East Midlands Ambulance Service take the leap of a lifetime for LOROS Hospice

Four colleagues at East Midlands Ambulance Service are aiming to raise £400 each through the skydive

Submitted by Yasemin Gumushan

Colleagues at East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) have joined forces to raise money for LOROS Hospice at this year’s annual LOROS skydive.

Motivated by both their experiences through the ambulance service and personal connections to LOROS, the team have pledged to raise a minimum of £400 each in sponsorship for the charity.

The EMAS team will take to the skies on Sunday, March 27 at Sibson Airfield, each jumping from heights of 13,000 feet and reaching exhilarating speeds of over 140mph.

Hugo Cheverton is a clinician working on the ambulances at EMAS and is a regular supporter of LOROS.

Hugo said: “I love the team of people who get involved in LOROS events, they’re always diverse and a barrel of laughs! This year, I thought I’d go one step further and challenge myself with the skydive. I’m petrified but I know it’ll be worth it.”

After signing up, Hugo decided to rally up colleagues to take the leap of a lifetime too.

“Everyone knows how stretched resources are at the moment. Anything we can do to help patients in our community get the care they need and deserve is right up our street, that's what gets us out of bed every day.

“I know LOROS for providing gold standards of care, and as emergency staff we quite regularly either send patients there or ask for advice on palliative care matters. It’s great to be able to give back in some way.”

Fellow technician and soon-to-be student paramedic Megan Herbert was the first to join Hugo in soaring through the sky.

She said: “I’ve been able to witness the compassion and level of care LOROS give to all patients through my work and on a first-hand family basis. This really is a perfect event to support the Hospice and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

“When Hugo shared the event with us on the work group, I had to sign up. LOROS means a lot to me and my family. Since I was little, I always remember my parents donating regularly. More recently, LOROS became even closer to our hearts as they cared for my great uncle in his final days.

“We are so fortunate to have LOROS, it really is one in a million!”

Alongside Hugo and Megan, Tamzin Finn and Abigail Pickard will be joining their colleagues in this heart-racing challenge. Over 20 daring individuals will be taking the plunge for LOROS on March 27, if you’d like to join them then find out more click here.

The challenge will raise much-needed funds for LOROS to enable the local charity to run their 31-bed Inpatient Ward and facilitate their nurse led Day Therapy unit. LOROS provide specialist care to over 2,500 terminally ill patients and their families each year and largely relies on the generosity of the community to fund the services provided.

To make a donation to support EMAS in their jump, click here.

For more information about LOROS Hospice and their fundraising events, click here.

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