Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance

FEATURE
The Official Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Magazine
1
WE HELP SAVE LIVES, ONE DAY IT COULD BE YOURS
Issue 1 | 2019 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

FOREWORD
Welcome
elcome to this, the first edition
W of Beeline in 2019. Although I am
naturally a forward-looking person, I
do believe that to get where you’re going, you
should know where you’ve come from. With
that in mind, I have recently been looking
through past editions of Beeline.
Ten years ago, the introduction to what was
then called our ‘Official Newsletter’, focused on
three main topics. Firstly, that the Charity was
looking forward to a busy summer; secondly,
there was an appeal for volunteers; and finally
we talked about the ‘credit crunch’ and how it
was nearly over and the Charity had not fared
too badly.
Well, here we are in early 2019 and
fortunately, the credit crunch is behind us
but uncertain times lie ahead. I believe we
can be confident that what helped us weather
the financial storm in 2008/2009 will help us
through whatever is to come.
We are currently looking forward to a very
busy summer as we were in 2009 and we are
always on the lookout for volunteers to act as
our eyes and ears in the community. Of course,
we also need them to act as our voice and help
raise awareness of the work we do, as it is the
engagement with local communities that is
the key to our continued financial security.
The vision of the Charity is “To provide
the maximum patient benefit by delivering
a highly effective, clinically excellent and
financially secure air ambulance service in the
South West Region”. It is deliberately broad and
challenges the whole organisation to meet its
demands today and into the future. One area
that has changed, almost beyond recognition
over the years, is the model of clinical care that
we are now delivering.
Clinical excellence is of course a constantly
moving target, with innovative clinical
procedures, drugs and equipment just around
the next corner. Keeping up with this change
and ensuring that our patients benefit from
those aspects is a constant challenge. We
have examined every part of the patients’
experience, not just the time when our Critical
Care Team is in attendance, but also the period
before we reach them and the period after they
have been handed over at hospital.
In this magazine, you will read about our
new Patient and Family Liaison Nurses and
about our support to the South Western
Ambulance Service Charity, which helps
provide the Community First Responder
teams across Dorset and Somerset. These
initiatives will, we believe, ensure that patients
have professional care as quickly as possible,
giving life-saving assistance where required
but also reducing any ill effects from delay in
treatment. The establishment of our Patient
and Family Liaison Nurses will not only provide
another element of support for patients and
their families, but also provide feedback to our
clinicians, helping them to better understand
patient outcomes and where necessary, adapt
procedures.
I hope that you will enjoy reading about
these initiatives alongside the many other
things that we and our supporters have been
getting up to.
Finally, a very big thank you for your
wonderful and continued support.
Bill Sivewright
Chief Executive Officer
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
Published by:
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance,
Landacre House, Castle Road,
Chelston Business Park,
Wellington, Somerset, TA21 9JQ.
Tel: +44 (0) 1823 669604
Email: info@dsairambulance.org.uk
www.dsairambulance.org.uk
Registered Charity Number: 1078685
Lottery office:
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance,
Unit 3, Brook Road Industrial Estate,
Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 2BH.
Tel: +44 (0) 1202 849530
Editor: Tracy Bartram
Assistant Editor: Lara Battersby
Designer: Anthony Collins
Production Editor: Claire Manuel
Front cover: Pete Appleby
© 2019. The entire contents of this publication
are protected by copyright. All rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means:
electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the Dorset and Somerset Air
Ambulance (DSAA). The reproduction of
advertisements in this publication does not
in any way imply endorsement by DSAA of
products or services referred to therein.
If you currently receive a copy of our magazine or other communications from the Charity, please be assured that
your details will not be passed on to third parties, unless it is to support the charitable objectives of Dorset and
Somerset Air Ambulance. We never sell your data and we will never share it with another company or charity for
marketing purposes. If you no longer wish to receive these communications, you can ‘Opt Out’ at any time by
contacting us via the following means:
Tel: 01823 669604
Email: info@dsairambulance.org.uk
Post: Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Landacre House, Castle Road,
Chelston Business Park, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 9JQ
BAMBOO HOUSE
PUBLISHING
For advertising queries, please contact
Bamboo House Publishing Ltd
Tel: +44 (0) 1225 331023
www.bamboohouse.co.uk
@dsairambulance 3

CONTENTS
Contents
3 Welcome
A letter from our Chief Executive Officer
WHO WE ARE
6 About us
YOUR service, provided for people in YOUR area,
with YOUR support
7 Letter from the Chair
Gillian Bryce, Chair of our Trustees, reflects on a
busy six months
WHAT WE DO
8 Clinical update
Ongoing training, development and Outreach, plus
some new faces have joined our team
10 Bridging the gap
Patient care involves more than just medical
treatment. Our Patient and Family Liaison Nurses
will provide additional and ongoing support to
our patients and their families
13 View from the cockpit
Unit Chief Pilot Mario Carretta talks night
ops, aircraft modifications and weather stations
14 Winners! Air Ambulance Awards
of Excellence
Hundreds of guests celebrated the best and
brightest from the air ambulance community
WHY WE DO IT
17 “I cannot fault the care I
received”
DSAA clinicians were able to administer fast and
effective treatment to Sarah Fisher when she
suffered a bad neck injury
18 “Angels walk among us”
When ex-Concorde pilot Richard Westray fell
seriously ill, he was taken to Southampton
General Hospital
20 “They managed to find us in the
middle of nowhere”
When her boyfriend Joe became very ill during a
kayaking trip, Rebecca needed to get help quickly,
but wasn’t sure of their exact location
23
21 “I can relax now, I’m in safe hands”
When her horse fell on her, Ellie Wass needed
urgent assistance
22 Thank you!
Receiving your emails, letters and cards is extremely
special. Thank you to all the patients and their
families who have contacted us recently
4 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

CONTENTS
32
28
24 “The repercussions are still there”
Jacquie Curley’s riding accident nine years ago has
left her with a number of challenges to overcome
25 “I had a 5% chance of survival”
Urgent care was needed after Beverley Joy fell down
the stairs while sleepwalking
26 “Things could have been very
different”
Simon Harder sustained a severe back injury while
in a remote location that vehicles could not access
32 Six-figure target smashed
Brewery company Hall & Woodhouse’s unique
partnership with eight air ambulances
41
27 “I wanted to give something
back”
Matthew Ley took part in the Great South Run to
raise funds for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance,
who had helped him as a child
28 “This is not just an emergency
service”
When Pieter Johnson suffered a serious accident in
his garden, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
was on hand to assist
HOW PEOPLE HELP
31 Humphries Kirk eggheads
Law firm Humphries Kirk put their general
knowledge to the test and raised money for Dorset
and Somerset Air Ambulance in the process
31 New air ambulance book to
hit the shelves
The Haynes manual on air ambulances
31 100 years young!
Jean Turner tirelessly collects funds
for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
34
33 Flight for Life Lottery
Results of our 2018 Grand Christmas Draw
34 Keep on running
Mum of two Jen Rutherford has already clocked up
four half-marathons in aid of DSAA and there are
more in the pipeline
37 In the community
Fundraising stories from across the two counties
HOW YOU CAN HELP
45 How to make a difference
There are a number of ways you can support us
46 All systems go!
The next few months will be very busy on the
fundraising front
48 Picnic with Peggy
We’d love you to come and join us for a family
picnic!
50 Postbag
A selection of readers’ letters
@dsairambulance 5

WHO WE ARE
About us
The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is YOUR service – provided for
people in YOUR area – with YOUR support
orset and Somerset Air Ambulance is a
D
registered charity, established to provide
relief from sickness and injury for the people
of Dorset and Somerset, by the provision of an air
ambulance. We receive no direct funding from the
Government or the National Lottery and rely on the
generosity of the public for support. We operate 19 hours
a day (7.00am – 2.00am) using two vital resources: our
AW169 helicopter and Critical Care Car.
Operational Costs
Our operational costs are over £3.5 million a year and the
approximate cost per mission is £3,000.
Operations
We are tasked as part of the normal ‘999’ emergency
process by a dedicated Helicopter Emergency Medical
Service (HEMS) desk located at Ambulance Control
(paid for by the South West Air Ambulance Charities).
Our airbase is situated at Henstridge Airfield on the
Dorset/Somerset border. From there, we can be at any
point in the two counties in less than 20 minutes. More
importantly, the helicopter can, if required, then take
a patient to the nearest Major Trauma Centre in the
South West within a further 20 minutes.
Providing Critical Care
Our cohort of clinicians include a mixture of Senior
Emergency Physicians, Intensive Care Consultants and
Anaesthetists and Specialist Practitioners in Critical
Care. All form part of the air operations crew and, as
part of their role, assist the pilot with navigation and
operation of some of the aircraft systems. We provide a
Critical Care Team, consisting of at least a Doctor and
Specialist Practitioner for each mission. The doctors are
predominantly drawn from NHS Hospital Trusts across
the region and the practitioners from the South Western
Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT). More
recently, some clinicians have joined us from further
afield, broadening the skills and experience of the team.
Pilots
Our pilots are provided by Specialist Aviation Services
Ltd, who operate our aircraft. They are carefully
selected because air ambulance flights are typically
more challenging than regular non-emergency flight
services. They have a great deal of experience in low-level
operations and instrument flying.
Code of Conduct
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is committed
to maintaining the highest standards of fundraising
behaviour and adhering to the standards set by the
Fundraising Regulator. We are also a member of the
Association of Air Ambulances (AAA).
6 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

WHO WE ARE
Letter from the Chair
Gillian Bryce, Chair of our Trustees, reflects on a busy six months
ooking back over previous editions of Beeline,
L
I see that one of the recurring messages has
been that Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
has treated more patients than ever before. That trend
continues, with an increase of over 12% in the last
quarter of 2018 compared to the previous year. In part,
this is due to both the increase in flying hours and
the improved capabilities of our aircraft. The fact that
Pegasus has become affectionately referred to as “Peggy”
is indicative of how important the enhanced capabilities
are to the operational and clinical teams.
Of equal value is the continuing development both
in terms of numbers and skills of the Clinical Team,
allowing them to deliver an extremely high standard
of critical care at the roadside or in remote areas of
the counties. This multi-disciplinary approach to care
involving integrated teams of doctors, nurses and
paramedics has been recognised as exemplary practice.
This is the result of vision, enthusiasm, professionalism
and hard work by all of those involved.
The most visible aspect of the service we provide is
the bright yellow helicopter, which attracts admirers
of all ages, including those who are so young they have
barely learned to walk. However, as well as operating a
road vehicle, we continue to support a number of injury
prevention schemes and now have staff in our Patient
and Family Liaison Nurses who can offer support to
our patients, giving them the opportunity to reflect on
their experience and helping us identify any areas for
improvement.
Unfortunately, the Board of Trustees has to say goodbye
to Mike Laver, who has been with us for nine years.
Mike has been Vice Chairman for the past four and I am
personally indebted to him for his support. Having served
in the RAF as a helicopter pilot, his experience and advice
has been extremely valuable and we will all miss his wise
counsel. He is moving back to his homeland, North of the
border and we wish him all the very best for the future.
Glenys Taylor has taken up the role of Vice Chair. She
has been a hardworking member of the Board for several
years and with her expertise in human resources, brings
a valuable skill set to the table.
I would also like to report the addition of a new
Trustee, Simon Jones. Simon is the Chief of Staff at
Leonardo Helicopters, based in Yeovil, and has already
impressed us with his perception and enthusiasm.
None of the above would be possible without the help
of our amazing volunteers and wonderful supporters.
You are an essential part of the team. So please, keep up
the good work, which enables us to help those in need of
our care.
Congratulations & welcome
We are thrilled to announce
the birth of Esmé Tipple-
Evans who came into the
world on 22nd January
2019. Congratulations to our
Deputy Lottery Manager
Emma, her husband Dave and
now big sister Phoebe!
Maya Jones (left) has joined
us as Clerical Assistant
and is based at our Head
Office in Wellington. She is
currently completing a Level
2 Business and Administration
apprenticeship and has fitted
in perfectly with the rest of
the team!
@dsairambulance 7

