Paulina’s story

It was May Bank Holiday in 2011 when Heart FM Presenter, Paulina Gillespie, rode out on her horse, the last thing she expected was to find herself being airlifted to Frenchay Hospital.

Riding across a field in Failand, North Somerset, Paulina was thrown from the saddle when her horse reared up at a gate. Paulina’s landing caused her to break her sacrum in her lower back, and she sustained pelvic nerve damage which put her at risk of paralysis in her lower body.

The GWAAC team were fast to the scene and within 8 minutes, Paulina had arrived at Frenchay Hospital for treatment, something that would have taken much longer had she been travelling by land ambulance on a bank holiday weekend.

Years later and Paulina is much better, having returned to work and a normal life.

She says: “I feel quite emotional when I see the helicopter take off as I know somebody somewhere is really waiting for it – hoping that help will come out of the sky. I’m still very thankful to the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity.”