The region's air ambulance which has provided vital life-saving emergency support for thousands of people has been chosen as North Yorkshire Council's charity of the year.
Cllr George Jabbour, who was appointed as the chair of the local authority in May at a full council meeting, has said he is “delighted” to champion Yorkshire Air Ambulance throughout his term.
Following his announcement, councillors from across the political spectrum gathered outside County Hall in Northallerton yesterday (Wednesday) holding banners in a show of support for the charity of the year.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and attended to 1,226 patients in 2024.
Cllr Jabbour met with the chair of Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Mike Harrop, and the charity’s key personnel and was “truly impressed by the incredible work that they do to save lives”.
Cllr Jabbour, whose role as the council’s chair will run until May next year, added:
“This is why I chose the Yorkshire Air Ambulance as my charity of the year.
“The vital service they offer to people across our rural county and the whole region is crucial to the wellbeing of many of our local communities. Few people realise that they don’t receive government funding.
“I will do everything I can to champion this wonderful charity during the coming months. I am also grateful to colleagues across the political spectrum for joining me in today's show of support outside County Hall."
The charity serves five million residents across Yorkshire, reaching 90 per cent of the region within a 20-minute flight from one of its two air bases at Nostell, near Wakefield, and RAF Topcliffe, near Thirsk.
North Yorkshire Council has also granted planning permission for a new permanent northern airbase for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
The new development will be on the outskirts of Skipton on Swale, near Thirsk, just 3.5 miles from its current temporary operations at RAF Topcliffe.
North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said:
“The work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance is so important not just here in the county but across the whole of the Yorkshire region.
“Thousands of people are indebted to the efforts of the air ambulance crews in their life-saving role, and it is a very worthy cause to be chosen as the chair’s charity of the year.
“The fact that the charity is building its new permanent base here in North Yorkshire is bringing significant investment and also a long-term commitment to the county.”
Mr Harrop added:
“We are extremely grateful to Cllr Jabbour for choosing Yorkshire Air Ambulance as his charity during his tenure as the chair of North Yorkshire Council.
“The awareness and fundraising will support our mission to save lives across Yorkshire, and specifically in the rural communities of North Yorkshire.
“This partnership is also particularly poignant as we embark on the construction of our new northern airbase at Skipton on Swale, and we thank North Yorkshire Council for its support with this landmark project.”
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