WHAT WE DO
Clinical update
The past six months has seen a significant increase in the number of patients
treated, as well as ongoing training, development and Outreach. Some new
faces have also joined our team
ur team continues to provide 19 hours a day
O coverage with two shifts per day, seven days
a week. This exceptional level of reliability
has meant that clinicians from the South Western
Ambulance Service (SWASFT) know that they can request
a Critical Care Team (consisting of at least a Doctor and
Critical Care Practitioner) every day between 7.00am and
2.00am. This contributes substantially to the increase in
patients that our team is able to reach. Since 2015, the
number of patients that we have treated has increased
by 100%. During 2018/19 we have already been tasked to
1,259 incidents and treated 847 patients.
Critical Care Delivery to Patients
The severity of illness and injury of the patients treated
by our team has also continued to increase. Recent
2018/2019 statistics show that our clinicians have
provided pre-hospital emergency anaesthesia to 106
patients; that’s an increase of 115% since 2015. Thirtynine
patients were given a total of 138 units of blood
components (packed red blood cells and fresh frozen
plasma) to treat their life-threatening bleeding.
In addition to attending patients at the roadside and
in their homes, we carry out numerous inter-hospital
transfers. Some patients in Dorset and Somerset need
emergency treatment that is only provided in regional
centres, such as Bristol, Southampton or London. Moving
these critically ill and injured patients from Dorset and
Somerset hospitals to these regional centres is important
and time-critical work.
Training, Team Development and
Outreach
Team training continues to be extremely valuable and is
a vital part of the team’s development. It not only builds
trust and confidence but improves communication.
Several training events and simulation exercises have
been organised and attended by our Clinical Team in
the past six months. Many of these have taken much
time to organise and the team’s enthusiasm, dedication,
commitment and contribution has played a significant
part in the success of these events.
Our Outreach programme continues to grow at a fast
pace, with many other agencies being invited to join our
extensive programme of events. Every opportunity we
have to interact with our ambulance service colleagues,
emergency services agencies and the general public is an
opportunity to share the full extent of the capabilities
of our team. Once again it builds trust and promotes
teamwork between all parties; this in turn enables us
to reach and treat so many more patients that might
need our help. Additional Outreach activity is now even
more possible with the expansion in the number of our
practitioners.
8 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

WHAT WE DO
University Master’s Education
Congratulations to Claire Baker, who successfully
completed her Master’s degree in Advanced Paramedic
Practice (Critical Care), receiving a commendation.
Claire’s dissertation focused on time-critical transfers
carried out by Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and
the clinical need of patients in the region. Her work and
data have substantially increased our ability to support
patients needing emergency inter-hospital transfers in
Dorset and Somerset. Claire joins Michelle Walker, Paul
Owen, Mark Williams and Neil Bizzell in having achieved
their Master’s degrees, supported by the Charity.
Owen Hammett, Steve Westbrook, Lauren Dyson, Ollie
Zorab, Dave Thom, Pete Appleby, Stuart Cox and Matt
Sawyer continue their Master’s degrees and are now in
their dissertation year. We wish them continued success.
Welcome
Trainee Specialist Practitioners
Critical Care
A very warm welcome to the newest members of
our team. Stu Cox, Matt Sawyer, Jo Hernandez, Dave
Thom and Pete Appleby are our ‘third generation’ of
trainee practitioners. The recruitment process for these
additional roles was extensive and they are all now a key
part of our Clinical Team.
Patient and Family Liaison Nurses
Kirsty Casswell and Jo Petheram are our new Patient and
Family Liaison Nurses. Both Kirsty and Jo are Critical Care
Nurses and are passionate about supporting patients
both while they are in hospital and beyond.
Regular training
exercises are
a vital part
of the team’s
development
They have been working hard to develop relationships
with the critical care trauma networks, cardiac networks,
rehabilitation networks, police liaison services and
hospital liaison services. Both have already attended
several patient visits and have been closely collaborating
with our Communications Team, resulting in many
patients receiving extra support that has not been
available before. You can read more about Kirsty and Jo’s
role on pages 10-11.
Doctors
Laura Savage is an Emergency Department Consultant
working with us in a joint role with Poole General
Hospital. She is also a qualified Pre-Hospital Emergency
Medicine Consultant and has experience working with
Wales Air Ambulance. Jonny Price joined our team
in February 2019. Jonny works as an Anaesthetic and
Intensive Care Consultant at Royal United Hospital Bath
and has substantial pre-hospital expertise having worked
on London HEMS, among others. We are delighted to
have them on board, adding to the skills of our Critical
Care Team.
Our Outreach programme
continues to grow, with
many other agencies being
invited to join our extensive
programme of events
@dsairambulance 9

WHAT WE DO
Bridging the gap
Patient care involves more than just medical treatment. Our Patient and
Family Liaison Nurses will provide additional, ongoing support to our
patients and their families
ear on year Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
Y contributes to the life journeys of thousands of
patients. Many of these are so severely injured
or ill that they do not recall the events after their incident.
As a result of their injuries or illness, some also endure
enormous physical and mental challenges and at times
they do not feel that they have sufficient information
about their care or access to help they need. Sadly, we also
attend incidents in which patients do not survive and their
remaining families often have important questions about
the care that was provided to their loved one in the prehospital
environment.
These are some of the reasons why we began to look
at ways of improving patient care more widely than the
emergency care we provide at incident scenes, en route to
hospitals and between hospitals. One of our Critical Care
Doctors, James Keegan, had experienced first-hand (while
working with London’s Air Ambulance), the benefit to
patients of having an additional layer of support, which
bridged the gap between their pre-hospital care and
recovery. In London, this role of Patient Liaison Nurse has
been developed and led by Senior Nurse Frank Chege for
the past five years. Frank very kindly came and spent time
with our team and helped to outline how best to set up
such a service in Dorset and Somerset.
When looking at the various destination hospitals
for our patients, they cover a wide area; those in the
South (University Hospital Southampton, Southampton
Children’s Hospital, Poole General Hospital,
Bournemouth Hospital, Dorset County Hospital,
Salisbury Hospital) and those in the North (Yeovil
Hospital, Musgrove Park Hospital, Royal United Hospital
Bath, Southmead Hospital, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol
Children’s Hospital). With our patients spread widely
across the two counties and limited road networks in
place, we decided to create two part-time Patient and
Family Liaison Clinician roles where one would focus on
the North and one on the South.
Their aims are to build and enhance relationships with
the respective hospitals, provide support to patients who
have been treated by our Critical Care Team to help make
sense of their life experiences, answer patients’ questions
about their pre-hospital care, provide links with patient
support services and other charities that are aligned with
the patient’s conditions, and encourage peer support
links with other similarly injured patients.
This innovative approach is a new development
within the South West Region and we look forward to
communicating more on this subject in future editions
of Beeline.
10 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

Joining the team
Kirsty Caswell looks back at her and
Jo’s first few months with DSAA
WHAT WE DO
Introducing our Patient
and Family Liaison
Nurses, Jo Petheram
and Kirsty Caswell
o has been nursing in the Wessex area for 12
J
years. Her career started in Poole Emergency
Department where she worked for three years
in the fast-paced acute environment. From there she
moved to Southampton Hospital Paediatric Intensive
Care (PICU) in 2010. There, her job involved caring for
critically ill patients and their families; supporting
families through some of their darkest times, along with
sharing in celebration of success against all odds. While
Jo remains working at Southampton, she will spend half
of her time working alongside Kirsty, providing support
to families and patients who have been cared for by the
DSAA Critical Care Team.
Kirsty has 11 years of clinical nursing experience
within the Emergency and Critical Care sector. She has
worked in a variety of hospitals including Bristol Royal
Infirmary, Yeovil District Hospital and Dorset County
Hospital. Over the years, Kirsty has followed many
patients through their critical care and rehabilitation
journey. She feels very privileged to have been appointed
in this new role alongside Jo.
Can we help?
If you or your loved one has
needed the help of Dorset
and Somerset Air Ambulance
and you wish to contact our
Patient and Family Liaison
Service, please email: dsaa.support@nhs.net
Jo and I each have different
but complementary
backgrounds, which allow us
to bring different experiences
and knowledge to this role.
Jo is an experienced PICU
sister and has spent many,
many hours supporting
families through some of their
darkest times and celebrating
amazing recoveries. She is
also a member of the Regional
Paediatric Retrieval Team
so has extensive knowledge
of the implications of
transporting and caring for
critically ill children.
I too have several years of
Intensive Care experience,
although primarily adult
based, as well as experience of
working in a busy Emergency
Department. I have nursed
patients at the sickest end of
the spectrum and enjoyed
watching and assisting in their
journey back to health. In my
years as a Resuscitation Officer
I have had the pleasure of
seeing cardiac arrest patients
recover to be discharged
home from hospital, while also
witnessing the enduring and
life-changing effect that these
events have on patients and
their families.
Bringing these experiences
together means that we are
now able to offer patients an
additional level of support.
We have begun building
relationships with our local
and regional hospitals as well
as the Critical Care and Trauma
Networks.
This is so important as we
cannot possibly do this job
properly without integrating
into the services our local
NHS provides. For example,
we have now established a
great relationship with Bristol
Children’s Hospital Trauma
Coordinating Team and
can now complement their
incredible work.
We have met a number of
patients who have visited the
airbase to meet the crew
who treated them. This has
helped identify what needs
these patients have and where
the gaps in their recovery
journey lie.
A patient’s family recently
said that they were “haunted
by the lack of knowledge
surrounding their son’s
incident” because they
were moved away from the
scene due to the practical
circumstances. We believe we
have begun to fill these gaps,
helping patients understand
how and why they were
treated and giving them the
chance to talk through their
incident with our Clinical Team.
Sometimes, we have just
listened to them air their
feelings and at times have
been a shoulder to cry on.
For others, we have begun
to offer support services via
links we have built with other
charities. This has ranged from
counselling services and peer
support to practical help with
accessing rehabilitation aids.
For some patients, just
knowing they can talk to us
is reassuring, because their
recoveries may be long, tough
and at times very lonely. A
poly-trauma patient told me
recently that talking to me
had changed her “perspective
on recovery from negative to
positive, just knowing you will
support me in achieving my
goals gives me more strength
to tackle them.”
This is what we hope to do
going forward; strengthen
and enhance the recovery of
patients and support them as
much as we can for as long as
they need.
@dsairambulance 11

IN A CROWDED MARKET
IN A CROWDED MARKET
WE
WE DO
DO
THINGS DIFFERENTLY
Proud finalist of
T 01225 487772
E enquiries@epochwm.co.uk
W www.epochwm.co.uk
Epoch Wealth Management LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) No. 549980
Registered as a Limited Liability Partnership in England and Wales No. OC351594
EWM622

WHAT WE DO
View from the cockpit
Unit Chief Pilot Mario Carretta explains night operations, aircraft modifications
and weather stations
Aircraft Modifications
The keen-eyed among you will have noted that there have
been some additions to the aircraft’s undercarriage since
the start of the year. ‘Bear Paws’ have recently been fitted
to Pegasus; these are designed to stop the aircraft sinking
into soft ground. They have already proved their worth
in the mud, sand and snow over the winter. Another
modification to the aircraft is the replacement of a fixed
forward-facing seat in the left-hand side of the cabin, to
one that swivels and moves forwards and backwards.
This gives our clinicians greater flexibility when treating
a patient.
Weather Stations
Adverse weather conditions can have an impact on the
incidents we are tasked to, both from being able to reach
the patient and from a flight safety point of view. The
weather can change rapidly, so it’s important that we
have access to the most up-to-date weather information.
Before we began flying at night, we were required to
install a weather station at our Henstridge airbase. This
now gives us visibility and cloud base data as well as air
temperature and surface wind information. All this data
can be accessed when we are out in the field through a
web-based system.
Routinely, we get weather information from local
airfields, but many of these begin to close at around
10.00pm. This means that the amount of information
available to us begins to reduce after that time.
There is also very little weather information available
to the South and West of our operational area; the
Dorchester/Portland area seems to have a unique weather
pattern of its own. That is why the Charity’s Trustees
agreed to purchase two weather stations; one to be
located at Dorset County Hospital (Dorchester) and the
other at Musgrove Park Hospital (Taunton).
These will give us early warning of bad weather
approaching and enable us to make important
operational decisions based upon this knowledge. They
will also add to a growing group of weather stations
located across the region. The weather station at Dorset
County Hospital is now operational.
Night Vision Goggle Operations
Using night vision goggles helps enable us to safely fly
our Critical Care Team to wherever they are needed at
night. These operations are obviously more challenging
than those during the day and we are constantly looking
at ways to improve the way we operate, both in terms
of safety and efficiency. In consultation with the Civil
Aviation Authority, it was agreed that we should have
lights along a section of the runway at Henstridge. This
would allow us to depart for an incident quicker than we
can from our helipad alone and it will also allow us to
use the runway at night.
The Charity has agreed to purchase the runway lighting
and upgrade the current helipad lighting. It is hoped that
the lights will be installed during the spring.
@dsairambulance 13

WHAT WE DO
Winners! Air Ambulance Awards
of Excellence
Hundreds of guests celebrated the best and brightest from the air
ambulance community on Monday 12th November at the Air Ambulance
Awards of Excellence 2018
wards hosts Richard Madeley and Angellica
A
Bell handed out 12 awards to outstanding
individuals and teams, whose stories were
inspirational, astounding and humbling.
We were extremely proud to be shortlisted as finalists
in two categories:
Air Ambulance Paramedic of the Year -
Mark Williams
Mark has worked with the South Western Ambulance
Service NHS Foundation Trust for 19 years and has
been with Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance for nine
years. Over the past year, while working full-time, Mark
has successfully completed a Master’s in Pre-hospital
Critical Care. He was also accepted and trained as a Prehospital
Examiner with the Royal College of Surgeons
of Edinburgh and he examined within the Diploma of
Immediate Medical Care exam in July 2018. Mark is not
only an outstanding practitioner, but also an incredible
ambassador for the Charity.
Mark’s commitment to patient care, calmness under
pressure and extraordinary scene management was
exemplified last year while off duty. Travelling home
from a family trip to the coast, he and his wife Justine
(also a Paramedic with the South Western Ambulance
Service), came across a serious road traffic incident with
five critically injured patients.
This number of patients is challenging for any
clinician, let alone those who are off duty with no
medical equipment to hand. Mark took control of the
situation and together the pair made an exceptional
team; treating the seriously injured and enlisting help
14 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

