Former patient joins Cornwall Air Ambulance in first charity football match
Scott Halliday suffered serious burns after a deep fat fryer exploded
Cornwall Air Ambulance is set to go head-to-head with a fellow air ambulance charity for its first ever charity football match.
Patients, paramedics and those with a connection to Cornwall Air Ambulance will join forces to take on the team from Thames Valley Air Ambulance.
The inaugural game, which will take place on Saturday 21st May 2022 at Troon AFC’s Grouter Park, aims to raise money and awareness for the work of both lifesaving charities.
Team members include Scott Halliday from Hayle who was airlifted in 2020 following a kitchen fire in St Ives and a member of the Albury family, supporting the charity after a serious incident involving Olivia Albury in 2019.
Scott told us: "So I was involved in an accident at work, the deep fat fryer exploded and unfortunately I took the brunt of the explosion. I burnt all my arm and my back and got airlifted to Derriford. I was then transferred to Salisbury to the special burns unit where I was there for about seven weeks and undertook some skin grafts and rehabilitation.
"It was in August 2020 so it was crazy busy on the roads with summer traffic, so I reckon if that Air Ambulance hadn't got me to Derriford in I think it was about 20 minutes, it would have taken an hour or an hour-and-a-half on the roads, so it is just vital."
Stuart Beveridge, Communications & Marketing Manager at Cornwall Air Ambulance, said: “It is hugely exciting to organise this charity football match and to see former patients pull on the red and black kit of Cornwall Air Ambulance FC. This is what the service is all about, helping people in their hour of need and giving them the best possible chance of living their life as normal. This is a fantastic opportunity to support two air ambulance charities and the countless lives they will save across their regions. We hope to see a big crowd on the day!”
The opposition side, Thames Valley Air Ambulance FC (TVAA FC), was formed in 2017 to raise money in memory of four-year-old Barnaby, who sadly lost his life following a tragic incident in Thame, Oxfordshire.
Five years on TVAA FC are still playing charity football matches and have raised almost £40,000 for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance, which serves the people of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.
Stuart Gibson, Founder of TVAA FC, said: “Over the last couple of years we have adopted a new approach with a focus on playing football against fellow charity teams, again this helps support and raise awareness for our opponents’ charities along with keeping our team and the Thames Valley Air Ambulance in the spotlight. We are looking forward to taking on the team from Cornwall Air Ambulance on their home turf.”
Tickets for the match are available at £5 per car, with a JustGiving page online to raise funds to keep both charities flying and saving lives. Tickets can be purchased online now at https://cornwallairambulancetrust.org/cornwall-air-ambulance-fc/