In this special festive episode Father Christmas steps in as guest host to find out what Christmas looks like for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance crew and the patients whose lives they’ve saved.

We hear from Dr Neil Sambridge about working over the festive season, before meeting three families who share their Yorkshire Air Ambulance patient stories and how Christmas has changed for them.

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Welcome to Summat In t’Air, the podcast by Yorkshire Air Ambulance. 2025 marks 25 years of Yorkshire Air Ambulance flying helicopters and saving lives across the region. So to celebrate, we're sharing stories of rescues and a glimpse of life at the charity.

Thank you for doing the introduction, Jon, but December is my time. Yes, it's me, Father Christmas, Santa Claus, St. Nick, whatever you'd like to call me. I'm taking over the presenting duties for this special episode of Summat In t’Air. I hope I said that right. You see, I also spend a lot of time flying over Yorkshire and like the crew, I also work hard over the Christmas holidays. So I thought I'd come to the base at Nostel and find out how our Christmases compare. Neil Sambridge is one of the doctors who flies on the helicopter.

I've worked quite a few Christmases on the Air Ambulance over the years, and as a doctor, I've worked a lot of Christmases in the hospital as well. So all the different teams and the different people we work with on those days, we're all quite aware that it's Christmas, aware that we're away from our families, maintaining a degree of professionalism, but at the same time trying to have a little bit of fun and entertainment during the day, but recognising that it's an operational time. Whether I'm at the air base or in the hospital, Christmas is a time for everybody to get together. So it's almost. It's a nice day to be working, but at the same time there's that sort of undercurrent of we're not at home, we're at work. Injuries and illness over the Christmas period can be quite emotive, and if we take on that emotion at the same time, it's quite hard for us as much as it's hard for our patients and their families. So we try and protect ourselves a little bit further.

Mrs. Claus, the elves and myself are all very busy in the run up to Christmas, getting all the presents ready, filling up with Christmas spirit, and obviously on Christmas Eve, when I'm out delivering the gifts, what's it like for Yorkshire Air Ambulance?

It's really variable. It's almost like a normal day of the week where it can be nothing or a lot of jobs. So anywhere between one or two, three, four or five, and it's completely unpredictable. We never know what's going to happen. Some people might wear a Christmas hat or a Christmas jumper, but at the same time, we can't go out to a road traffic incident wearing a Christmas jumper. So we've still got our orange uniform on, even if we've got a jumper over the top with a Christmas tree. We do try and cook a Christmas dinner, but it can't be too big, otherwise we can't go out and it has to be reheatable and the portion size has to be small. And we're often going back to our families to have Christmas meals later on during the day.

Now, I know everyone on the base is on the nice list. Yes, you are. I checked before we started recording. But do you get any other presents over Christmas from supporters?

We're really lucky in that respect. Every day is Christmas, so we get biscuits all the time and I suppose sometimes on Christmas we have more than our usual share of biscuits.

Oh, I do love a good biscuit. Don't forget, if you have any spare, you can leave some out for me on Christmas Eve. It's how I keep my lovely figure, you know, along with a carrot for the reindeers. Yes, there's lots of them. And if it's a foggy night, Rudolph joins us on an emergency. The same as you have to go out on emergencies. Neil, I'm going to ask you some quick fire Christmas questions. So, on your marks, get set, go.

Mince pie or Christmas pudding?

Oh, both. I'd have Christmas pudding and then have a mince pie.

Brussels sprouts. Love or hate?

I'm old now, so I like Brussels sprouts. The older generation used to cook them until there was nothing left, but if you slightly undercook them, then they're actually quite nice. I've got Brussels sprouts in the fridge now. That's how old I am.

Star or angel on top of your tree?

Definitely a star because I like physics.

Real tree or artificial tree?

We've got a real tree at home, so we live in the Peak park, so there's lots of places to go and buy and pick your own trees, so. So we tend to go to Longshore Estate and on no account could it have multicoloured lights on it. Apparently.

I do enjoy a festive tipple when I've finished my busy Christmas work. Do you have a favourite Christmas drink?

A few years ago I would have said a nice Scottish whisky, but I've got old now and I can't drink anymore. It gives me a hangover with just one can, so I've stopped drinking alcohol, so I'm really boring.

