Partner Article

Five figure sum raised by Hay & Kilner for Great North Air Ambulance Service

Legal firm Hay & Kilner have raised £10,000 to support Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). Members of the practice voted to support GNAAS as their dedicated charity for 2024, and have been carrying out a range of individual and team-based activities to raise money for, and awareness of, the charity.

Over the course of 2024, colleagues from the firm have undertaken a wide range of wonderful and wacky activities, including a Bake Off, the Great North Run, wine tasting,knit sales, raffles and monthly dress down days. The fundraising highlight was a 20-mile walk in the dark from the firm’s offices at The Lumen in Newcastle city centre  to Wylam in Northumberland and back! 

GNAAS brings pioneering pre-hospital care to the scene, rescuing hundreds of severely injured or ill patients every year. They are not NHS-funded, and their daily operating cost is over £25,000. GNAAS provides a full helicopter emergency medical support service, covering around 8,000 square miles across the North East, North Yorkshire and Cumbria. It recently issued an urgent plea for more funding from the region after revealing that rising costs had put it at risk of running at a deficit, which could potentially mean it might not be able to afford to answer emergency calls. The organisation relies entirely on donations, fundraising and grants to cover its £8.5m annual running costs. 

Hay & Kilner is one of the region’s leading full-service law firms and provides comprehensive legal advice to businesses and individuals from both within and outside the region.

Over the last few years, over £40,000 has been raised for the firm’s dedicated charities, which have included the Children’s Heart Unit Fund, Tiny Lives, The People’s Kitchen, If U Care Share and the Newcastle West End Foodbank. From charitable support, mentoring schemes to  sponsorships and  time off for volunteering, giving back to the local community is core to the firm’s values and is something the whole team enjoys being involved with.

Bethany Herbertson, Associate in the Dispute Resolution team and Chair of Hay & Kilner’s CSR committee, said:

“We’ve had a packed  calendar of fundraising events this year and with so many people from across the practice getting involved, it’s been another great  team effort. The continued involvement and generosity of everyone in the firm, allows us to support great causes year after year, and contribute positively to our local community. It is fantastic to finish the year by donating £10,000 to GNAAS, and we are thrilled to contribute to their work and the people they support with this vital service.’’   

New charity for 2025 

After a firm-wide vote, Hay & Kilner have selected St Oswald’s Hospice as their nominated charity for 2025. St Oswald’s, based in Gosforth, offers specialist patient-centric care for adults, young people, babies and children with life limiting conditions. They have supported local people and their families for over 35 years.

Bethany added:

‘’Each year the staff at Hay & Kilner nominate charities to be our charity of the year, and the nominations are put to a firm wide vote.  St Oswald’s Hospice was nominated by many staff and subsequently won the firm-wide vote, making it a very popular, and staff led, choice.   We’re looking forward to what promises to be a rewarding year of fundraising and awareness raising for such an  important charitable organisation for the region and it’s a privilege to support them.’’

 

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nina Walton .