WHAT WE DO
from members of the public both before and after the
emergency services arrived.
Air Ambulance Special Incident Award
– Rob Dawes and Paul Owen
This incident involved our team being tasked to reports
of a female trapped underneath a carnival float in Chard.
The incident demonstrated the remarkable power of
teamwork, meticulous planning, training and experience
between all inter-agency services present. It was a true
example of a patient having an intact ‘chain of survival’,
from the initial first aid provided, to their post-hospital
rehabilitation.
During the awards, an enthusiastic audience listened
to every remarkable story of the shortlisted nominees,
all of whom demonstrated excellence and commitment
well above and beyond the call of duty. Unfortunately, we
just missed out on winning the Special Incident Award
but were delighted and proud when Mark Williams was
announced Air Ambulance Paramedic of the Year 2018.
Commenting on Mark’s achievement, Bill Sivewright,
DSAA CEO, said: “Mark’s contribution to improving care
for critically ill and injured patients is substantial and we
are thrilled that this has been recognised at a national
level. He is a role model for compassionate paramedic
practice and is greatly respected within the region.
“The professional and capable care that he
demonstrated on a day where he was off duty is a
wonderful example of the outstanding effect he has on
the people around him. The personal confidence and
Air Ambulance
Paramedic of
the Year 2018.
From left:
Richard Madeley
(Presenter), Chris
Leamonth (MD of
BMW Park Lane,
Sponsor of the
Award), DSAA’s
Mark Williams
(Paramedic of
the Year) and
Angellica Bell
(Presenter)
trust that he placed in others is likely to have far-reaching
effects, as those involved are far more likely to offer
immediate aid in the future because of the faith that he
showed in them. Therefore, Mark’s instinctive actions
could potentially benefit patients that we never hear of
and that is quite a legacy.”
Beaming with pride, Mark commented: “I feel
absolutely privileged to receive this award. It was
amazing to be nominated and I didn’t think for one
minute that I would win, as there were so many other
worthy nominations. To be with my wife and air
ambulance colleagues on the evening made it even
more special. I am completely overwhelmed; it was
very emotional and a very proud moment indeed. I
am honoured to be part of Dorset and Somerset Air
Ambulance. We all do amazing things on a day-to-day
basis, but to be recognised in this way is very humbling.
I feel very proud and privileged not only for me and my
family, but for the Charity as well.”
“Mark’s contribution to
improving care for critically
ill and injured patients is
substantial and we are thrilled
that this has been recognised
at a national level.”
@dsairambulance 15

WHAT WE DO
Grant for Community
First Responders
By funding equipment and training for CFRs, the Charity is helping to improve
the chain of survival for patients
ne of the Charity’s long-term aims is to be
O
an advocate for patients in the pre-hospital
environment. This will mean closer co-operation
with all other agencies involved in patient care across the
South West. The Charity has continued to explore many
opportunities for providing support to first response,
accident prevention and health promotion to help reduce
the number of avoidable calls on our Critical Care Team.
As part of our strategic development, we have been
continuing to explore ways in which we might provide
better life chances to our patients. The part that our
Critical Care Team plays in the patient’s ‘chain of
survival’ can be significantly assisted by enhancing the
care they are given in the period before they arrive. For
instance, it is generally recognised that effective aid, such
as CPR, in the first 10 minutes can significantly increase
the life chances of patients.
Under the terms of our Memorandum of Association,
we can offer support/grants to organisations whose
objectives are coincident with our own. When selecting
which organisation to support, we had to ensure that its
governance met a very high standard. This ensures that
we can be confident that our grant is spent in a way that
fully supports our own mission.
Having considered several options, the Charity decided
to approve a grant to the South Western Ambulance
Corscombe
Community First
Responder Group
were delighted
to receive their
new equipment
at a handover
that took place in
February
Service Charity who are responsible for training and
equipping Volunteer Community First Responder (CFR)
groups across the South West. The grant specified that
it should be used only to support CFRs in the Dorset and
Somerset area.
CFRs operate within the communities they live or
work and provide life-saving emergency aid ahead of an
ambulance arrival. They are called upon at any time,
day or night, helping to reach those patients most in
need. Their contribution really does help to save lives,
reduce pain and provide reassurance to those requiring
emergency care.
By funding a defined range and quantity of equipment
such as Raizer Lifting Chairs (a mechanical piece of
equipment that fits together around a patient who is
unable to get up and gradually lifts them into a sitting
position), enhanced observation equipment (such as
tympanic ear thermometers and blood glucose testing
kits) and defibrillators, the CFR teams are now able to
deal with more calls and, if required, provide effective
life-saving support such as CPR until a clinician arrives.
The grant has already helped to upgrade a number of
CFR teams across Dorset and Somerset. Furthermore, it
has enabled three new CFR teams to be created. This will
have a significant impact on patient outcomes and is the
first such initiative of its kind in the South West.
16 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

WHY WE DO IT
“I cannot fault the care I received”
DSAA clinicians were able to administer fast
and effective treatment to Sarah Fisher
when she suffered a bad neck injury
n Friday 28th December 2018, I went to ride
O
my horse at the livery yard two miles from
Taunton, where I stable her. It was that busy
period between Christmas and New Year, so it was a bit
of a sneaky ride, towards the end of the day, but I was
determined to find the time.
She is normally well behaved, but for some inexplicable
reason, at the end of our session in the all-weather arena,
she completely lost the plot and went into a routine I can
only describe as “airs above the ground”. I didn’t come off
immediately, but as I lost my balance, her reaction became
more violent and eventually I was slammed against a
wooden post and rail fence, which bordered the arena.
I was briefly knocked unconscious and remember little
about the events immediately afterwards. One thing I did
know was that nature was telling me to keep still as my
neck felt very sore.
An ambulance was called and arrived in around 10
minutes. I was so glad to see them as I know a little first
aid and am aware that an injury to the neck should be
treated carefully. The two female paramedics were so
calm and professional. One concern I aired to them was
that I was worried I would not be fit enough to see my
mother the following day. She was due to arrive at a local
nursing home (a place which I had chosen for her), where
DSAA attended
the scene when
Sarah came off her
horse, although
she was then
taken to hospital
by road
she would end her battle with cancer. The thought that
I would be bedridden with a broken neck, unable to be
with her at the end of her life, was intolerable.
The paramedics decided to call for the air ambulance,
which again arrived quickly. My worries about a helicopter
landing within a farm that held around 50 horses were
unfounded as they managed to land close to the scene
without any disruption. I was immobilised, placed on a
stretcher and put into the ambulance where I was warmed
up with a heat blanket. There, I was further assessed by
the team and given a shot of something for my pain. After
a discussion, the team decided that I should be taken to
Musgrove Park Hospital by road ambulance, which was a
bit of a relief as I am not a keen helicopter passenger.
At Musgrove I underwent a CT scan, which I feel very
lucky to say, revealed no breaks. I was fortunate enough
to be discharged that evening and able to greet my
mother at the nursing home the next day.
I cannot fault the care I received from the air
ambulance crew, the road ambulance paramedics and
the staff at Musgrove Park Hospital. I wanted to share
my experience with others as the NHS is under so much
pressure, yet still able to deliver world-class levels of care
in times of an emergency. I will be forever grateful to you
all! Thank you!
The DSAA crew who attended this incident were:
Ollie Zorab, Jeremy Reid and Phil Merritt. Also in
attendance from the Ambulance Service were:
Mylena Whaeton and Chloe Guiver.
@dsairambulance 17

WHY WE DO IT
“Angels walk among us”
When ex-Concorde pilot Richard Westray fell seriously ill, he was taken to
Southampton General Hospital
n the evening of Tuesday 16th October, I was
O
driving along the Old Dorchester Road with
my wife Kassie to the Ship Inn at Upwey, just
outside Weymouth. We were joining others from our
village for a game of skittles and dinner. It was a fine
evening; the road was quiet and we were looking forward
to the game.
As we were about 300 metres from the pub, I felt a
severe pain. I remember it being like a massive electric
shock between my shoulders. I told Kassie and to ensure
I got her complete attention, I said it must be a heart
attack. She called for me to pull over and stop the car. As
the car came to a stop, I felt my arms go limp and became
unconscious. The next thing I knew, I was waking up
five days later in the Intensive Care Unit at Southampton
General Hospital.
From now on I use the word “fortunate”, as this seems
the operative word as events unfolded. Firstly, we were
fortunate that when I stopped, I had my foot on the brake
pedal (our car has the device which switches the engine
off while stationary). This enabled Kassie to select the
automatic gear to park and switch off the ignition. She
then managed to undo my seatbelt and recline my seat
while phoning the emergency services. After she couldn’t
find a pulse and the gurgling noise I had been making
had stopped, she started CPR.
Fortunately, as luck would have it, two off-duty nurses
were walking to the same pub and immediately stepped
in to assist Kassie while waiting for the emergency
services to arrive.
Fortunately (once again), I had stopped near a school,
which proved a suitable landing site for Dorset and
Somerset Air Ambulance. Everyone worked together
to remove me from the car and apparently I became
conscious and quite aggressive, swinging and punching
anything in my way (I apologise for that). My blood
pressure was dropping and the clinicians suspected that
I might be bleeding internally. They decided to ferry
me into the land ambulance as quickly as possible and
get to Dorset County Hospital for a CT scan. The crew of
the air ambulance travelled with me, monitoring and
administering medication as I was still very aggressive.
The male nurses (Neil and Ed), who helped me initially,
left and went to the pub to tell our fellow villagers what
had happened. Three of our friends ran to help; one drove
our car, while Kassie rode with me in the ambulance.
18 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

WHY WE DO IT
The air ambulance helicopter was flown to the hospital
helipad to wait for the crew who travelled with me and
be on standby should I need to be flown on to another
hospital.
Following the CT scan, an aorta type A dissection
(rupture) was found with a pericardial tamponade (this
is when fluid in the sac around the heart builds up,
resulting in compression of the heart) causing an added
complication. Apparently, this combination, in addition
to the cardiac arrest I had suffered, is frequently fatal and
Kassie was told to get to Southampton General Hospital,
which would be my final destination, as soon as she could.
I was wrapped up (looking like a giant pumpkin, I’m
told) and put in the helicopter before being flown to
Southampton. I was told later that standing by in theatre
was one of the country’s top surgeons and his team,
waiting to operate on me.
The surgery lasted nearly eight hours through the
night. The ruptured part of my aorta was replaced with
a graft. Fortunately, the aortic valve remained in good
condition and didn’t need replacing. However, following
a collapsed lung (to add to everything else), I was left in
an induced coma in the Intensive Care Unit. Kassie was
told my chances of survival were poor due to the trauma
that my body had been through and that if I did survive,
brain damage could be possible.
I believe it was around midnight on the Sunday (some
five days later) that I came back to life. As I came around,
I couldn’t speak properly and my vision was blurred.
However, this began to improve the following morning.
After his surgery,
Richard’s wife
Kassie was told
that his chances of
survival were poor
One of my biggest problems was in my mind. While
in a coma, I had some wonderful carefree dreams and to
awake to find the whole event on Tuesday had been real
was highly dispiriting.
I made steady progress and was gradually moved from
Level 3 ICU, to level 2, then the High Dependency Unit,
where any remaining tubes were removed and I learnt to
walk again. Having jumped that hurdle, I was transferred
to a normal cardiac ward and was eventually discharged
on 2nd November.
My recovery at home has been without incident. It is,
however, taking a long time for the pain in my sternum
to diminish. Trying not to do too much has been the
biggest problem.
I have had a lot of luck, nine lives and all that, but luck
was no good without the effort of everybody that helped
get me back on my feet. The skill of the operating team at
Southampton General Hospital is to be applauded, as is
the care supplied by all the other nurses and staff at the
hospital. However, my life would probably not have been
there for them to save if it had not been for my wife, the
passing nurses, the ambulance crews and the team on
board the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, who got
me to Southampton alive.
As a retired BA Concorde Captain, I am acutely aware
of how great teamwork can create success from a difficult
situation and one must not overlook the skills that
are displayed by the air ambulance pilots flying in all
weathers to unknown landing sites. Angels walk among
us, this has been proven throughout this incident.
(Kassie’s insertion to my text, which is so appropriate).
Saying thank you will never be enough.
The DSAA crew who attended this incident
were: Claire Baker, Jeremy Reid, Ollie Zorab
and Dan Kitteridge. Also in attendance from the
Ambulance Service was: Wendy Austin
@dsairambulance 19