Well, thanks to Neil for that chat. It was great to hear what the crew gets up to on base at Christmas and reassuring to know that the Yorkshire Air Ambulance is here for Yorkshire all over the festive period. I'll make sure I give them an extra special present when I drop off on Christmas Eve.

Now, Neil mentioned the emotions around Christmas, especially when you're poorly or injured, but there's also a lot of emotions if you've been through a traumatic injury. And with the charity marking 25 years of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, there's a lot of lives that are being saved. I caught up with some of those patients, starting with Robyn and her mum, Lisa.

I was a university student in Huddersfield. I was on my way to the gym one morning and I was hit by a car on the way and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance came to get me and I wouldn't be here without them. I was in a coma for about a month, so I don't remember anything initially, which I'm actually quite glad for because I feel like that would be very traumatic to remember. I'm also scared of heights, so I'm glad. I can't remember the helicopter journey. I came around and was moved to a ward eventually. I don't remember any of that process, really. I remember being asked what the date was and I thought it was August and it was actually like the end of October and I couldn't even stand up, so I had to be hoisted between, like, bed and wheelchair and things.

And then I was stood up by the physios, which I very vaguely remember. I felt really dizzy. And then learning to walk, I think happened quite quickly, actually, but I remember being told not to ice skate a lot because I was just kind of sliding along. Yeah. So there was that. And then I moved to Chapel Allerton quite quickly, was on their complex rehab ward for about three months, I think. And then, yeah, just coming home and trying to get lots of sleep and just. It's quite slow now, so it's just like letting the time pass and trying to see those gradual improvements.

What was Christmas like on the ward in hospital?

So I managed to come home for a couple of nights, which was really, really nice. It was a big thing to get to celebrate at home. My parents actually brought me an elf on the shelf and we used to hide it around in, like, each other's bed areas. And, like, one time someone hid it in my area and it took me like the entire day to find it. We also had elf on the hoist as well, which was very amusing.

And what does Christmas look like for you and your family now?

Usually my younger brother wakes me up that is getting later and later every year, which I appreciate because I like the sleep. I have to start with a coffee. I just can't, like, do a morning without caffeine. And then do we always put, like, Peppa Pig on or something? Yeah. Is the Peppa Pig, like any of the wintry Christmasy episodes, usually ends up on just like, kind of background TV and opening gifts and stuff. We try to take it in turns, but my brother can be a bit slow, sneaky with that as well.

We always have croissants. Yeah, yeah. So we always have a nice brunch before Grandma Granddad come.

Yeah, the last few years. Yeah.

Yeah.

So, Lisa, you're Robyn's mum. Is Christmas extra special for you now following her accident?

Yes, yeah, absolutely. But do you know, everything is special. So we went for a walk in the rain yesterday, didn't we, Robyn? And it was a bit of a puff and we didn't want to go and we just turned it around and we just appreciated just every little squirrel. We saw every golden leaf and loved it and. Yeah. And Christmas is the same.

Yeah.

Just to be able to still have Robyn. We wouldn't have Robyn without the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Sorry. Getting emotional. Yeah. So, very indebted.

I think it's time I asked some of the big questions. Now, Robyn Brussels Sprouts, yes or no?

No, not for me. Don't really like them. Dad, you've done an interesting thing of setting a sproutometer before, haven't you?

Wait a moment. Dad has some explaining to do here. Dennis, what's a sproutometer?

So the sproutometer was something that was invented a few years ago at Christmas because we suddenly realised that Brussels sprouts, one of the effects of eating them is that you can pass wind, often known as farting. And what we did was we used to set a timer to work out how long does it take for the sprout to go through the system and come out as wind. It varies every year. I've noticed over the past few years that sprouts maybe aren't as toxic as they used to be because it's gone down from probably. I used to be able to do it in about 20 minutes. And sometimes now, after about two hours, the sproutometer still hasn't gone off.

Oh, no. Well, I'm not sure if that's eye opening or eye watering. I think I'll leave that tradition to Robyn and her family. And absolutely not encourage the elves to take part. They get naughty enough. Hmm. I'm not sure if I want to ask my next quick fire question, but sticking with what we've put on our plates.

Yorkshire pudding. Is that a Christmas dinner staple?

