Hospice chief takes new role with air ambulance

A FORMER chief at Kirkwood Hospice has been appointed to a top role with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Garry Wilkinson, former director of fundraising and marketing at the Daltonbased hospice, is the new Director of Fundraising and joins the rapid response emergency charity following the retirement of Paul Gowland.

Mr Gowland, who joined Yorkshire Air Ambulance as a community fundraiser 17 years ago, has been a significant figure in the development of the charity. He created and led a hugely successful fundraising team, taking the charity’s income from £1m to £8m a year.

He said: “I’ve had an amazing 17 years at Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“In that time, I’ve seen it go from a struggling, fledgling charity with a leased Bolkow helicopter, a Portakabin as its office and not knowing where the next month’s funds were coming from, to a successful and thriving organisation with secure, long-term plans for the people of Yorkshire.”

Mr Wilkinson has worked in the charitable sector since 2001 and had been at Kirkwood Hospice for 11 years.

He said: “It is really refreshing that the charity has developed with a strong ethical approach to fundraising.

“It is important that money is raised in the right way with no cold calling, door knocking or chugging.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves five million people and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. It needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep flying and has just replaced its two, ageing aircraft with brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

Garry heads up a 12-strong fundraising team and works closely with corporate sponsors and YAA Chairman Peter Sunderland to support the delivery of the charity’s fundraising strategy.