# Pistonheads, Richard Hammond & Air Ambulance.



## Lisa. (May 7, 2002)

I thought this warranted yet another thread

Pistonheads have quickly set up a fund to raise monies for the Air Ambulance and have already acheived a staggering Â£40k in two days.

Their target is Â£51K

You can make your donation and send your "get well" wishes at the same time, mentioning the TT forum if you like.

http://www.justgiving.com/PHRichardHammond


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## J55TTC (Apr 25, 2005)

Excellent idea, donation made


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## Sim (Mar 7, 2003)

I made one this morning. Any they had already set a new target of 25K and are probably over that now.

One suggestion is that every area has such a service and folk may consider donating to their local service instead - apart from in Scotland as I believe this is funded by the Scottish Exec.

The new target is 51K and they are at 43K


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

Made my donation this afternoon.

It was mentioned on the BBC Lunchtime news that an Internet Car Forum had set up a fund & was hoping to raise close to Â£50K. They did not mention the Forums name though :?


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## BorderFox (Jun 21, 2003)

Thanks for posting that Lisa, I just made a donation. 
Isnt it great how people come together at a time like this.


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## BreTT (Oct 30, 2002)

BorderFox said:


> Isnt it great how people come together at a time like this.


It is, but it is a tragedy that the rest of the time most of these charities struggle to raise funds. :?


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## thehornster (Apr 29, 2005)

[smiley=mexicanwave.gif]

Fundraising target: Â£51,000.00 
Donations to date: Â£54,243.50


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Is it just me or is there somewhat of an irony that a relatively highly paid celeb gets taken to hospital by a charity? :?

Gov't should fully fund air ambulances. Maybe use some of the reappropriated fuel duty currently being wasted in the Middle East.

I just renewed by RNLI membership. Another life saver totally unfunded by Exchequer. :x


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## BorderFox (Jun 21, 2003)

BreTT said:


> BorderFox said:
> 
> 
> > Isnt it great how people come together at a time like this.
> ...


I actually thought that something like an Air Ambulance would have been Government funded. The problem with giving to some charities today is that most of the money ends up in the collectors pocket. I think the minium they have to give is 15%. At least with the Pistonheads appeal the money will be going where it is supposed to.


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## Carlos (May 6, 2002)

garyc said:


> Is it just me or is there somewhat of an irony that a relatively highly paid celeb gets taken to hospital by a charity? :?


There probably wasn't time to arrange a charter flight, what with the brain injury and all.


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Carlos said:


> garyc said:
> 
> 
> > Is it just me or is there somewhat of an irony that a relatively highly paid celeb gets taken to hospital by a charity? :?
> ...


NHS were probably team building somewhere.


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## cuTTsy (Jan 31, 2003)

128K now  There is a 50K donation on there.


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

cuTTsy said:


> 128K now  There is a 50K donation on there.


That's great. I am sure that YAA do a great job. And the directors seem to be living quite nicely from it.....Â£128k will just cover one of their salaries.

http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/ca880236838d5f21af287d307845bedf/compdetails

They are still in dispute over a Â£550K 'loan' from the Yorkshire Ambulance service that 'disappeared'. The taxpayer still gives them Â£500K a year from WYMAS.

The million plus a year it takes to run mainly goes on pilots and directors fees. Quite a few individuals are taking more than Â£100K pa out of the charity. All of the pilots, part of a separate company that contracts to YAA, are on full commercial CAA salaries.

Now I am not saying that they are not doing a great job for a good cause. But they are not exactly doing it for free and the Hammond accident is the best PR they could have had to dispell the whiff of scandal and mismanagment that was around them.

But this is fully commercial organisation with registered charity status (for tax breaks) where even the fundraisers take 10% (which is quite normal BTW)

http://www.ypn.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=847125

I know that saving just one life vindicates it all and it's a good cause, but I am not sure in these comapssionate loved-up moments, if people are fully aware of who is doing what and for what reward.

Looks like Hammond is on mend. Which is good. 

TG viewing figures should sky rocket too.


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

BTW this topic came to mind last night when we had dinner with friend who is a charity fundraiser working with Grant Making Trusts.

He has just moved into a Â£650K house and makes about Â£140K pa through fundraising for various charities.

Before you go through the roof, this is typical, and of course several million a year is raised for the various charities that would not otherwise be raised at all.

It's just the word 'charity' and 'good cause' seems to makes people come over all Dunkirk Spirit and think that everyone in charity is working for nothing, or for less than they would get in a fully commerical organisation. It's not the case since of course thes orgs still need professional and responsible executive management. And that costs.


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## John C (Jul 5, 2002)

Interesting Gary - as always, thought provoking posts.

I sit on the board of trustees of a charity and we have over Â£100k worth of salaries and the hardest thing each year is getting that paid for.

Getting money for 'stuff for the charity' is much easier that making contributors understand the someone has to run the whole organisation every day. Man the phones, do the books, run the activities etc.


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

BorderFox said:


> BreTT said:
> 
> 
> > BorderFox said:
> ...


JustGiving do take a few %, I think from the Gift Aid tax rebates claimed - so you give Â£10 which goes to the charity, they claim back the Â£2.80 tax and give around Â£1.93 extra to the charity.

http://www.justgiving.com/statements/ab ... r_fees.asp

Nice to see that Gordon Brown takes his VAT on the transaction fees :evil:


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## QuackingPlums (Mar 10, 2004)

garyc said:


> ...they are not exactly doing it for free and the Hammond accident is the best PR they could have had to dispell the whiff of scandal and mismanagment that was around them.


It works both ways - given the publicity that this fundraising has attracted, they are at least going to spend it on a new helicopter (according to the news this morning), rather than a new logo or fancy uniforms... :lol:


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## NaughTTy (Jul 9, 2003)

Fundraising target: Â£500,000.00 
Donations to date: Â£168,528.10

Think they've now upped the anti some what


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

NaughTTy said:


> Fundraising target: Â£500,000.00
> Donations to date: Â£168,528.10
> 
> Think they've now upped the anti some what


Make hay while... :wink:


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

garyc said:


> Carlos said:
> 
> 
> > garyc said:
> ...


I'm not 100% sure but the BBC's insurance will be charged for this just like he would of had it of been a normal car accident.


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## Private Prozac (Jul 7, 2003)

Excellent post Gary.

Not something I'd bothered thinking about but quite obvious really, (especially as the ex-wife works as a Charity Administrator, gets paid, and this obviously has to come from somewhere! :? ).


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