WHY WE DO IT
“They managed
to find us in
the middle of
nowhere”
When her boyfriend Joe became very ill
during a kayaking trip, Rebecca needed to get
help quickly, but wasn’t sure of their location
t was a very hot day in the middle of July and
I
Joe and I were out walking the dog on Henley
Moors. We took our usual route; Joe was
walking and I was kayaking in the river. Joe had never
kayaked before, so I told him I would teach him. He got in
the boat and started to paddle and was doing really well.
He didn’t seem too keen and said the kayak wasn’t stable
and that there were spiders on him, so he decided to get
out. He pulled himself up the river bank and got out of
the boat looking quite proud of himself.
He then began feeling a bit dizzy, so I told him to sit in
the shade against a bale of hay. I decided to call his dad
to come and pick us up but within a few seconds Joe was
sick, he passed out, turned purple and was struggling to
breathe. I put him in the recovery position and called for
an ambulance. However, I couldn’t tell them where we
were as there was no postcode or address; we were in the
middle of nowhere. I gave the location of the village that
was close by and just guessed the number of fields that
we had walked through.
I was told that the air ambulance and land ambulance
were on their way. Once I heard the helicopter, I began
waving my kayak oar in the hope that they would see
me. I could hear the sirens of the land ambulance in the
distance so decided to leave Joe with his dad and ran
about four fields to flag them down.
The ambulance crew arrived and one of them said
that it looked like Joe had suffered an anaphylactic
shock and that he may have had a couple of seizures.
They took bloods and gave him steroids and adrenaline.
When the air ambulance team arrived, they assessed
Joe’s condition, did a venous blood gas and a full set of
observations. Joe was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital in
the ambulance where he was given more adrenaline, lots
of fluids and was told he would need to stay in overnight.
The next morning, Joe’s mum and I went to pick him up;
he was certainly a lot perkier and had a big smile on his
face. His whole body was still very swollen and he needed
a week off work to recover.
Since then, Joe has had several hospital appointments
in both Bristol and Taunton to identify what caused the
anaphylactic shock. They suspect that he has a rare form
When Joe
suffered
anaphylactic
shock, he became
unwell very
quickly
of Mastocytosis, which means that he has an increased
risk of developing a severe and life-threatening allergic
reaction. It is caused by an abnormally high number
of mast cells, which have the potential to release large
amounts of histamine into the blood. A bone marrow test
and CT scan over the coming weeks will determine if this
is the case or not. He now carries an EpiPen with him at
all times.
We wanted to say a big thank you to both the
ambulance and air ambulance crews on duty that day.
We were absolutely amazed at how well they dealt with
the situation, how fast they acted and how friendly and
calm they were in that moment of madness. I can’t
believe how they managed to find us in the middle
of nowhere, with rubbish directions being given by a
blubbering girlfriend.
The DSAA crew who attended this incident were:
Rob Dawes, Owen Hammett and Max Hoskins.
Also in attendance from the Ambulance Service
were: Russell Duffey, Richard Edwards and
Aimee Fitzpatrick.
20 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

WHY WE DO IT
“The highlight for me was
when the air ambulance
doctor came to visit me.
This was such a special
moment, as without him,
I would not be here today!”
“I can relax
now, I’m in
safe hands”
A riding accident left Ellie Wass
in need of urgent assistance
n Friday 7th December 2018 (a day I will never
O
forget), I was out riding with three of my
friends when my horse reared up and went
over backwards, landing on top of me. I was conscious
but knew that I had probably broken my pelvis. Luckily
the accident happened near a gateway by a road and not
somewhere too remote. My friends immediately called
999 and asked for help; they were amazing and stayed so
calm given the circumstances.
“Two ambulances arrived. The paramedics inserted
a cannula and administered pain relief. However, the
drugs were not managing my pain and I was bleeding
from around my pelvis. They quickly realised that the
situation was serious and requested assistance from
the air ambulance. When Dorset and Somerset Air
Ambulance arrived they gave me a further assessment.
When she suffered
an open fractured
pelvis, Ellie had
to be placed in an
induced coma
Apparently, I was alert and orientated, but they quickly
confirmed that I had an open fractured pelvis. I knew
that this was serious as I had seen it on medical
programmes on TV. I can remember thinking, ‘Phew, I
can relax now, I’m in safe hands,’ and before I knew it,
the drugs knocked me out.”
Ellie was given three doses of Ketamine for her pain
management. She was then strapped into a pelvic binder
to stabilise her pelvis and given a dose of tranexamic acid;
a drug which also helps to reduce blood loss, before being
wrapped in a blizzard heat blanket to keep her warm.
Ellie became more agitated as time went on, due to
the cold and her severe pain. Our Critical Care Team
decided to give her an anaesthetic and put her off
to sleep in order to transfer her safely to Southmead
Hospital in Bristol. En route to hospital, she was given
two units of blood products (plasma) to help manage her
blood pressure, as it was a little low following the loss
of blood from her injury. She was also given intravenous
antibiotics to protect her from infection due to the
open wound. Ellie was given further blood in the
A&E department before our crew left her with the
hospital doctors.
“In hospital I was placed into an induced coma
and chosen at random to be part of a trial for a blood
transfusion drug called Cryoprecipitate, due to the
amount of blood that I had lost. On Saturday morning
I had an operation and at 4.30pm I was woken up from
the coma. My parents were at my bedside, they must have
been so worried seeing me with so many tubes attached.
“The care I received at Southmead Hospital was
amazing, but the highlight for me was when the air
ambulance doctor came to visit me. This was such a
special moment, as without him, I would not be here
today! I spent three further nights in Southmead before
being moved to Exeter (my hometown) for one night.
“No one can believe how quickly I recovered and left
hospital. It’s going to be three months before I can walk
properly again and a further three months until I get
back to full fitness.
“Thank you to everyone who helped me that day.
The person that took the 999 call, paramedics, nurses,
doctors, surgeons, family and friends. But most of all
James Keegan, the air ambulance Critical Care Doctor,
who I truly believe saved my life!”
The DSAA crew who attended this incident were:
James Keegan, Steve Westbrook, Pete Appleby
and Mario Carretta. Also in attendance were
Chris Krasucki (BASICS) and Andrew Stevens and
Matthew Edwards from the Ambulance Service.
@dsairambulance 21

WHY WE DO IT
Thank you!
Receiving your emails, letters and cards is extremely special. Thank you to
all the patients and their families who have contacted us over the past few
months; every one of these is passed to the crew who read them and display
them at our airbase. In some cases, we are then delighted to be able to reunite
our patients with at least one member of the team who were tasked to their
incident. It’s a special moment, not just for you, but also for us!
Sian Brammer
I was involved in a very nasty road traffic accident. I was
hit head on by a large vehicle around Ilminster, Somerset.
I was airlifted by your team to Southmead Hospital in
Bristol and was not in a very good way. After spending
four months in hospital and undergoing brain injury
rehabilitation, I was released home last Friday. I have a
long way to go, but I am so thankful to your team for
looking after me at the scene and so grateful that I am
here to say it! I cannot remember anything about the
incident and what happened afterwards, but I know that
it was touch and go whether I would survive! Please pass
on my message of thanks, hugs and kisses. I am a runner
and had previously taken part in lots of marathons. The
next time I do a race I will raise money for you all and be
very proud to do so. Thank you from a very appreciative
patient!
22 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

WHY WE DO IT
Laura Wilson-Croome
In the last edition of Beeline, we shared a brief thank you
from Laura Wilson-Croome after our team came to her
aid when she stopped breathing. Laura’s husband Doug
sent a further message of thanks after the couple came
back to meet the crew at Henstridge.
“A very special thank you for organising our visit to
the airbase today and for everyone to give up so much
time to see us. It really was such a wonderful opportunity
for Laura to meet Jeremy and Steve, who attended her
incident back in January, and for me to meet them again
in a rather less stressful situation! It was also great to
have an opportunity to see the helicopter and its very
impressive onboard equipment, up close. We also enjoyed
meeting Lara, Kirsty and Pete and are very grateful for the
kindness that you all showed to us both. We have sent a
card of thanks but would also like to make a gift-aided
donation to help in some small way, for the wonderful
work that you do!”
Nigel Reed
On 20th April 2018, I was at work in Yeovil when I
suffered a cardiac arrest. My heart stopped beating for 45
minutes. I was given CPR and airlifted to Dorset County
Hospital in Dorchester where I remained in a coma
for four days. I do not remember anything about the
day itself, just from when I woke up. Ambulance crews
from Yeovil, a cardiac unit and Dorset and Somerset Air
Ambulance came to my aid; I was in hospital for a total of
two weeks. It is with thanks to the support of my family,
friends, hospital staff and the work of the emergency
services that day, that I am alive and have got to where I
am now. I wanted to say thank you so much; you work so
hard and are so dedicated to your jobs!
In Memory of Jeff Parker
My family and I will be forever grateful for the hope that
was given to us by the South Western Ambulance Service
and Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance after my step
father Jeff Parker sadly passed away following a sudden
and unexpected heart attack.
Within 20 minutes of the onset of his symptoms the air
ambulance was in attendance. Sadly, despite everyone’s
best efforts he passed away at home. We wanted to share
how much comfort we all took in knowing that he was
given the best opportunity to survive by the incredible
work of the emergency services crews. We will be forever
grateful for this!
@dsairambulance 23

WHY WE DO IT
“The repercussions
are still there”
Jacquie Curley’s riding accident nine years
ago has left her with a number of challenges
to overcome
y accident happened on a bank holiday Monday
M
nine years ago. It was a lovely morning, so
my husband and I decided we would go from
the yard at Gussage All Saints to nearby woods full of
bluebells. He could take some photos, I would ride my
horse and he would walk.
We set off and had literally only gone about 10 yards
when my horse decided to suddenly stop. We stood
there for a minute; I had just started to say to my
husband, “I think I might have to get off and lead him,”
when before I knew it, he reared up and we were both
going over backwards.
I hit the ground on my back and he landed on top of
my lower body. He was 650kg and had feet like dinner
plates! As he got up, he started to panic and trampled
on my legs; I remember being in excruciating pain. My
husband rang for an ambulance, while a friend of ours
who was going to the yard to get his horse (and saw what
happened) came and covered me with a blanket to keep
me warm.
The ambulance arrived and soon afterwards I
remember hearing the noise of the helicopter. They
landed in the nearby horse field. The team assessed me
very quickly and asked lots of questions. They promptly
Jacquie’s horse
fell on top of her
and, while she
didn’t break any
bones, a number
of physical
complications
followed
put me in a neck brace and all the time they reassured
me and explained how important it was not to move. I
had gas and air to help with the pain until a drip was put
in. The team thought I had possibly broken my left leg
and were taking every precaution in case I had neck or
spinal injuries. I felt extremely safe and reassured and it
wasn’t long before they had me on board the helicopter.
I was airlifted to Poole where I was met by a land
ambulance, which helped transport me to hospital.
On arrival, I had x-rays and various tests. Amazingly,
nothing was broken; I had suffered very bad bruising
and a lot of soft tissue damage. I went home on crutches
later that day with very strong pain relief. As you can
imagine, after a few days, my legs were black and blue
and very swollen.
Unfortunately, I went on to develop an infection in
my lower left leg. This has left me with no feeling in
some areas and very sensitive in others. I also had a tear
in the gastrocnemius muscle, which has never healed
and a lot of damage to nerve endings. I had months of
physio, strong pain relief for well over a year and had to
undergo an operation on my left knee as I was unable to
straighten my leg.
The following February I was diagnosed with a
prolapsed disc in my lower back and one in my neck.
Since then, I have had approximately 28 injections;
trigger point, facet joint and epidurals to both my neck
and lower back. In March I had another MRI, which
showed arthritic changes to the facet joints, and had
to have another four injections to try and help relieve
the pain.
It has been quite a journey since the accident and
although at the time I thought it wasn’t too bad as I
hadn’t broken any bones, the repercussions are still there.
Although my incident was a long time ago, I decided
to share my story now, in hope that it will highlight how
vital the air ambulance is to all of us. It also gives me an
opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who
helped me that day.
24 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

