Life took an unexpected turn for us last year, when my family and I were in a car accident not far from home. It turned things upside down for us for a while, but the incredible care and support from local services changed everything - and though it feels quite surreal and difficult to be writing this little story, I have a lot to be grateful for.

Medical care at the scene and on the way to hospital was life-saving for me. I was so very fortunate that the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) were able to attend the accident. Their team of doctors, paramedics and pilots provided care at the scene and got me to hospital in just a matter of minutes, and that made all the difference. 

Emergency surgery, amazing medical care at the RVI along with lots of rest and support from my wonderful family, partner Michael & friends (near and far) and I’m back on my feet, getting stronger every day. 

I can’t put a price on what GNAAS gave me, but I can do a small thing to say an enormous thank you for all that they did for me, and do every single day for the families and communities around us. Incredibly, GNAAS is a charity. They’re not funded by the NHS and rely on donations and fundraising efforts to keep their helicopters and doctors in the air.

SO, this year I’m doing The Allendale Challenge, a tough 26 mile walk/run (I will definitely be walking, at my own snails pace unlike Jez the miracle who is running!) across fells, peat bogs and some of the most beautiful wild landscapes in the North Pennines, to raise funds for GNAAS and their life-saving work. 

I’ll be walking alongside my brother & sister, my partner Michael and a crew of other Pringles, friends and family. They’ll help keep me trekking forward, rally me on and keep my spirits up over miles of bog and marshy fell - just as they have all these months. I’m going to be getting fitter and stronger over the next couple of months and will aim to complete the whole route, or as much of it as I am able to.

It will definitely be a challenge for me, but it’s across a landscape I love, I’ll be cheered on by my nearest and dearest, and it is all in support of such an incredible cause. If you are able to donate anything, however small, I’d be so very grateful.

 THANK YOU!

A little more about GNAAS:

The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) rescues hundreds of severely injured or ill patients every year throughout the North East, North Yorkshire and Cumbria. Their doctor-led critical care teams deliver life-saving treatments at the scene of the incident whether that is on a fell top, a roadside or in a city centre. The charity responded to 1,640 call outs last year* alone, via their helicopter and emergency response vehicles, where they performed treatments and procedures which can mean the difference between life or death.