Charity

Members of Cirencester, South Cotswolds Circle gathered at the home base of the Great Western Air Ambulance for a tour On a morning with rain looming, members of the Cirencester, South Cotswolds Circle gathered at the base of the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) for an enlightening tour. This charity plays a vital role, providing Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) for Gloucestershire, parts of Wiltshire, and Northern Somerset. Their operational headquarters, strategically located near the intersection of the M4 and M5 in Almondsbury, Bristol, serves as the lifeline for rapid response critical care in the region. A Personal Connection: Why the GWAAC was chosen as the President’s charity Cirencester Circle President, Tony Mellor, has a personal connection to the Great Western Air Ambulance. Last year, Tony’s daughter was involved in a serious road accident, and her steady recovery was, in part, due to the swift intervention by the HEMS team. Moved by the impact of their care, Tony adopted GWAAC as his President’s Charity for the year. To support the cause, Tony embarked on a sponsored 102-mile walk along the Cotswold Way, raising significant funds for the charity. His dedication inspired fellow Circle members, leading to the organisation of this visit, allowing everyone to gain firsthand insight into the charity’s lifesaving work. The role of the Great Western Air Ambulance charity in emergency care The Great Western Air Ambulance Charity is one of the 21 air ambulance charities across the UK. These organisations bridge the gap between the scene of an emergency and the hospital, effectively bringing an emergency room directly to the patient. With a team that includes a consultant-level critical care doctor and a highly skilled paramedic, GWAAC provides rapid response services either by helicopter or high-speed critical care cars, all equipped with lifesaving medical equipment. Cutting-edge equipment and expertise The medical advancements utilized by GWAAC include techniques and equipment that originated in military settings, developed for battlefield medicine in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2022, the charity responded to 1,979 medical emergencies, with cardiac arrests and road traffic accidents being the most common call-outs. A meticulous approach: the tour of GWAAC facilities Circle members were treated to an in-depth tour, gaining insight into the meticulous organization and dedication behind GWAAC’s operations. Critical care cars: ready for action The base holds three identical critical care cars, each equipped with color-coded, strategically placed bags of medical supplies. The cars remain connected to mains power while in the garage, ensuring all electrical equipment, such as heart monitors, are fully charged and ready for immediate use. Additionally, all paramedics undergo police-led high-speed driving training, allowing them to reach urban areas where the helicopter may face landing restrictions. Helimed 65: A versatile air ambulance helicopter The pride of the fleet, Helimed 65, is a Eurocopter 135. Known for its agility and reliability, this helicopter can access smaller landing sites and is fully stocked with the same medical equipment as the critical care cars. Although space is limited, Helimed 65 can still transport patients, and if needed, accommodate a patient’s family member or guardian during transit. The cost of life-saving work: funding the GWAAC One surprising fact about GWAAC, and other HEMS charities, is that they receive no public funding. Relying entirely on public donations, the GWAAC, like the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), is an essential service whose operations depend on community support. For such a critical service to function without state, local, or NHS funding speaks volumes about the dedication and passion of its team and supporters. Impressions and next Steps: supporting the GWAAC mission Members of the Cirencester, South Cotswolds Circle left the GWAAC base with a profound appreciation for the dedication, expertise, and compassion shown by the team. The Circle is now more committed than ever to fundraising efforts, inspired by the visit to continue supporting this essential service. How you can help Supporting local air ambulances like the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity is a powerful way to contribute to life-saving services. By donating, fundraising, or even volunteering, community members play a direct role in sustaining critical emergency care for those in need. Supporting the GWAAC is not just an act of charity; it’s an investment in community safety and emergency response.