WHY WE DO IT
“I had a 5% chance
of survival”
Urgent care was needed after Beverley Joy
fell down the stairs while sleepwalking
have been a sleepwalker from an early age and
I it is something that has continued throughout
my adult life. On 23rd July last year my
sleepwalking ended with me needing the help of DSAA. I
have no recollection of the events and have relied on my
husband to provide the following information.
Apparently on that night I got up and went to the
bathroom. Following my visit, I slept walked to the top
of the stairs. My husband was woken up by a large thud,
which was the noise as I hit the bottom of the stairs.
Upon finding me in an unconscious heap, he rang 999.
I live on a remote farm in a valley. Thankfully the
Community First Responder base is only three miles from
our house and he arrived within minutes. From there
he took over and co-ordinated my care. An ambulance
arrived shortly after and the air ambulance was called.
Access to where I live is restricted but, fortunately, there
is a secondary landing site for the air ambulance at
Bridport Leisure Centre. The helicopter landed there and
the crew were met by a road ambulance, which brought
them to my house.
Apparently when they arrived, I was in a state of lowlevel
consciousness. To protect my brain from any further
injury, they popped me off to sleep and I was intubated
(this is where a tube was placed through my mouth and
into my airway to take control of my breathing).
I was airlifted to Southampton Hospital where I was
diagnosed with the following injuries: Traumatic Brain
Injury, Right Frontal SGH, Right Temporal EDH, Bilateral
Contusions, Basal Skull Fracture, C Spine Ligamentous
Damage, Post Traumatic Amnesia. I was placed in an
induced coma.
My husband says that all the crews who came to
help me were brilliant. They were calm and reassured
him that they would do their best. When he arrived in
Southampton, the treating doctor informed him that I
had a 5% chance of survival and to prepare for the worst.
I was in a coma for two weeks before being weaned
off life support; I was then fully awake and breathing
unaided. I was transferred from Southampton to Poole
Hospital on 9th August before being discharged home
on 16th August. I am now recovering well and in week
two of my phased return to work at my local hospital. I
am a Healthcare Assistant and this experience has given
me a greater insight from a patient’s point of view; I am
certain it will help me in my role.
Being alive would not have been possible if I had
not been treated so promptly by everyone involved. My
husband, family and I will be forever in your debt and
we will do everything we can to raise awareness of the
important work that the air ambulance does. My next
wish is to meet the Clinical Team who saved my life that
day and thank them in person!
The DSAA crew who attended this incident were:
Lauren Dyson, Owen Hammett, Rob Dawes
and Max Hoskins. Also in attendance from the
Ambulance Service were: Chris Lacey, Suresh
Gandhi and Matthew Giles.
@dsairambulance 25

WHY WE DO IT
Simon Harder and
his fiancée Marie
meet the crew
that assisted
him when he fell
from a rope swing
“Things could have
been very different”
Simon Harder sustained a severe back injury
while in a remote location that vehicles
could not reach
n 27th May last year, my fiancée Marie and I
O
had been to the local church to hear our banns
of marriage being read out. It was a lovely hot
sunny day so we decided to take the dog for a long walk
across Holton Heath.
We were about half an hour’s walk from the car
park. We went down a couple of footpaths, next to cow
fields and up into a wooded hill called the ‘clump’ that
overlooks Lytchett Bay, Rockley Park, Poole Harbour etc.
Here there is a rope swing, which swings out across the
hillside; it has provided much fun for many people over
the years.
Both of us had a few goes and I decided to have one last
swing before we headed home to do the gardening and
table plan for our wedding. Unfortunately, as I rose, the
rope gave way and snapped. I fell from around 20 feet,
landing on my bum, still sat on the swing seat with the
wooden handle still in my hand.
I was in absolute agony and knew from the noise and
pain that I had probably broken my back.
Marie phoned 999 and the Ambulance Service
promptly dispatched a rapid response car and ambulance.
I could hear them coming down the bypass and so I sent
her to go and meet them; a good 15-minute run from
where I was lying.
After what seemed like an eternity, they arrived back.
They gave me gas and air and over the next hour or
so stabilised my condition, administering pain relief.
Unfortunately, there was no access for any road vehicles,
so they requested assistance from the air ambulance.
Apparently, it was an extremely busy day for the aircrew
and after having to navigate the main power pylons and
a cow field with some large bulls in it, they eventually
landed close by. They gave me stronger pain relief in the
form of Ketamine, placed me on board the aircraft and I
was flown to Poole General Hospital.
After having a scan in hospital, it showed that I had
a tri-core break and would need to be transferred to
Southampton Hospital for an operation to fuse my
vertebrae with metal rods later that week.
The operation was a success and I was up and walking,
slowly and painfully on the Monday, just eight days after
the accident. After much respite and plenty of pain killers,
I was able to walk my fiancé down the aisle and marry her
four weeks later. We postponed our honeymoon as I was
unfit to fly and spent the summer recuperating.
It is without doubt that without the valuable resources
of the Ambulance Service and the air ambulance,
together with the brilliant after care I received from the
NHS hospitals, things could have been very different. I
was so remote, that if I had sustained an internal injury
to any of my organs, I may not be here. Or if my damaged
spine had been moved incorrectly, I may have been
paralysed.
It was a very emotional day and I owe my thanks to so
many people. I am now back at work, although not doing
anything too heavy. I can, however, walk the dog and
bend down to pick things up or do my shoelaces. What’s
more, I am delighted to let you all know that Marie and I
are expecting a baby in August!
We have been fortunate enough to go back and visit
the air ambulance crew who attended my incident. These
guys are amazing and their work is an absolute lifeline. I
still get a shiver when I hear the helicopter fly over from
time to time, as it’s a stark reminder of how different
things could have been without their help.
The DSAA crew who attended this incident
were: Stewart McMorran, Lauren Dyson and Max
Hoskins. Also in attendance from the Ambulance
Service was: Kerri Durant.
26 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

“I wanted to
give something
back”
Matthew Ley took part in the
Great South Run to raise funds
for DSAA, who had helped him
as a child
n June 2005 (at the age of eight years old), I
I
sustained a minor injury to my elbow during
a football game. Only appearing to be a minor
knock, the pain soon went away and I returned home
after the game like normal. Later that night, I woke up in
agonising pain.
My parents contacted the Out of Hours Service and
were advised to take me to a clinic in Yeovil. There, I was
assessed by a GP who told my parents to take me to A&E
at Yeovil District Hospital, who diagnosed me with a
septic elbow.
Shortly after being examined, the doctors decided
that they would operate on my elbow that evening. The
operation was thought to have been a success. However,
the morning after, I was taken seriously ill. The infection
in my elbow had travelled through my bloodstream and
attacked my brain, causing an epileptic fit, which left
me in a critical condition.
I was placed in an induced coma and put on
a life support machine. Unsurprisingly, I have
no personal recollection of what happened
thereafter and the majority of what I know
today has come from the account of my
family.
It was decided that I needed urgent
specialist paediatric attention and the hospital
best suited to meet my needs was Frenchay in
Bristol. To ensure I reached there in the quickest
possible time, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance were
called. I have since been told that the decision to transfer
me by air ambulance was vital in saving my life, or at the
very least, made the recovery I have had since, possible.
I was transported by road ambulance to Westlands
Airfield where the crew of the air ambulance collected
me. An anaesthetist from the hospital travelled with me
on the helicopter to closely monitor my health (back in
2005, doctors were not part of the air ambulance Clinical
Team as they are now).
The journey only took 15 minutes, which was crucial
to me getting the treatment I desperately needed. A team
of doctors were waiting for me and I went straight into
intensive care, where I underwent many examinations to
uncover how the infection had reached my brain.
At the time, I was put onto intravenous antibiotics,
which helped to slowly aid my recovery. I received further
treatment for a total of three weeks at Frenchay and
thankfully, I made a full recovery.
WHY WE DO IT
Once I had recovered, I was invited back to
meet the crew and the pilot, who remembered
the incident well. If it wasn’t for their skill in
transferring me to hospital so quickly that day, I might
have needed major brain surgery to remove the infection
and may not be here today.
At the age of 21, I wanted to give something back
and continue my support of Dorset and Somerset Air
Ambulance, so I decided to sign up to take part in the
Great South Run. The course covers 10 miles across the
city of Portsmouth (where I currently study at University).
In the lead up to the event, I trained for three months
and throughout this time, I gratefully received lots
of donations to my fundraising page. The event took
place on 21st October 2018 and I was cheered on by my
family, friends and the large crowds supporting the
participants. After much anticipation and hard work, I
was thrilled to complete the course with a time of 1 hour
13 minutes and raised a total of £365.
My family and I will be forever grateful to Dorset
and Somerset Air Ambulance. Without this incredible
service, things could have been so very different.
@dsairambulance 27

WHY WE DO IT
“This is not just an
emergency service”
When Pieter Johnson suffered a serious
accident in his garden, Dorset and Somerset
Air Ambulance was on hand to assist
t was a beautiful bright sunning morning
I
last July and we drove from our home in
Melcombe Bingham, in the heart of Dorset,
to Yeovilton for their 2018 Air Day. I go every year, but
normally to record radio interviews for a podcast. This
was the first time my wife, Amanda, and my seven-yearold
daughter, Beatrice, had come with me. Little did I
know that earlier in the day, Dorset and Somerset Air
Ambulance had already responded to an emergency at
the rear of the airfield; I took little notice. How different
I feel now.
We had a fabulous day watching the aeroplanes,
meeting the pilots and basking in the sun. We drove
back home that evening happily talking about all the fun
things we had seen.
The next day still buzzing, but with garden chores to
do, I set about them with vigour. Unfortunately, just after
lunch, two rungs up a ladder trimming the hedges, I
stumbled and the ladder broke. The bottom aluminium
rung snapped off and went through my lower leg.
I knew straight away, this was serious, the wound was
deep. For a morbid split second, I was fascinated at seeing
the inside of my body! I called for help and then things
started to get busy.
Amanda and Beatrice stemmed the flow with a steady
supply of towels and called 999. As I lay in the garden,
floating in and out of consciousness, Amanda desperately
needed assistance as she was holding my leg ‘closed’
and could not let go. The call taker kept talking to her
explaining what to do, but it was clear we could not wait
for the nearest ambulance, which was over 40 minutes
away. Beatrice tried to get help from our neighbours, but
they were all out; we live in a rural location with limited
access to major roads.
This is when my next aviation experience of the
weekend occurred. Not one I would wish for but the
arrival at the back of our garden of Dorset and Somerset
Air Ambulance. Amanda sent Beatrice out to wave at
28 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

WHY WE DO IT
Seven-year-old
Beatrice was
treated to a
close-up of
DSAA’s MD 902
helicopter (our
back-up helicopter
when Pegasus
is undergoing
maintenance)
“The care I received from
the crew played a significant
part in preparing me for
surgery and contributed
significantly to my recovery”
them. Pilot Phil Merritt did a superb job landing in a
small paddock at the back of our house.
I was drifting in and out of consciousness at this point,
but I remember the calmness and warmth of the crew.
Owen Hammett and Dr ‘Izzy’ introduced themselves
and set about stabilising me. I was plugged in to various
things and connected to drips; they even put a hat on
me to shield the sun. While Izzy and Owen worked, they
realised my family’s stress and got them involved, asking
Beatrice to hold up the two drips. Before long I was stable.
For all her hard work Beatrice got a personal look
around the MD 902 helicopter, while I was moved
sedately by ambulance to hospital. Unbeknown to me, the
decision of where to send me had been made based on
my condition and the availability of specialists at Dorset
County Hospital in Dorchester, all with my family’s
involvement. A decision (that with hindsight) made so
much difference to the next stages of my treatment and
recovery and for which I am truly grateful.
As I left, Owen and Izzy talked to Amanda and told
her to take a moment, have a cup of tea, pack some bags
and then leave for the hospital later. This simple advice
meant that when she arrived in A&E, she had clothes
and toiletries for me and it made such a difference as
the hospital is a long drive away. It also helped me relax,
knowing my wife and daughter would not be racing
after the ambulance. Before leaving, Owen and Izzy
took Beatrice out to the helicopter and showed her the
aircraft and equipment. It absolutely made her day.
She then watched ‘Helimed One Zero’ leave the back of
our garden.
I had surgery the following day and after a few more
days in hospital was discharged. I have now made a full
recovery. The immediate care I received from the Dorset
and Somerset Air ambulance crew played a significant
part in preparing me for surgery and contributed
significantly to my complete recovery.
I have since visited the team at their airbase and
recorded a whole radio programme on the Charity,
interviewing Owen Hammett, Bill Sivewright, Dan
Kitteridge and Tracy Bartram. More importantly, I got to
thank Owen in person for everything he did to help me.
True to the cause and before my visit was over, the team
were called out to another incident.
This is not just an emergency service, it is a service
delivered by amazing people, to communities like ours,
where traditional emergency services struggle to reach.
Without their care and skill, my story may have turned
out differently.
If you want to listen to the episode I recorded, go to:
www.aviation-xtended.co.uk and look for episode 86 ‘Air
Ambulance’ and hit the play button!
The DSAA crew who attended this incident were:
Farhad Islam, Owen Hammett and Phil Merritt.
Also in attendance from the Ambulance Service
were: Stephen Tweedy and James Adams.
@dsairambulance 29

Symantec Registered Partner
These days, we fix
fewer IT problems
than ever before...
because now we
prevent most from
ever occurring
Introducing Priority ProActive Assistant
If you run a busy company, keeping your
servers and workstations performing
at their best – and minimising any
downtime – is a must. Therefore, at
Priority IT, when considering the best
way to deal with IT problems, we believe
that prevention is better than cure.
Priority ProActive Assistant is a
virtual system that monitors more than
400 different aspects of your IT set up.
It will spot everything from a slowrunning
server or a failed backup, to
a disk that is running low on space or
in need of replacement. It knows if
unfamiliar computers are added to your
network, and even knows when your
printers are going to need new toner.
The system fixes issues long
before they have a chance
to interrupt your workflow –
and if human help is required,
it alerts a member of our
dedicated team.
Priority ProActive
Assistant is just one
more reason that people
call us the superheroes
of small business IT support,
and is available now as part
of our Priority Premium package.
For more details, call 01225 636000
or visit www.PriorityIT.co.uk/proactive
Priority IT Solutions Ltd, 56 Stallard Street, Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 8HH T 01225 636000 E info@PriorityIT.co.uk
www.PriorityIT.co.uk

