Longest-standing YAA sponsor welcomes charity milestone
The longest-running sponsor of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) has welcomed the news that it has been chosen as Meadowhall Shopping Centre’s Charity of the Year.
Sheffield-based healthcare company B. Braun Medical Ltd first began providing financial and practical support to the YAA in 2001, and its sponsorship deal was recently extended to 2020.
B. Braun Medical Ltd Chairman & Group Chief Executive, Hans Hux, said: “It is wonderful to hear that Meadowhall Shopping Centre has chosen such an important charity.
“We’ve supported the Yorkshire Air Ambulance for many years, encouraging people and businesses across South Yorkshire to get behind it.
“In supporting this cause we’re helping people across Yorkshire who might get into trouble and need some urgent help - the YAA save lives every day.
“This is a big milestone for the charity, which we really consider to be part of the B. Braun family, and it makes us very proud.”
As well as organising fundraising events, hosting the annual YAA awards dinner and providing general business advice and support, B. Braun Medical also sponsors of the state-of-the-art helmets which protect the air crews’ heads.
To mark the announcement, an Air Ambulance helicopter touched down at Meadowhall Shopping Centre on 24 January 2018. It was greeted by Meadowhall staff and retailers, as well as local schoolchildren from the nearby Tinsley Meadows Primary School. YAA Chairman Peter Sunderland was also in attendance.
Meadowhall Centre Director Darren Pearce said: “It is always a very difficult decision choosing a new Charity of the Year, but the Yorkshire Air Ambulance do a fantastic job of saving lives across the region and need to raise £12,000 every single day to maintain and keep their helicopters in the air.”
Last year 1543 people were assisted across the county - an area covering 11,900km and a population of over 5.2million. Since the first YAA helicopter was launched in October 2000, 7,467 patients have been rescued thanks to their highly skilled crews and their two Airbus H145 helicopters which operate seven days per week, 365 days per year.
Darren added: “It has been a fantastic two years working with Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice and there have been some great initiatives to look back on, such as The SuperCar experiences and the more recent Kate Rusby Charity Christmas CD. We are now looking forward to many new fund-raising initiatives with YAA who have some fantastic ideas and plans for the next two years.”
Garry Wilkinson, Director of Fundraising from Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “We are absolutely ecstatic to have been chosen at Meadowhall’s Charity partner for the next two years. We already have lots of plans a foot for exciting fundraising initiatives and are looking forward to working with and further engaging with the people of South Yorkshire and the visitors to Meadowhall. As an independent Charity, partnerships such as this with Meadowhall are vitally important to the YAA and we are very much looking forward to working with their team and maximising the opportunity given to us.”