A motorcycle run like no other for Essex & Herts Air Ambulance

30^th July 2020

A motorcycle run like no other for Essex & Herts Air Ambulance

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) is calling on motorcyclists to get on their bikes this Summer and say ‘I Did It My Way’ to help keep their local life-saving charity flying.

The charity is asking bikers to get on their bikes in August and September and ride a route of at least sixty miles. In return for a £10 registration fee, riders will receive an exclusive commemorative pin badge as a keepsake. For an additional £12.75 (incl. P&P) they can order a specially-designed t-shirt. Riders are being encouraged to submit pictures taken during their ride for inclusion on a ‘Wall of Fame’ on the EHAAT website.

EHAAT normally holds two motorcycle runs – in May to North Weald and in September to Harwich – but these have both been cancelled this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kerry Russell, EHAAT Head of Events and Merchandise, said: “EHAAT’s motorcycle runs have become hugely popular days in the local biking calendar, with thousands of bikers riding out to support the charity. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to cancel both events, we know it was a major disappointment for our valued supporters in the biking community.

“The two events would have raised around £60,000, or the cost of 27 potentially-life saving missions, but we hope that with the support of our biker friends ‘I Did It My Way’ can help make up that shortfall by raising vital funds.

“We are really looking forward to bikers sharing photographs of their rides with us, and to welcoming everyone back in person to one of our motorcycle runs in 2021!”

To register for EHAAT’s ‘I Did It My Way’ motorcycling fundraiser sponsored by Woodland Group, SorryMate.com and Colchester Kawasaki, visit www.ehaat.org/mcr2020 .

ENDS

Photographs: Bikers during last year’s motorcycle runs

For media enquiries contact:

Gavin Sherriff, PR Officer EHAAT on or gavin.sherriff@ehaat.org or 0345 2417 690

Notes to Editor:

• Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) is a Charity that provides a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for the critically ill and injured of Essex, Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas.
• The service is provided free of charge but, unlike NHS emergency services, the Charity receives limited direct funding from the Government and none from the National Lottery. It costs in excess of £750,000 every month to keep the service operational and cover all charitable costs, and this would not be possible without the generosity and goodwill of people and businesses of Essex, Hertfordshire and beyond.
• Each of the Charity’s HEMS teams consist of two Pilots, a Pre-hospital Care Doctor and a Critical Care Paramedic.
• These teams, made up of highly-skilled individuals, attended 1,526 patients in 2019 and are the backbone of your local life-saving Charity.
• The fleet consists of two Air Ambulances, and four rapid response vehicles (RRVs - cars) The RRVs are crewed by a Pre-hospital Care Doctor and a Critical Care Paramedic and carry the same life-saving equipment as the helicopters.

• During the day, from 7am until 8.00pm, the Critical Care Team provides the service using helicopters based at Earls Colne and North Weald. An RRV is used before sunrise, after sunset or when the helicopter is unable to fly because of poor weather or maintenance.
• Overnight from 7.30pm to 7.30am the service is provided using an RRV based at North Weald.