HOW PEOPLE HELP
Humphries Kirk eggheads
The Humphries
Kirk quiz team,
aka ‘The HK
Numpties’
eading Law firm Humphries Kirk put their
L
general knowledge to the test, came out
winners and raised money for Dorset and
Somerset Air Ambulance in the process.
A national charity quiz competition, run by business
advisory firm Quantuma, was held in eight different
locations, raising more than £20,000 for a number of
nominated charities.
Humphries Kirk entered a team into the Bournemouth
Charity Quiz night, held at the Vitality Stadium in
November. Not only did they win first place, but they
also drew joint second place nationally, out of more than
100 teams. After winning first place they kindly donated
£1,412.50 to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance as part
New air ambulance
book to hit the
shelves
e were delighted to be approached by Haynes
W
Publishing last year regarding the publication of
the very first air ambulance manual. This project
is now underway and gathering speed at a fast pace. This is
very exciting news as Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
will be the prime focus of the manual. It will include a
plethora of information about our operations and our
AW169, as well as providing a general overview of the UK
air ambulance sector. Given the national and international
distribution of the manual, we requested that proceeds
from its sale should benefit air ambulance charities across
the UK. Amazon is already taking advanced orders for this
book, which we hope will be published during National Air
Ambulance Week in September.
As we went to press with this edition of Beeline, we were
very sorry to hear the sad news that John Haynes, who
founded the Haynes publishing empire, passed away at
the age of 80.
of their ongoing fundraising activities for the Charity.
The Humphries Kirk team, also known as ‘The HK
Numpties’, consisted of Howard Yarnold, Martin Varley
and Darrell Stuart-Smith, all partners of the firm, as
well as Solicitor Roger Cole, Trainee Solicitor Stephanie
Bellamy and Paralegal Rebecca Brown.
100 years young!
Jean Turner was born on
25th February 1919 in
Cheshire. She left school
at the age of 14 to learn
shorthand and typing,
before marrying her
sweetheart Peter, who was
in the RAF.
Following various destination postings with
the RAF, Peter and Jean returned to the South
West of England to settle with their young
family. After Peter’s retirement and following
five years in Winterbourne Abbas they moved
to Swanbridge Court in Dorchester in 1990.
There they made many friends and enjoyed
a full and varied social life. They celebrated
their Diamond Wedding Anniversary in 2006.
Peter sadly passed away in 2007 and Jean has
remained at Swanbridge Court, living happily
and independently surrounded by her friends.
Every day, Jean walks to the local shops, does
her own laundry and cooks her own meals. She
participates in exercise classes twice weekly,
plays scrabble and quizzes and tirelessly
volunteers to collect funds for DSAA. In fact,
she has requested monetary donations towards
the Charity instead of gifts to celebrate her
landmark birthday.
Jean, on behalf of us…. Happy Happy Birthday
and thank you for everything you do to support
us! What an incredible lady you are!
@dsairambulance 31

HOW PEOPLE HELP
Six-figure target smashed
Brewery company Hall & Woodhouse’s
unique partnership with eight air
ambulances raises over £100,000
all & Woodhouse (H&W) have smashed their
H
first year’s fundraising target and raised
£114,287 in aid of eight air ambulance charities.
At the beginning of 2018, H&W’s team members
voted to make eight air ambulances (Devon, Dorset
and Somerset, Great Western, Hampshire and Isle of
Wight, Kent Surrey Sussex, London, Thames Valley and
Wiltshire) their official charity partners until 2020.
Throughout the year, 52 pubs in H&W’s managed
house estate across the South came together to raise as
much money as possible through a variety of fundraising
initiatives such as quiz nights, sponsored events and
family fun days.
In June, H&W held its annual Dorset Beer Festival,
which saw members of the community enjoy beer,
live music and locally produced food at the Blandford
Brewery. Over the course of the weekend, £12,000 was
raised. In the following month, six H&W team members
raised £8,000 by taking part in their first Jurassic Coast
Challenge. The group tackled a gruelling 58km hike from
Poole to Weymouth, in 30ºC heat. The group set off from
Poole at 10.00am and walked continuously for 18 hours
through the night, before they arrived in Weymouth at
4.00am, having conquered the challenge.
Hall & Woodhouse
has set a target of
£250,000, which
it hopes to raise
during the twoyear
partnership
Additionally, more than £3,400 has been raised by 38
houses featuring a ‘charity dish’ on their pub menu from
October 2018 to January 2019: 25p from the sale of each
dish went towards the charity partnership when guests
purchased that particular meal.
Lucinda Gray, Company Charity Champion of Hall &
Woodhouse, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have
raised such a tremendous amount. Last year we set
our fundraising target at £100,000 for the year and are
proud to have smashed it. Our houses have worked
tremendously hard to stay on track with this target and
we are grateful for their support, enabling us to give back
to the local communities in which the charities serve.
Every penny we raise will allow them to continue saving
lives, further enhance their operations, or purchase new
items of specialist equipment, which could help keep
someone alive until they reach hospital. We aim to raise
a total of £250,000 at the end of our two-year partnership
and are already well on our way to achieving this.”
Tracy Bartram, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
Communications Manager, added: “It is quite unique
for our eight charities to work so closely together on a
Charity of the Year initiative. It has been our pleasure
to support the 52 houses over the past year and we are
staggered at the amount they have raised so far. With
the approximate cost per air ambulance mission being
£3,000, this means that H&W have potentially funded
38 life-saving missions. What an incredible achievement
that is!”
32 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

HOW PEOPLE HELP
Grand Draw Spectacular
ur 2018 Grand Christmas Draw took place on
O
Thursday 20th December and wow, did you
show your support! Once again, our Lottery
Team were extremely busy processing all the tickets
that you returned and in total 99,830 tickets were sold.
That’s incredible and means that you have just helped to
fund the cost of 33 missions. Our congratulations go to
all the winners and a big thank you goes to everyone who
took part.
Our 2019 Grand Summer Draw takes place on Thursday
4th July and we really hope that you will once again
support us by purchasing tickets. These can be acquired
by contacting our Lottery Office on: 01202 849530 or by
emailing: lottery@dsairambulance.org.uk
2018 GRAND CHRISTMAS DRAW
WINNERS
£1,000 Mrs J Chilcott, Weston-Super-Mare
(Ticket 195953)
£250 Mrs L Teague, Poole
(Ticket 341093)
£150 Mrs A Thompson, Christchurch
(Ticket 429868)
£125 Mr G Senior, Melbury Osmond
(Ticket 450102)
£100 Mrs E Smith, Charlton Marshall
(Ticket 380936)
Our Weekly Lottery Draw
Our Flight for Life Weekly Lottery provides vital funding
for our service.
The easiest and most cost-effective way of joining is by
Direct Debit. Simply complete the Lottery Direct Debit
form inserted in the centre of this magazine and return it
to us at: Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Unit 3, Brook
Road Industrial Estate, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 2BH.
If you would like to pay by cheque or purchase a gift
voucher, please call our Lottery Office on: 01202 849530
or email: lottery@dsairambulance.org.uk
Canvassing Team
Our Canvassing Team can be seen out and about in
supermarkets or visiting homes across the two counties.
They operate datasafe handheld devices, which are fully
encrypted to a high standard and they do not accept cash.
They will always be wearing branded uniform and they
carry a photographic ID badge so that you can be assured
they are genuine.
We are committed to maintaining the highest
standards of fundraising behaviour and, as such, our
Canvassing Team attend regular training sessions. We are
also constantly monitoring the team by way of mystery
shopping and compliance calls to ensure that standards
and regulations are being adhered to.
Have you WON?
It’s so lovely to hear from those who have won a prize
in either our Weekly Lottery Draw or indeed one of our
Grand Draws. It’s also great to hear what they decided to
do with their winnings, whether that be a little day out,
dinner for two, or put towards a family holiday. So, have
you ever won one of our prizes? It doesn’t have to be the
Jackpot, it could be any amount. If so, we’d love you to
write in or email us and let us know.
The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Lottery is registered with the Gambling Commission www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk
Registration No. 000-004838-N-100338-013 and is also a member of the Lotteries Council. Players must be 16 or over.
@dsairambulance 33

HOW PEOPLE HELP
Keep on running
Mum of two Jen Rutherford has already clocked up four half-marathons in aid
of DSAA and there are more in the pipeline
left home and moved to Bristol to begin my
I
nurse training back in 1989. I still work at
Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) all these years
later, but now only part-time as a Respiratory Nurse
Specialist in the Respiratory Out-Patient Department.
I started running three and a half years ago; initially
as a social way to get to know a couple of mums in
my daughter’s class. I’d never run before and had
only participated in the odd fitness or yoga
class before becoming a mum to my two
daughters. Initially, our aim was to work
up to running a 10k race but then one of
my friends suggested that we should run
a half marathon. Before I knew it, we’d
signed up to run the Bath Half Marathon in
March 2017. We worked hard training during
the winter months, going out in the cold, wind,
rain and often in the dark to fit around work, but
all was going to schedule.
Then, just over a week before the race, I had a
phone call from my mum to say that my lovely Dad
had suffered a cardiac arrest while at the gym. My
Dad’s always been a fitness fanatic doing daily
exercises, playing squash and running marathons, so
for this to happen to such a fit and healthy man was a
complete shock. His name is David Little and you covered
his story in your magazine last year.
Thanks to so many people, Dad was resuscitated,
stabilised and taken to hospital. Mum, my brother and I
all raced to his bedside in the Intensive Care Unit. He was
very poorly, and we were told that the next 48 hours
were critical in determining what his long-term
outcome might be. However, he made incredible
progress day by day and within a week, he was
well enough to come home!
Knowing that over the coming months
Dad was likely to make a full recovery, I was
inspired to run the Bath Half Marathon as
planned and surprisingly I completed it in 2
hours and 21 minutes.
Then after Dad had recovered, we were
invited to meet some of the crew who
attended his incident at the air ambulance
airbase. This inspired me to want to
raise funds for such a wonderful Charity.
Never thinking that I’d manage to run
34 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

HOW PEOPLE HELP
a full marathon, I decided to try and get as close to
this as possible by running three half marathons over
four weeks. I signed up to run in Bristol on 23rd
September, Cardiff on 7th October and finally
Exeter on 14th October 2018.
For Bristol, I ran with the two friends who
got me into running. The atmosphere was
good, but the course was tough and seemed
never ending. Despite this, I finished the race
in 1 hour and 49 minutes. For the following
two races, I would be running alone as
my friends were unable to join me. I was so
nervous to be running on my own in Cardiff as
I would be alongside 25,000 others. I remember
thinking the faster I run, the quicker it will be over
and that probably helped me achieve a personal best time
of 1 hour and 46 minutes. The support from the crowd
Keen runner
Jen Rutherford
pictured with her
dad, David Little,
who was helped
by DSAA last year
was great and although I didn’t get to see them until I had
finished, my parents were both there supporting me. It
was an emotional reunion; especially when I saw my
Dad! The Exeter race couldn’t have been wetter. It
poured with rain for the majority of the time
and was very hilly, which was tough. The family
once again came out and supported me and
it was lovely to cross the finish line in 1 hour
and 50 minutes and see my parents, husband
and two girls cheering and clapping.
I was so pleased to complete all three races
in under two hours. At every tough moment,
I would think of Dad and everything he’s been
through and all the people who sponsored me
that I couldn’t let down. I couldn’t have done it
without the support of my husband Duncan and my two
daughters Ellie and Tilly. I knew it would be tough and it
was, but it was so worth all the effort! What’s more, with
the help of everyone who sponsored me, I raised £1,700
and I’m so chuffed with that.
I will forever be indebted to Dorset and Somerset Air
Ambulance for helping my Dad in his critical moment
of need. He is now back enjoying life and doing all the
things he loves to do – back at the gym, off to Japan on
holiday with Mum and enjoying spending time with his
four grandchildren who adore him.
For me, well I have signed up for three more half
marathons this year; Reading, Weston-Super-Mare and
Cardiff again! I will wear my DSAA running vest with
pride at each race, it’s like my lucky mascot!
@dsairambulance 35

In the community
Members of Ashley Wood Golf Club have been busy
fundraising for DSAA throughout the year and
presented £5,314 to Critical Care Practitioner
Neil Bizzell and Volunteer John Bizzell.
Members of the Somerset Centre Caravan Rally Club have been raising funds
for us all year, with a grand total of £2,000. They kindly presented a cheque to
Volunteer Sue Allwood.
Octagon Theatre in Yeovil raised a magical £4,449 via bucket collections,
which took place at the end of each pantomime performance of Aladdin.
Debbie Francis held a Christmas light display and
raised £1,579.
Following a presentation to members of the Quantock Lodge,
Community Fundraising Officer Debbie Birtwisle was presented
with cheques totalling £7,452.
Thank you to the organisers of the Somerset and Devon
Road Run for supporting us with their event this year.
Bucket collections were held at various stops along
the route, raising £420 in the process!
@dsairambulance 37

