Great North Air Ambulance Service

A paramedic who suffered life-threatening injuries in a hit and run cycling incident is organising his annual hill climb event to raise funds for the charity who came to his aid.

Jack Talbot, 30, was cycling in Ulverston, where he lives, when he was involved in a serious collision with a car in July 2017.

Mr Talbot was in a critical condition and sustained a serious brain injury, a T7 spinal fracture, a broken shoulder blade, rib fractures and a collapsed lung.

His colleagues from North West Ambulance Service worked alongside a doctor and paramedic team from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) to treat Mr Talbot.

He was put into a medically induced coma on scene by GNAAS’ team before being airlifted to Royal Preston Hospital.

Mr Talbot remained in an induced coma for 13 days and stayed in hospital for five weeks before making a great recovery.

He’s since reunited with the doctor and paramedic from GNAAS who treated him and has carried out several cycling events which have raised thousands of pounds for the charity.

One of the events is a cycling ‘hill climb’ event on The Struggle, near Ambleside with all the proceeds of the entry fee going to GNAAS.

This is the fourth year of the event, aptly called The Struggle Hill Climb, but the first time it will be hosting the RTTC National Hill Climb Championship.

The event will be taking place on 29 October on a closed road from Ambleside to the Kirkstone Pass Inn at the top of The Struggle, with riders setting off from Ambleside at 30 second intervals from 9.01am.

The 2.67-mile-long course features three savage pitches of over 20% gradients and includes a total of 1,175ft of ascent.

This year the event is proudly sponsored by Irwin Mitchell Solicitors and the iconic local brands, Wheelbase Cycles and Romney's Kendal Mint Cake, together with prizes donated by Hunt Wheels, Wahoo, Voom Nutrition and Fell Brewery.

Mr Talbot said: “The Struggle Hill Climb has become an iconic fixture in the UK’s Hill Climb calendar already and I am honoured that we have been selected to host the Nationals in only our fourth year, but the most important aspect for me is that the added entries and attention will allow us to raise vastly more funds for GNAAS. This year’s event has already guaranteed over £8,000 for the choppers.”

450 riders have signed up to take part in the event, and spectators are thoroughly encouraged and welcomed. It is recommended to bring pots, pans, drums and bells to make some noise as each rider reaches the finish line.

For further information on the event, visit The Struggle’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/strugglehillclimb

GNAAS does not receive government funding and therefore needs to raise £8.5m a year to remain operational. The charity has launched a raffle with a top prize of £10,000 to help it meet rising demand of its services. Tickets costs £1 each and are available now at gna.as/raffle_2023

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, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok