe one particular quiet for the rest of the deployment. I wonder if he’s ever colleague as ‘not fit for military service’. He really didn’t listen travelled by helicopter again?! to the instructions from the crew or my advice (as I had flown The next day I was bitten by a guard dog called Rosemary … by Chinook before). One afternoon, we landed at Goose Green but that is a totally different story. o
Backchat
Meet: David Fitzgerald - BBC Broadcaster and DAA Patron David first began broadcasting on commercial radio in the early 1980s, before moving to television. As well as a busy broadcasting career David still finds time for writing as well as enjoying a regular round of golf.
Fitz
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