In the community
Representatives from DSAA helped with bucket
collections at Ilminster Children’s Carnival,
which raised £600.
Martin Yandle held a fantastic Christmas lights and music display at his
home in Chard. It featured the song ‘Baby Shark’ and was amazing!
He raised a whopping £720!
Volunteers Roy and Marg Hardy were delighted to accept
a £1,000 donation from the Rotary Club of Bridport
following a presentation about the Charity.
Players from Minehead Barbarians RFC pulled and pushed a replica lifeboat
around the streets of Minehead and raised £1,000 for the Charity! Volunteers
Derek Albutt and Margaret Grizzell attended the cheque presentation.
Chardstock Agricultural Machinery Club presented
Volunteer David Elkington with a cheque for £1,000
at their Christmas dinner event.
Huge congratulations to Beryl and Roy Bates, who
celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary recently.
They asked for donations in aid of DSAA instead of
receiving presents and raised £205 for the Charity!
Volunteer Liz Marks was thrilled to accept a bumper £10,000 cheque
from organisers of the Sherborne Classic Car Show! Wow!
38 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

warm nightwear, bedsocks, dressing gowns. You
name it we’ve got it!
to ta
Westons Visitor Centre
Westons Cider has been making cider in the Herefordshire
village of Much Marcle, since 1880. Join a mill tour and
go behind the scenes to discover how your favourite cider
is produced. Sample cider and perry in the shop or enjoy
homemade food in the Scrumpy House Restaurant.
• Cider Mill Tours - 11.00am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm
• Cider Shop and FREE Tasting (over 18’s only)
• Scrumpy House Restaurant and Bottle Museum Tea Room
• Located on the A449 between Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye
• Open 7 days a week
Call 01531 660108 or visit www.westons-cider.co.uk
for further information and to arrange your visit.
Westons Cider, The Bounds, Much Marcle,
Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 2NQ
T: 01531 660108
E: enquiries@westons-cider.co.uk
A GREAT
DAY OUT
Advertise in
Lingerie Beeline! for
All Occasions
If you would like to
advertise in the next issue
We do what we’re ca
Perfect Fit supplies all aspects
of underwear for the young
to of the Beeline mature lady. contact our
We
Specialists publishing have well trained
in measuring partners:
staff at hand to help all
ladies and fi of tting. all ages from juniors to seniors with
every sort of underwear.
Sizes AAA - K & L 28” - 50” back
Stockists of all major brands.
The Elderly - Other stores seem to have
forgotten that certain age lady.
01225 331023
ads@bamboohouse.co.uk
We 48/50 still Temple sell good Street, old Keynsham fashioned vests and pants
01179 860950
plus thermals, stockings, petticoats, bedjackets,
warm nightwear, bedsocks, dressing gowns. You
name www.perfectfi
it we’ve got it!
t.uk.com
The
Perfe
Med
for u
Mast
Let
and o
Per
pock
48/
to ta
Key
Op
A GREAT
DAY OUT
XX_Comp.indd 47 XX_Perfect_Fit_AD.indd 29
22/08/2017 09:32
Lingerie for
FOR YOU: Accident and Injury | Cohabitation | Court of Protection
Crime | Disputes | Employee Relocation All | Employment Occasions
| Family Law and Divorce
Medical Negligence | Moving Home | New Homes | Notary Public
Probate | Probate Perfect Disputes Fit supplies | Wills all aspects and Mental Capacity
of underwear for the young
FOR YOUR BUSINESS: Business Disputes | Business to the Employment mature lady. | Business Relocation
Commercial Property | Commercial Services | Countryside Commercial
homemade food in the Scrumpy House Restaurant.
Crime | Debt Recovery | Specialists New Homes in measuring Developers | Notary Public
and fi tting.
Westons Visitor Centre
Westons Cider has been making cider in the Herefordshire
village of Much Marcle, since 1880. Join a mill tour and
go behind the scenes to discover how your favourite cider
is produced. Sample cider and perry in the shop or enjoy
• Cider Mill Tours - 11.00am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm
• Cider Shop and FREE Tasting (over 18’s only)
• Scrumpy House Restaurant and Bottle Museum Tea Room
• Located on the A449 between Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye
• Open 7 days a week
Call 01531 660108 or visit www.westons-cider.co.uk
for further information and to arrange your visit.
Westons Cider, The Bounds, Much Marcle,
Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 2NQ
T: 01531 660108
E: enquiries@westons-cider.co.uk
Sizes AAA - K & L 28” - 50” back
Stockists of major brands.
Solving your legal problems...locally
52 Broad Street, 48/50 Bristol Temple Street, Keynsham 0117 9292811
01179 860950
Central Bristol | Henleaze | Staple Hill | Bradley Stoke | Yate | Keynsham
Nailsea | Portishead | www.perfectfi Clevedon | Weston-super-Mare t.uk.com | Worle
Let
Per
48/
Key
Op
WS_0341 A6 advert landscape colour.indd 1 15/02/2017 17:38

In the community
The Pride of Bournemouth Oddfellows kindly presented
Volunteer Sue Woollam with a cheque for £100
Thanks to Aquarius Ladies Group for their donation of £2,000!
Members of Bourne Lodge No.37 have raised £1,250 over the past year.
Thank you all so much for your continued support!
Alan Roberts had a party for his 80th birthday and raised
£506. Volunteer Pete Hiscock was delighted to meet him
and accept the funds raised.
Staff at Cobham Mission Systems raised a huge £6,681 over the
past year. Lottery Manager Caroline Guy was delighted to
receive a cheque on behalf of the Charity.
Our thanks go to the Rotary Club of Mendip for their
£1,380 donation. CEO Bill Sivewright and Unit Chief Pilot
Mario Carretta accepted the cheque on behalf of the
Charity.
40 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

HOW PEOPLE HELP
West Moors Parish Council held a Multi-Activity Day
and raised £473.
Employees at Clarks’ head office in Street raised an incredible £15,375 for
DSAA! They selected DSAA as their Charity of the Year and raised the funds via
a variety of activities including sample sales, PAYE at a Giving Tuesday event,
Winter Warmer Christmas Fair, members running the Bath Half Marathon and
participating in the Charity’s Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge. Amazing support!
Ken Clothier celebrated his 90th birthday and asked for donations to DSAA.
He also held a raffle (providing the prizes himself) and raised £310! What a
fantastic gift!
Volunteer David Collins has supported the Charity with
his Worth Harvest Home event for several years. Critical
Care Practitioner Ollie Zorab was thrilled to attend the
2018 event where David presented him with £1,500.
Volunteer Marg Hardy met members of Lyme Regis Bowling Club and was
presented with £1,000. The funds were raised from various events as part
of their Charity of the Year fundraising.
Jones Building Group held a Charity Music Quiz and
Raffle at the Quicksilver Mail and raised a fantastic £1,000.
Community Fundraising Officer Debbie Birtwisle and
Volunteer Peter Burt collected the funds raised.
Our thanks go to Joy Chiplin for raising £1,250 at her Annual Dog Show!
Woof-tastic!
@dsairambulance 41

In the community
Globacare employees Tobias Britton, Will Forsyth and
Mark Liversidge completed the Three Peaks Challenge
and raised £765.
DSAA Volunteers Stuart Bagg and Peter Burt were proud to attend the Poppy
of Honour event held at Wincanton in November. It was an emotional and
fantastic day. A huge well done to everyone involved! #Poppyofhonour2018
North Dorset Netball League held two charity tournaments and
netted an incredible £380!
The Wimborne branch of Candlelight Care held a coffee
and cake sale as part of their 30th anniversary and raised
£200. Those cakes look scrumptious!
Dorset Region Jaguar Enthusiast’s Club presented £1,125 raised
from The Wessex Car Show to Volunteer Joy Whittingham.
As part of their 200-year celebration, the Long Sutton
Friendly Society held a Beer and Cider Festival, which
raised £3,250. Volunteer Ken Hutton was delighted to
accept the cheque on our behalf.
42 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

HOW PEOPLE HELP
Thanks to members of Kilmersdon Village Day Committee for raising £300.
Volunteer Ken Hutton loved meeting you all.
Huge thank you to Freya, Lucy and Amber who raised
£50 by holding a toy and book sale outside their house!
Young fundraisers in the making!
Wells and Glastonbury Young Farmers Club have been busy fundraising and
raised a fantastic £1,030. Critical Care Practitioner Ollie Zorab went along
to collect the funds and tell the group more about the Charity.
South Somerset Agricultural Preservation Club presented
Volunteer Anne Blotheridge with a cheque for £512.
The funds were raised at the club’s Farming Show.
Representatives from the Charity were delighted to be asked to attend two
flag-raising ceremonies at Bournemouth Borough Council and County Hall
in Taunton, which celebrated 999 Emergency Services Day 2018.
Staff at Wessex Group in Dorset raised £6,647 through a series of fundraising
events, which included a staff raffle, bake-off, bingo, quiz night and even a
sky dive by Administration Manager Steph Hewis. Eeek!
DSAA Trustee David Senior swam 1,500 metres at
the Annual Portsea Surf Club event in Australia and
raised £330.
@dsairambulance 43

Thinking of moving
into a care home – or
just needing a little
extra help at home?
We’re here to help
Whatever your care needs, we know that it’s the care that counts
– the quality care of all our residents and home care customers.
As a leading provider of residential and home care across Dorset, we offer compassionate
residential, nursing, dementia and home care at a realistic cost.
Whether you’re looking for care in your own home, a short respite stay
or a new home, we offer a warm welcome, comfort and peace of mind.
To request a brochure, arrange a visit or find out more, contact
www.care-south.co.uk
01202 712400 | info@care-south.co.uk
Registered Charity No. 1014697
CARE SOUTH IS A LEADING PROVIDER OF RESIDENTIAL AND HOME CARE ACROSS THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND
Quality Bespoke english kitchens
individually designed furniture for you and your home, offering a complete project management service
WelBourn Furniture ltd
t: 01225 775788 m: 07816 326634 e: enquiries@welbournfurnitureltd.co.uk
www.welbournfurnitureltd.co.uk

HOW YOU CAN HELP
How to make a difference
There are a number of ways you can support us
by making a personal donation; we have listed
these below. If you are a UK taxpayer, please
do not forget to Gift Aid your donation. Gift
Aid enables us to claim back 25p in every £1
donated from HMRC. The Charity reclaims the
money and there is no additional cost to you.
Credit/Debit Card
You can make a one-off donation over the
phone by calling: 01823 669604 or by visiting:
www.dsairambulance.org.uk/donate
Cash
Please do not send cash in the post. You can
take this to our Wellington or Wimborne offices,
where we would be delighted to see you.
Payroll Giving
Ask your employer if they offer a ‘Give as you
Earn Scheme’, most large employers do.
Other Ways to Support Us
There are so many ways that you can help us!
We’ve listed a small selection below:
Direct Debit
If you would like to donate on a regular basis,
you can set up a Direct Debit via our website.
Simply visit: www.dsairambulance.org.uk/
direct-debit. You can specify the donation
amount, how often you would like to donate
and the date you would like this to be collected
from your bank account.
Standing Order
You can also donate on a regular basis by
setting up a Standing Order. Please complete
the Standing Order form in the centre of this
magazine.
Personal Cheque
Please make cheques payable to ‘Dorset
and Somerset Air Ambulance’ and send to:
DSAA, Landacre House, Castle Road, Chelston
Business Park, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 9JQ.
Join our Lottery (simply complete the Lottery
Direct Debit form in the centre of this magazine)
Hold a fundraising event in aid of us or take part
in one of our own
Become a collection box holder
Volunteer and donate the ‘gift of time’
Nominate us as your Charity of the Year
Book a talk from one of our team
Leave a legacy
Recycle your unwanted textiles, laptops, PCs,
mobile phones and used stamps
More information on these and several other
initiatives can be found by visiting:
www.dsairambulance.org.uk
@dsairambulance 45

