Wetherby Whaler helps keep helicopter off the ground
Thursday 26th November, 2015
The Wetherby Whaler group of fish and chip restaurants and takeaways has received an award for its continued fundraising and advocacy of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA).
Wetherby Whaler received the Corporate Partner Award at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Recognition Awards after raising around £10,000 for the charity, which plays a crucial role in saving hundreds of lives in the region every year.
The Corporate Partner Award recognises the efforts of those in the business community that make it possible to keep the Yorkshire Air Ambulance in the sky. Nominations come from charity staff with the final judgement made by the senior management team and board of trustees.
Wetherby Whaler, which has restaurants in Wetherby, York, Pudsey, Guiseley and Wakefield, first began to fundraise for the charity in 2011, when it began hosting fundraising evenings and placing collection tins in prominent positions to encourage patrons to donate their loose change.
The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an independent charity which provides a rapid response emergency service to five million people across four million acres of Yorkshire. To keep both the helicopters maintained and in the air the Charity needs to raise £12,000 every single day, which is equivalent to £4.4 million per year.
Phillip Murphy, co-owns the Wetherby Whaler group along with his wife Janine, he said: “We’re ecstatic to have received the Corporate Partner Award. I’m so proud that we have been able to contribute towards ensuring that the Yorkshire Air Ambulance stays in the sky and continues to save lives. It is very important for us to support local initiatives and to put something back into the community and as a Yorkshire-based business the Air Ambulance fits the criteria perfectly with the amazing life-saving work it carries out across the region. Our customers are incredibly generous, and along with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, we’d like to thank them for the contributions they make.”
Paul Gowland, Director of Fundraising at The Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “The generosity that we receive from the people and businesses of Yorkshire is the lifeblood of the charity and without this support we would not be able to provide the service that we are so proud of. We are extremely grateful for the money raised by the Wetherby Whaler and hope to continue to develop our relationship with the group.”