[F]IVE cousins have raised more than £3,000 for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) after the charity came to the aid of their great uncle last year.
John Lambert, 62, a farmer from Melmerby, near Penrith, was riding his quadbike alongside some other farmers on Melmerby Fell to bring the sheep down for the winter when he drove into a gutter on September 4 2017.
He said: “I got into a gutter and went forward on the fuel tank and over the handlebars. I’d hurt my pelvis and managed to get the bike out of the gutter but I was unable to get back on it.
“The other farmers found me and got me back onto the bike and we drove down to the bottom of the fell and into the village.”
The air ambulance landed in Melmerby village and the GNAAS paramedic and doctor team gave Mr Lambert morphine and ketamine before airlifting him to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle in five minutes.
Mr Lambert had sustained a fractured pelvis and stayed in hospital for a month before going home to continue his recovery.
After the incident Mr Lambert’s great nieces and nephews expressed an interest in taking part in a sponsored challenge to raise money for GNAAS and decided to run, cycle or horse ride for 10 miles through the East Fellside villages.
Davina McAneney, 15, took part in the event on her horse, Mason McAneney, 12, ran and Isla Wilson, 8, Autumn Wilson, 5, and Fletcher Simpson, 2 cycled on their bikes.
The event took place on May 19 and was organised by Davina and Mason’s mother Cath McAneney, 41, from Winskill, Penrith.
She said: “It was really hot weather but the kids absolutely smashed it. We set off at ten in the morning and it was a long day but I am so proud of what they’ve achieved.”
Mr Lambert has now recovered from his pelvis injury and returned to work in March just in time for lambing season.
He said: “I see the helicopter flying in and you never think you’ll need it and then it happens. They get you from a to b and it’s all charity funded. I appreciate what the crew did for me and I’m certainly feeling better now.”
To support GNAAS and its doctor-led trauma teams, please visit the charity’s website at www.gnaas.com or call 01768-899150. Last year, it needed to raise £5.1m to survive.
