Pendle's North West Air Ambulance charity shop is ready for take-off again

As the charity prepares to open its Barrowford store doors again, it is seeking volunteers to play an important role in saving lives across the North West.

Throughout the crisis, the charity has kept in touch with its volunteering team to monitor wellbeing and ensure no one feels isolated or left behind.

One of the charity’s volunteers, Mally Dow (76) from Laneshaw Bridge, is excited to get back to helping the Barrowford charity store at The Fountains, Gisburn Road.

She said: “Volunteering at the store has been extremely rewarding for me. It’s a fantastic feeling that the hard work we put in is going towards such an important local charity.

"I am 76 years old and volunteering keeps me active, physically and mentally. Each shift is different, and I never know who I’ll meet or what challenges are waiting for me.

"It’s great to be part of the Barrowford team, so if you want to join us, go for it. It’s been a good way to meet new people and learn new skills, and you do so knowing you’re helping to keep the helicopters in the air and saving lives across the North West.”

Operating seven days a week, 365 days a year, last year NWAA attended 2,466 missions each year, delivering emergency pre-hospital care to the most critically ill and injured patients across the North West. It does not receive Government funding, instead relying on public support and dedicated volunteers, who play an important role in helping the charity raise £9.5m a year to remain operational.

Helen Doward, NWAA’s head of volunteering, praised the volunteering team, and said: “The last few months have been difficult for many charities, with COVID-19 forcing stores to close and suspending volunteering activity.

"The resilience our volunteers have shown in lockdown has been amazing though, with most of the team raring to get back to their roles once safe to do so. It’s been heart warming to have volunteers continuing to show our charity and each other a great deal of support, despite not being able to volunteer.

“The charity has carefully planned out the phased reopening of our stores, ensuring social distancing is adhered to and installing clear till barriers to keep our teams and customers safe. With some of our existing volunteers unable to return for the time being, we’re looking for new people to join our Barrowford store.”

The charity has 14 stores across the North West. You can contact Helen and her team at [email protected], call 0800 587 4570 or visit nwaa.net/fundraising/volunteer for further information.