Wakefield-based Yorkshire Air Ambulance marks 25 years by personally thanking supporters across the region
Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) has hosted its third annual ‘Ta Very Much’ day – a charity-wide initiative dedicated to personally thanking supporters from every corner of Yorkshire.
The event saw crew members, fundraising teams, office staff and trustees briefly stepping away from their daily duties to come together to make 300 personal phone calls and write more than 730 notelets to their supporters, which are all set to land on doormats across the region in the coming days.
The postcards and calls were made to a randomly selected group of supporters from across the charity’s wide donor base, ensuring every region of Yorkshire was represented, including those who have given one-off donations, regularly supported the charity, backed YAA through their business or fundraising activities, or even played the charity’s lottery.
The annual ‘Ta Very Much’ day was first launched in 2023 and has quickly become a meaningful tradition for the charity.
Specialist Paramedic Tammy Williams, who took time between missions to write postcards, added, “When you're out on a mission, you don’t often get to meet the people who make it possible for us to do what we do.
"Writing those notelets was a lovely reminder that behind every flight, every kit bag, every lifesaving intervention, there’s someone in Yorkshire who cared enough to donate to our cause.
"Without them, we simply couldn’t reach the patients who need us most.”
Holding this year’s event during YAA’s 25th anniversary year added extra significance, offering the team a chance to reflect on the people who have helped make a quarter-century of lifesaving missions possible.
Emma Pearson, individual giving manager at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said, “Ta Very Much Day is one of the most uplifting days in our calendar. “It gives us the chance to pause, pick up the phone, and say a genuine, heartfelt thank you to the people who make our work possible.
"Whether someone donates £2 or £2,000, plays our lottery, supports a raffle, or gives through their business, every contribution helps keep our helicopters in the air and our crew responding to emergencies across the region.
"We couldn’t let our 25th anniversary year pass without celebrating the people who have supported us.”