Latest news with #LeighTaylor
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Man who 'would be dead' without charity appeals for donations amid funding shortfall
A CUMBRIAN man who says he 'would have died' without the help of the air ambulance when he was involved in a brewery explosion last year has urged people to donate to the organisation. The appeal comes following news that 2025 fundraising appeal for the vital Great North Air Ambulance Service has fallen behind target. The charity, which provides life-saving care to critically ill and injured people across the North of England and the Isle of Man, relies on donations from the public to remain operational. Unfortunately, their appeal, which helps fund the service, has failed to reach the same level of success as previous years. Leigh Taylor, a 44-year-old from Seaton, was working on May 13, 2024, when he was engulfed by a fireball and badly burned in a blast at the Tractor Shed Brewery in Workington. Speaking about how the air ambulance helped him that awful day, Leigh said: 'Last year I was involved in an accident at work, an explosion and I was in a critical condition, the air ambulance responded, air ambulance Doctor Patrick Duncan was the first one to respond, he responded in a vehicle and put me in an induced coma. 'I was flown to Newcastle RVI with 40% burns to my body; my legs, hands and face and they were basically the first link in the chain that saved my life that day.' 'I would have died; without a shadow of a doubt I would have died without them. 'I wouldn't have got to the RVI where they have a specialist burns unit, I wouldn't have got there in time on a road ambulance.' In April, Leigh visited the GNAAS' base, where he had the opportunity to discuss his incident with Dr Duncan and find out more information about what happened in the aftermath. Appealing to people to donate to the charity, Leigh said: 'I would just appeal to people to think (about donating). I had always given 5p in a charity bucket or something for the air ambulance always given loose change, but go and directly donate: five, ten, twenty pounds I would ask people to consider that because if you're like me you never know. 'You never think it's going to be you until it's you, I'd just ask people to spare a thought for that and give what they can to the air ambulance.' It currently costs £9.3m a year to fund the service, which equates to just over £25,200 per day. Joe Garcia, interim chief executive officer at GNAAS, said: 'The past few years have been challenging for GNAAS, and as time goes on, our aircraft are aging and the cost of running this service is increasing, whilst charitable support across all charities is dropping. 'In 2024 we were predicted to run at a deficit and go into our limited reserves just to keep us flying, and we don't want history to repeat itself.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Convinced I was dying' - Cumbrian brewery blast victim reunited with doctor
A MAN who sustained life-threatening injuries in a Workington brewery explosion last year has been reunited with the doctor who saved him. Leigh Taylor, a 44-year old from Seaton, was working on May 13, 2024, when he was engulfed by a fireball and badly burned in a blast. Recalling the incident, Mr Taylor said: "I remember being blown across the room and looking at it in disbelief. "My ears were ringing, and smoke was billowing, and then I just crawled out of the rubble. "I could see my hands were red raw, like slabs of meat with all the skin hanging off." North West Ambulance Service, Cumbria Police, and Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene, in addition to teams from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) and North West Air Ambulance Charity. Mr Taylor said: "I was convinced I was dying, and that's what I was expecting, to die, because the last thing I remember was them cutting the sleeve off my coat, and then I woke up five weeks later." He was put into a medically induced coma by the doctor and paramedic team from GNAAS and airlifted to Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle. Leigh Taylor in hospital a few weeks after the blast (Image: Supplied) The father-of-two underwent skin grafts after sustaining 40 per cent burns to his face, legs, and hands, and he also suffered a cardiac arrest while in a coma. Mr Taylor spent a total of nine weeks in hospital and was full of praise for the staff at the RVI who remarked that his recovery has been faster compared to other people of a similar age with similar injuries. He said: "The care at Newcastle's RVI was unbelievable, they were just fantastic. "My burns nurse always tells people at the hospital that I'm not your average burn survivor, which makes me quite proud." Mr Taylor still suffers from a lung inhalation injury, and despite doctors initially telling him it would be at least three months before he could resume climbing the fells, he defied those odds by reaching his first peak 37 days after leaving hospital. Leigh Taylor with the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) helicopter (Image: Supplied) He said: "The incident has given me a new perspective on life and it's changed me as a person. "It's kind of forced me on this journey of self-reflection and healing." Less than a year after the incident, Mr Taylor visited GNAAS' base in Langwathby to meet doctor Patrick Duncan, one of the medics who treated him on scene. He also brought his dog Taco, a Cocker Spaniel cross Kelpie, who was in the same building at the time of the explosion, but in a different room. He said: "She normally roamed around wherever I went, but that day for some reason I locked her in the office, so she wasn't by my side when it happened. "She's a lucky girl." During Mr Taylor's visit to GNAAS' base, he had the opportunity to discuss his incident with Dr Duncan and find out more information about what happened in the aftermath. Dr Duncan said: "I've attended many incidents since joining GNAAS, but Leigh's case was certainly a memorable one. "Considering it's been less than a year since the incident, Leigh looks really well compared to when we last saw him, and it was a pleasure to meet him again and find out how he's getting on." Mr Taylor added: "Patrick and the rest of the team at GNAAS were the first link in the chain that saved my life that day. "They stabilised me on scene and flew me quickly to the RVI in Newcastle which gave me the best possible chance of survival. "The job they do is really admirable and I have a lot of respect for them. "You never think you'll need GNAAS, but when you do, you'll be grateful that this service exists." According to GNAAS, it needs to raise £9.3m a year to remain operational. The charity recently launched an appeal to help them raise these funds. Find out more about the appeal on their website at