It has often but not always been the case that the Great Britain National President leads a pilgrimage during his year of office. Since my election as GB National Vice President in November 2022 I have along with Br John Tweddle, Director of Province 3, been planning a pilgrimage with a difference for my year of office. As some brothers will know I am a keen fell walker and, in the past, have completed the Pennine Way, the West Highland Way and Alfred Wainwright’s (A.W.s) Coast to Coast Route. I am combining this love of walking with a faith-based pilgrimage within Great Britain to enable as many Catenians to join Brother John and I for some if not the whole of the walk. We have planned a self-arranged and self-guided walk of the St Cuthbert’s Way which begins in Melrose Scotland and ends on Lindisfarne between the 4th to 11th September 2024. It is a walk of approximately 65 miles. The pilgrimage is based on accommodation in the Wooler area and transport out and back each day as required. It is hoped to arrange accommodation for a small GBNC party to walk the whole way whilst we invite other Catenians who wish to participate by joining us on each day of the walk. We hope to start each day by attending Holy Mass if possible but if not by holding a small prayer service prior to beginning our daily walk. It is also hope that we can recite the rosary as we walk and have some time for silent reflection. At the end of the walk, Bishop John Arnold the Bishop of Salford along with Fr Shaun O’Neill parish priest of St Aiden’s in Seahouses will join us to celebrate Holy Mass in the chapel on Lindisfarne at 12.30p.m. We hope that this mass will also encourage a good number of local Catenians to attend. St Cuthbert’s Way links many of the places important in the story of the 7th century saint starting at Melrose Abbey, finishing on Holy Island where St Cuthbert served as Bishop of Lindisfarne, it passes the cave where his remains were stored almost 200 years later. Cuthbert was a native of the border country who worked as a shepherd before entering the monastic community in Melrose. He was initially created Bishop of Hexham in 684 before eventually become Bishop of Lindisfarne where he lived a life of great holiness and was responsible for the establishment of the Christian faith in the kingdom of Northumbria. He was beatified some 11 years after his death when his coffin was opened, and his remains found to be perfectly preserved. These remains were removed from Holy Island in 875 when the island community was threatened by Viking raids and finally came to rest in Durham Cathedral. One of the optional feasts of St Cuthbert is incidentally celebrated on 4th September and very appropriately the day when we begin our pilgrimage walk. Our proposed walking schedule outlined below is based on a reconnaissance visit by John Tweddle in September of this year. Day Number Date Route Mileage Ascent Notes 1 Wednesday, 4th September Meet at Wooler None None Book into accommodation 2 Thursday, 5th September Melrose to St Boswells 7 miles 883 ft Start at Melrose Abbey and finish at St Boswells Main St Greenside 3 Friday, 6th September St Boswells to Jedfoot Bridge 10 miles 700 ft Start St Boswells as above; finish Jedfoot Bridge on A698 and lane just below Caddy Man car park 4 Saturday, 7th September Jedfoot Bridge to Morebattle 9 miles 1101 ft Start Jedfoot Bridge as above; finish Morebattle old Chapel next to Temple Hall Hotel 5 Sunday, 8th September Morbattle to Kirk Yetholm 7 miles 997 ft Start Morebattle as above; finish Kirk Yetholm green by Borders 6 Monday, 9th September Kirk Yetholm to Wooler 13.5 miles 2221 ft Start Kirk Yetholm as above; finish Wooler Market Place 7 Tuesday, 10th September Wooler to Causeway 14 miles 1276 ft Start Wooler Market Place finish Causeway 8 Wednesday, 11 September Causeway to Holy Island 3.5 miles 151 ft Safe crossing time 10.35 to 19.25 but latest safe crossing time for return by the Pilgrim’s Route is 16.00 Proposed accommodation A provisional booking has been made at The Black Bull Inn, High Street Wooler. This is a 17th Century Inn in the centre of the town. Rooms are a bit old fashioned in keeping with the character of the Inn. It is well used by walkers. The hotel is functional, clean and serves an incredibly good breakfast. Dinner is available most nights by arrangement with the chef, but he does need a night off!! The 2023 Prices for midweek B&B prices per room night are shown below but a weekend supplement may be payable. However, we hope that the owner may be able to agree a 7-day rate. Large double £85 / room night 2 available Standard double £70 / room night 4 available Twin £65 / room night 2 available All 8 rooms have been blocked out to John Tweddle from Wednesday 4th to Tuesday 10th September 2024 inclusive, depart Wednesday 11th. Bookings will be direct to the hotel but controlled by John. The Inn has its own private carpark shared with Noble Lands self-catering accommodation in the adjacent courtyard. Access to the car park is from an adjacent road and there is pedestrian access through the courtyard to the hotel. At the head of the courtyard there is a (highly recommended, by John and Jean and many others), Italian restaurant called Milan. There is a sandwich shop and cafe a few yards up the High Street from the Bull, appropriately called Ramblers, who will be able to provide sandwiches and packed lunches to order. There is plenty of other accommodation available in Wooler for those wishing to join the Pilgrimage. If you are interested in joining us for either the whole walk or any day of the walk, please contact either John

When Tony from Gloucestershire was thinking about a charity to support, the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) immediately sprung to mind. Tony’s daughter had been involved in a serious road accident in 2023 and air ambulance support was crucial to her survival. GWAAC, like all air ambulance services, relies totally on charitable donations to operate. So, how to raise money? Tony is a keen walker so a physical challenge seemed obvious. He decided to walk the Cotswold Way which runs for 102 miles from Chipping Campden to Bath. The weather was very kind and the trek was completed in 10 days. Sometimes Tony stayed overnight in local pubs or B&Bs orwent home for the night. Tony met fellow-walkers from many different countries along the way and was never lonely. They all enjoyed the beautiful views over the Severn Vale along the route – another spectacular view round ever corner or at the top of every hill. In truth, the major climbs were not so enjoyable but the reward of views from the top made it all worthwhile. Tony finished his walk, as is traditional, in front of the magnificent West frontage of Bath Abbey. So far, Tony has raised over £1,000 from the GWAAC. You too can support the GWAAC by donating through their webpage at https://greatwesternairambulance.com/

When Maurice Wilbraham agreed to be Macclesfield Circle President he realised it would be a busy year with his wife, Fran, also becoming the Ladies Captain at Macclesfield Golf Club. Both the Ladies Captain and Circle President  choose a charity to support for the their year and Maurice and Fran both chose MY CWA, a local Cheshire charity, supporting victims of abuse. Fran’s  year as Ladies Captain ended in February enabling her to be the first to present the charity with a cheque for £4560. MY CWA thanked Fran  and the Club for the generous donation. They stressed that funding had been difficult in the past year as the cost of living put pressure on individual donors and local authorities were cutting back on awarding grants. The cheque  would enable them  to continue the work of supporting those their charities helped. Responding Fran thanked golf club members for their generosity in donating to the Captains’ charities which it had been a privilege to nominate and support. A similar amount was raised by the Men’s Captain for his nominated charity, Just Drop In, supporting young people, the establishment of which  was the Millennium project of Churches Together in Macclesfield.

FOOD4THOUGHT, an idea borne out of lockdown in 2021, was an opportunity to help four inner-city Catholic Primary schools’ needy families. This initiative raised over £7000 in it’s first year and continues to flourish through donations from Brothers,wives and widows. Our Lady of Lourdes Trust’ CEO, James McGeachie identified four schools and I approached each head teacher to finalise four families. Each school is given a monthly sum then discreetly monitors the distribution of food/vouchers. This has had a huge impact on the families involved who are very appreciative of our efforts. Our Circle has made a difference.