I think my grandma made us one, maybe. Was it when I was in hospital, Mum Grandma did one or something? Yeah, she came over and cooked for us and she asked me when I was in hospital what my favourite part of a Christmas dinner was, and I said, a Yorkshire pudding. And she said she wouldn't have normally done them, but she did them for me that year, so that was very nice.

And because I love to relax with a film after a busy day in the North Pole. What's your favorite Christmas film?

This is actually a really hard one. I love Arthur Christmas. I love that. But we always watch Polar Express on Christmas eve. We've got 3D glasses and everything. That's been like a big tradition. We've done it for years and every year Mum's like, oh, we should watch something different this year. And the three of us are like, no, it's tradition, we have to stick to it.

But I don't know, it gets a bit boring. So I really like Arthur Christmas for, like, a change as well.

Robyn, tell me, how are you doing now, three years after your accident?

I definitely experience a lot more fatigue than I used to and processing is slower. But I'm mainly just grateful to be alive and try and, like, you know, enjoy even the small moments and just to give back. I've done some volunteering. I'm looking at some different volunteering to go into and just really help people because, yeah, I just think, what's the point if you just, I don't know, miserable all the time, Just trying to be happy and give back, really.

Well, I know the team at Yorkshire Air Ambulance are always looking for volunteers and they're a very friendly bunch. I might send some of my elves along in the quieter summer months, actually give them something to do instead of pestering me. Now, a question for the whole family. What's your Christmas wish for the charity?

So I think the Air Ambulance, to me means a lot because, again, we wouldn't have Robyn without the Air Ambulance. Robyn was hit by a car and was in a coma for a month, was brought in by the Air Ambulance. And in the early days, we were told that we might be preparing for a coroner's report. We were also told that Robyn might need 24/7 care and that she might never walk. And here she is, walking, talking. She has all her memories. And again, I think the speed of delivery from the crash site to LGI is partly what saved Robyn and gave her a chance and then gave us a chance as a family to reconnect after the accident.

I would wish that they could have more secure funding that you wouldn't have to be… It must be like living hand to mouth a little bit. And that insecurity must be difficult to plan around. So I would wish that there could be something a lot more secure. I can't believe that we're relying on charitable funding for this service.

Hopefully just people raising as much money as possible. I definitely want to fundraise at some point. I think I wouldn't be here without you guys, so it's very important to me to, like, give back.

It was so lovely to speak to Robyn and her parents, Lisa and Dennis, and what a fantastic recovery for Robyn. Many former patients and their families begin volunteering for Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Jeff Cook from East Yorkshire is one of them. He was rescued after a motorbike crash in 2015.

In my recovery stage, all of a sudden I was a bit more interested in the air ambulance for obvious reasons. Like many others that are ex patients, you know, you suddenly get a bit more interested. And so I started just doing the usual thing, researching it on the Internet and I thought, oh, there's a link here for volunteering. So I thought, well, maybe I can give my bit back. So I made contacts and the next thing they made contact back with me and then I went to help at a couple of events and I thought, this is great, this. It was like you become part of the family instantly and then you're very privileged because you get to see the other side of the fence and you get to learn all these interesting facts and get to talk to the crew and that. So I thought, oh, yeah, I'm enjoying this, let's do a bit more. And then the next thing, it just snowballed, really.

I become a registered volunteer, started running my own events, but then I was dragging my wife along, so she said, I'm fed up with this, I might as well become a volunteer as well, because you're dragging me along. Anyway, so that's what. Yeah, that's how it all began and. And obviously you've got the support of the full family behind you and, yeah, we just go along to events and do fundraising that way through various ways. Sometimes it's just a stall at event or you might go and do a short speech for somebody or a check presentation. That's always a fun aspect because of course you get to talk to another fundraiser or group of fundraisers, have done a phenomenal thing by raising money to help the organisation, the charity, Survive. It's a team effort, you know, it's humbling. I mean, I said it's nice to be on the other side of the fence and it is.

So we'll go to an event if we're lucky. If a helicopter comes in, you get to talk to the crew and the first thing they'll do is come up to you and thank you. Why are you thanking me for? You're the one saving the lives. They go, no, without you helping to raise the funds, we wouldn't even be here.

What are the Christmas events like? Do you go to any really special ones?

There's some great local events. I mean everywhere, of course there's markets, