On the 4th of October 2008 father of two Timothy Bateman, from Cromer became seriously ill at home by an unknown virus. His condition was judged so critical that the paramedics on site made the decision to call the air ambulance. Tim was air lifted from the nearby cliffs of Cromer and taken to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital within 15 minutes where he was put onto a life support machine in intensive care for 3 days.

Tim was diagnosed with Viral Encephalitis which is an acute inflammation of the brain. Damage to the brain can occur if the brain pushes against the skull and can lead to death if not treated quickly. Encephalitis can affect anyone in any part of the world, at any age but it is rare. Approximately 4 out of every 100,000 people are affected in the UK each year. After 4 months of recovering Tim believes that he has been extremely lucky to survive the virus without any long term impact. He now wants to try and give a little back to a cause that probably saved his life and that cause is The East Anglian Air Ambulance Service.

The EAAAS covers 8000 sq miles and population of 7.8 million people. They receive NO financial support from the government or NHS. They rely totally on public donations to keep the service running.

YOUR SUPPORT WILL SAVE LIVES  

The Challenge

On the morning of Sunday the 19th of July 2009 Tim Bateman and Neil Coston will set off on a 5 day challenge from the port of Kings Lynn in a Hobie Mirage kayak christened the ‘Golden Duck’ due to it’s innovative duck fin mechanism, a bit like a streamlined pedalo! They plan to reach Hunstanton after negotiating the perilous sands of the Wash forcing them 3 miles offshore on the first leg. Next it’s on to Wells Harbour, followed by Cromer and Eccles. The final fifth leg is to Lowestoft harbour. With approximately 20 miles to pedal each day, this will be a test of endurance whilst also battling with the tides, headwinds, swell size, sand banks and shipping routes in and out of the harbours. We know that with your support we can overcome all of these hurdles and successfully rise to the challenge. So we’re asking you all to dig deep and please help us reach or exceed the target of £3000. Without the air ambulance being there on the day that Tim collapsed he probably wouldn't be here at all, and you never know when you may call upon such a valuable service. Thanks for your time, please give generously.

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