Mellow in the Meadow present £5,000 to GWAAC and say thank you to crew who attended their friend

Organisers of Mellow in the Meadow festival in South Gloucestershire visited Great Western Air Ambulance Charity’s air base on Tuesday 26^th November to present a cheque for £5,000 they raised after this year’s event.

Beth Curtis, Massey Rowe, Julia Hall, Suze Tucker, Jackie Tucker and Lorna Hook, who all run the annual family-friendly festival in aid of their local air ambulance, were delighted to present the money to the crew after this year’s event was a huge success.

However, the day also held an emotional connection for the group, as they brought along with them close friend Vicky Vatcher, who was left in need of GWAAC’s Critical Care Team just a week before the festival.

In August this year, Vicky was left in need of critical care after a riding accident that left her with a fractured skull resulting in a bleed on the brain, broken ribs and a punctured lung. During the visit to the air base, Vicky was

introduced to Specialist Paramedic, Jack Kilminster, who was on shift on the day of her accident, attending to her at the scene and transporting her to Southmead Hospital’s major trauma centre.

“It is amazing how quickly circumstances changed from being a normal day to waking up in hospital weeks later. It was wonderful to meet Jack and hear about the care I received at the scene. I am grateful to have the opportunity to say an enormous thank you to Jack and the crew at GWAAC,” said Vicky.

Jack and the whole team at Great Western Air Ambulance Charity were delighted to get the chance to meet Vicky and see the progress she is making following the accident.

The charity receives no day-to-day funding and relies solely on the support and generosity of their local community to keep them flying, attending to an average of over 5 call outs every single day, and providing emergency care to people like Vicky at the scene.

“We are very proud of our achievements fundraising for a fantastic cause, but also enormously grateful for all you do and for providing super care to our friend,” said Lorna on behalf of everyone involved in Mellow in the Meadow.

Joe Hughes, Community Fundraiser at GWAAC, said: “Mellow in the Meadow is a real South Glos success story and we’re thrilled to be a part of it. It’s only thanks to people like Lorna, Beth, Massey, Julia, Suze and Jackie doing amazing things like this that we can continue to save lives in South Glos and surrounding areas, so on behalf of everyone living or working in this region: thank you so very much!”