HOW YOU CAN HELP
All systems go!
The next few months will be extremely
busy on the fundraising front
Cycle Challenge
Online registration for this year’s Coast to Coast Cycle
Challenge went live on Tuesday 4th December 2018.
Around 500 cyclists registered on the first day alone and
with only 600 places available, it was not long before the
event sold out. Congratulations to everyone who gained
a place!
Last year, the event raised an incredible £62,000 and
was once again a fantastic day. The atmosphere at the
starting points, various pit stops and at the finish line is
amazing; it’s truly an emotional event to be part of.
This year’s event takes place on Sunday 12th May
and we have put a lot of work into the event page on
our website, ensuring that our supporters have all the
information they need; both for those who are taking
part and those who come along and support on the
day. There are areas where you can find out general
information about the event, information for cyclists, top
tips for fundraising, how to help with volunteering and
an FAQs section, which should answer any questions you
might have.
We are also trying to encourage those who are
fortunate enough to have gained a place to raise money
in sponsorship. Setting up an online fundraising page via
our website is a really easy process. We also have forms
that can be sent out in the post for those who would
rather gain sponsorship that way.
Around 60 volunteers came out in force to help us
last year. Their gift of time plays a significant part in the
success of the event and this year we are asking for help
again. There are a variety of tasks on offer; from helping
to set up, to marshalling the route, assisting at pit stops
and many more.
If you could spare some time on the day,
we’d love to hear from you.
Just give us a call on: 01823 669604 or email:
c2c@dsairambulance.org.uk
Picnic with Peggy
The only fundraising event that we normally organise
ourselves is our Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge. Well,
this year, we have another
treat in store. We’d love
you to come and join us
for a family picnic! In fact,
‘Picnic with Peggy’ is going
to be so much more than
just that! Check out the
event poster on page 48
and purchase your tickets
via our website.
It’s going to be an event
that you don’t want to
miss. Hopefully, we’ll see
you there!
Picnic with
Peggy
Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance
Sunday 14th July 2019
12.30pm to 5.30pm
Spend an afternoon with our Crew and Aircraft
“Pegasus” at Barcroft Hall in South Petherton
Tickets: Adult £5.00 Child £3.00
For more information &
to purchase tickets please go to:
www.dsairambulance.org.uk
Live Entertainment
Games
Raffle & Silent Auction
Fancy Dress Competition
Refreshments
Free Parking
46 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk

HOW YOU CAN HELP
JustGiving and BT Close
Fundraising Services
Volunteers Needed!
We have an amazing team of volunteers who work
incredibly hard on our behalf. They perform a wide range
of duties, including giving talks, supporting events,
manning information/merchandise stalls and assisting
with the management of nearly 2,300 collection boxes
distributed across both counties. Together they cover
2,636 square miles between them; that’s a big challenge,
as you can imagine.
As well as looking for volunteers to help us with our
Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge, we are also looking for
volunteers in the West Bay, Lyme Regis, Charmouth
and Bridport areas of Dorset to help with the following
ongoing roles:
Collection Box Servicer
Event Representative
To find out what these roles entail or express an
interest in joining our Volunteering Team, please
visit: www.dsairambulance.org.uk/volunteer
You may have heard in the news recently that JustGiving
and BT have announced that aspects of their charity
fundraising platforms will be closing. As Dorset and
Somerset Air Ambulance has been utilising both services,
we wanted to make you aware of these changes and how
this might affect you.
JustTextGiving is a service which enables members of
the public to donate to charities by texting from their
mobile phone, via a text code issued by the Charity. Due
to changes in consumer behaviour and the emergence of
new technologies, JustGiving will be closing this service on
31st March 2019. Therefore, we will no longer be receiving
donations from the text donate service after this date.
If you would like to support the Charity by donating via
your mobile phone, you can do so by visiting our mobile
friendly website: www.dsairambulance.org.uk/donate
MyDonate is a fundraising platform that enables
members of the public to set up online fundraising pages
in support of charities. Due to advances in fundraising
technology, BT will be closing the platform on 30th June
2019. If you have an active MyDonate fundraising page,
you will only be able to accept donations until midnight
on 30th June. After this date, donations will no longer
be accepted. Any funds raised will be sent to the Charity
within 30 days of the closing date.
National Air Ambulance
Week
National Air Ambulance Week (NAAW) takes place
between 9th–15th September 2019. Many people use the
date to hold fundraising events in aid of us and we’d
like to encourage more of you to get involved. We believe
fundraising should be fun and we have numerous ideas
that we can share with you. Why not consider holding
your own event, having a cake sale or a coffee morning?.
You could organise a mufti/dress-down day at your school
or workplace; you could even give it a yellow theme. Or if
you fancy something a little more challenging, why don’t
you go for a sponsored event, like a swim or a run or even
a skydive! No matter what you do, make sure you tell us.
Contact our Fundraising Team on: 01823 669604
or email: fundraising@dsairambulance.org.uk
and they can give you all the advice and support
you need.
DSAA Fundraising
Platform
You may have read in recent editions of Beeline that the
Charity has its own fundraising platform. More and more
of you are setting up your own fundraising pages via our
website, which is fantastic news! You can tailor your page,
include text explaining why you are fundraising for the
Charity, set a target amount that you want to raise and
keep track of your progress and the donations that you
have received. To help raise awareness of your fundraising
efforts and gain support through donations, you can
also share your fundraising page to Facebook, Twitter or
by email.
To set up your own fundraising page visit:
www.dsairambulance.org.uk/set-up-afundraising-page
@dsairambulance 47

For more information &
to purchase tickets please go to:
www.dsairambulance.org.uk

warm nightwear, bedsocks, dressing gowns. You
name it we’ve got it!
to namta
Westons Visitor Centre
Westons Cider has been making cider in the Herefordshire
village of Much Marcle, since 1880. Join a mill tour and
go behind the scenes to discover how your favourite cider
is produced. Sample cider and perry in the shop or enjoy
homemade food in the Scrumpy House Restaurant.
• Cider Mill Tours - 11.00am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm
• Cider Shop and FREE Tasting (over 18’s only)
• Scrumpy House Restaurant and Bottle Museum Tea Room
• Located on the A449 between Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye
• Open 7 days a week
Call 01531 660108 or visit www.westons-cider.co.uk
for further information and to arrange your visit.
Westons Cider, The Bounds, Much Marcle,
Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 2NQ
T: 01531 660108
E: enquiries@westons-cider.co.uk
A GREAT
DAY OUT
Advertise in in
Beeline!
A GREAT
DAY OUT
Lingerie for
All Westons
Occasions
Visitor Centre
If If you you would would like like to to
Westons Cider has been making cider in the Herefordshire
advertise village of Much Marcle, in in the since the 1880. next Join next a mill issue
tour issue and
of of go behind Beeline the scenes to discover contact how your our
favourite our
cider
is produced. Sample cider and perry in the shop or enjoy
homemade food in the Scrumpy House Restaurant.
publishing partners:
We do do what we’re cac
to
Perfect Fit supplies all aspects
of underwear for the young
to the mature lady.
We We have have well well trained trained staff staff at hand at hand to help to help all all
Specialists in measuring
• Cider Mill Tours - 11.00am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm
ladies ladies and fi of tting. of all all ages ages from from juniors juniors to seniors to seniors with with
• Cider Shop and FREE Tasting (over 18’s only)
every every sort sort of of underwear.
Sizes • AAA Scrumpy - K House & L 28” Restaurant - 50” back and Bottle Museum Tea Room
Stockists • Located of all on major the A449 brands. between Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye
The The Elderly - Other - Other stores stores seem seem to have to have
• Open 7 days a week
forgotten that that certain age age lady. lady.
Call 01531 660108 or visit www.westons-cider.co.uk
01225 for further information 331023 and to arrange your visit.
Westons Cider, The Bounds, Much Marcle,
Ledbury, ads@bamboohouse.co.uk
Herefordshire, HR8 2NQ
We We 48/50 still still Temple sell sell good Street,
good old Keynsham
old fashioned vests vests and and pants pants
plus plus 01179 thermals, 860950 stockings, petticoats, bedjackets,
T: 01531 660108
warm warm E: www.perfectfi enquiries@westons-cider.co.uk
nightwear, t.uk.com bedsocks, dressing dressing gowns. gowns. You You
name name it we’ve it we’ve got got it! it!
L
A
Pe
of
Sp
The T
an
PerfeP
Siz
Med
StM
for uf
Mast Let
48M
and Pera
o
pock
0
48/ p
to Key ta
wt
Op
A GREAT
DAY OUT
XX_Comp.indd 47
95 YEARS
XX_Perfect_
XX_Comp.indd 47 XX_Perfect_Fit_AD.indd 29
22/08/2017 09:32
LITHOGRAPHIC DIGITAL of being your local
PANTONE ®
COLOUR
Westons Visitor Visitor Centre
Centre
CORPORATE
LOGOS
GRAPHIC
A GREAT
DAY OUT
BROCHURES
Lingerie for for
All All Occasions
LABELS
INVITATIONS
CREATIVE
print company
Perfect Fit supplies all aspects
of
Perfect
underwear
Fit supplies
for the young
all aspects
to of the underwear mature lady. for the young
to the mature lady.
Specialists in measuring
and Specialists fi tting. in measuring
and fi tting.
Sizes AAA - K & L 28” - 50” back
Stockists Sizes AAA of all - major K & L brands. 28” - 50” back
Stockists of all major brands.
Westons Cider has been making cider in the Herefordshire
Westons village of Cider Much has Marcle, been since making 1880. cider Join a the mill Herefordshire tour and
go village
IDENTITY
behind of the Much scenes Marcle, to discover since 1880. how your Join favourite a mill tour cider and
go is produced. behind the Sample scenes cider to discover and perry how in the your shop favourite or enjoy cider
is homemade produced. Sample food in the cider
DESIGN
Scrumpy and perry House in the Restaurant. shop or enjoy
homemade food in the Scrumpy House Restaurant.
• Cider Mill Tours - 11.00am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm and LEAFLETS
3.30pm
•
• Cider
Cider
Shop
Mill Tours
and FREE
- 11.00am,
Tasting
12.30pm,
(over 18’s only)
2.30pm
CONCEPT
STATIONERY
and 3.30pm
• Scrumpy Cider Shop House and Restaurant FREE Tasting and (over Bottle 18’s Museum only) Tea Room
CMYK
• Located Scrumpy on House the A449 Restaurant between and Ledbury Bottle and Museum Ross-on-Wye Tea Room
• Open Located 7 days on the a week A449 between Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye
• Open 7 days a week
Call 01531 660108 or visit www.westons-cider.co.uk
for further information and to arrange your visit.
48/50 Temple Street, Keynsham
Call 01531 660108 or visit www.westons-cider.co.uk
Westons for Cider, further The Bounds, information Much Marcle, and to arrange your visit.
Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 2NQ
T: Westons 01531 660108 Cider, The Bounds, Much Marcle,
E: Ledbury, enquiries@westons-cider.co.uk
Herefordshire, HR8 2NQ
T: 01531 660108
E: enquiries@westons-cider.co.uk
48/50 Temple Street, Keynsham
01179 860950
www.perfectfi 01179 860950
t.uk.com
LIMITED
1 Locksbrook Court | Locksbrook Road | Bath | BA1 3EN
t: 01225 461888 e: enquiries@ralphallenpress.co.uk
www.perfectfit.uk.com
Let
Per
48/
Key
Op

LETTERS
Postbag
Biodegradable Packaging
In the past six months we have received a
few enquiries about the wrapping that our
Beeline magazine comes in when posted to
our supporters. In response, we can confirm
that the material used for our mailings
is now fully biodegradable polythene,
which is also recyclable. The polywrap has
been enhanced, meaning the process of
biodegradation is faster when the material
is exposed to environmental factors such
as sunlight, moisture, temperature and
composting procedures. Our mailings have
full LDPE4 accreditation as highlighted by
the logo shown here.
I just wanted to thank the pilot and
paramedics who attended my sister-in-law
on Monday of this week and flew her to
Bristol Royal Infirmary. Thank you again for
a great service. Chris Williams
Please find enclosed a donation in memory
of my Father, the late Walter John Duckett.
I am making this donation on behalf of
myself, my husband Kevin and my daughters
Claire and Sarah. ‘John’ as he was known to
all, was a farmer and always supported the
air ambulance along with my late mother,
as they appreciated that he might need your
services one day in the middle of a remote
field. Keep up the good and valuable work
that you all do. Susan Funnell
I’ve committed to a continuous 100km
walk, probably way beyond my ability, to
raise money for @dsairambulance and
@LMRUK_org. I promise I’ll be in physical
and emotional turmoil throughout, making
every donation earned. Chris Dragatis
Each year at Christmas, I decorate the
outside of my house with Christmas lights
and raise money for a charity through
donations. I have again chosen the air
ambulance as the charity to receive the
money raised. Please find enclosed a cheque
for £194.43. I know you have to raise a large
amount of money each year to keep the air
ambulance flying, so I hope this will help
towards your target. Rob Webb
Keeping in
touch
There are so many
ways to contact
our team:
www.dsairambulance.org.uk
Here you will find lots of
information about the Charity
and the work of our Critical
Care Team. There are blogs,
features, patient stories and
loads of ideas on how to
fundraise for the Charity. You
can even set up your own
online fundraising page from
here. It’s really easy to do!
Facebook: Message us, like
and share our page or write a
review if you’ve witnessed our
service first-hand.
Twitter: Follow
@dsairambulance and
get snippets of what’s
going on around us.
Instagram: We’d love to get
more followers on Instagram.
Please come and find us at:
@dsairambulance.
Email: If you don’t like to put
pen to paper, why not email:
info@dsairambulance.org.uk.
Telephone: Call us on
01823 669604.
Write to us: Landacre House,
Castle Road, Chelston
Business Park, Wellington,
Somerset, TA21 9JQ.
Here is Medical Alert Assistance Dog Sienna meeting the crew of @dsairambulance at @RBCH_NHS’s
open day.
50 01823 669604 | www.dsairambulance.org.uk