New charity for AU
NEW AU President Jo Carter has announced that the Athletic Union’s Charity of the Year 2007/08 will be the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Service.
The charity, which launched in October 2000, specialise in providing a rapid response service for medical emergencies in the Yorkshire region, and is responsible for carrying out in excess of 6,000 missions since its inception.
In order to continue running, the charity requires £2.5 million a year to meet its operational costs, which is a massive £6,900 per day. Last year, the AU contributed £4,500 to their Charity of the Year, which was split between the NSPCC and Sport Relief. The Squash club alone made over £1000 through their highly successful 24-hour squash marathon and quadracket tournament.
In an attempt to raise funds for their new charity, the AU, in conjunction with charityadventure.org.uk, is organising a sponsored bike ride from York to Lancaster in March.
Commenting on the announcement, Carter said: “I’m delighted with the decision. In previous years, the AU has chosen large national, or even international, charities. I was really keen to choose a local charity, where we could get more involved with the work that they do and see the effects.”
See www.yorkshireairambulance.org.uk for more info.
