Great North Air Ambulance Service

A mother and her two daughters are tackling half marathons, including the Great North Run, to raise funds for an air ambulance service which helped a family member.

Alison Rogerson, 58, and her daughters are raising money for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) after the charity came to the aid of Alison’s husband Peter Rogerson, 66, who fell from his push bike in Eskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway.

Mr Rogerson, from Lochmaben, said: “I normally do 45 miles and it takes me about three hours. I was halfway into my ride and was going downhill and as I went round a corner my bike toppled over and I came off.”

Despite the incident happening on a rural road, thankfully a car passed by a few minutes later and the driver phoned 999.

He said: “I was very lucky. I was cycling on a quiet road, and while normally that would be great for a cyclist, you never think about what if you need people to come and help you.”

The Scottish Ambulance Service requested the help of GNAAS and their critical care team flew from their base in Langwathby, Penrith to the scene of the incident in 20 minutes.

Mr Rogerson’s wife Alison said: “The amazing team were first on scene following the 999 call from the people that found him. Their quick treatment and care ultimately increased his chance of survival.”

Mr Rogerson was airlifted to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary where they found he had a broken collarbone, 10 broken ribs, including multiple fractures which caused a flail chest, a fractured pelvis, and a broken finger.

Mrs Rogerson said: “Peter had injured his left side, but his head was fine and there was no injury to it. His helmet was split in two and ultimately saved his skull and brain.”

He was then transferred to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and underwent an eight-hour operation to fit metalwork.

He said: “I cannot recall anything about what happened, and when I woke up in hospital, I believed I’d completed my bike ride.”

At the time of the incident, which was on 11 December 2023, Mr Rogerson was wearing a GPS watch which was linked to his phone, and this confirmed the route he had taken that day, including the journey in the air ambulance and subsequently a land ambulance when he was transferred to a different hospital.

He eventually came home on 27 December using a walking stick and is currently undergoing physiotherapy to help with his recovery.

Prior to the incident Mr Rogerson was fit and well and would regularly cycle up to 100 miles in a day.

He was also a fell runner and has completed the Bob Graham Round in 24 hours, which is a 66-mile route including 42 of the highest peaks in the Lake District.

Mr Rogerson said: “I’ve had falls on my bike before and usually dust myself down and go home. I’ve broken my collarbone on the other side, but nothing like this before.”

He has previously completed the Fred Whitton Challenge with his friend Rory Longmore, but this year Rory will be doing it on his own to raise money for GNAAS.

Mr Rogerson’s wife and two daughters have also decided to raise money for GNAAS by running half marathons.

Mrs Rogerson will be taking part in the Great North Run in September with her daughter Fiona, 35, and also doing the Glasgow Half Marathon in October with her daughter Sarah, 33.

Mr Rogerson added: “I still say to my wife, I can’t get my head round what happened. I just think, wow these people kept me alive.”

GNAAS have charity places available for the Great North Run, which require runners to raise a minimum of £300. For those interested, you can buy your place here: https://gna.as/greatnorthrun

About GNAAS

• The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is a charitably funded air ambulance service which provides life-saving care throughout the North East, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Isle of Man.
  
• They operate two helicopters 365 days a year and also operate a night-time service in the North East and Cumbria on rapid response vehicles.
  
  
• The aircraft cover an area of more than 8,000 square miles and on board are specialist doctors and paramedics who effectively bring the hospital to the patient.
  
  
• The level of skill and expertise of the on-board team mean they respond to the most critically ill and injured people, giving them the best chance of survival.
  
  
• GNAAS is a progressive organisation which has pioneered pre-hospital care in the region.
  
• The latest techniques, equipment and drugs are constantly being evaluated to ensure the charity can provide the best care possible for their patients.
  
  
• 2022 marked the service providing 20 years of life-saving care. Throughout this time, they have responded to more than 23,500 incidents across the region, with road traffic collisions being the most frequent type of incident responded to by the team.
  
  
• They do not receive Government funding and must therefore raise £8.5m a year through public donations to remain operational.

For more information visit: https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk/ or follow @gnairambulance on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok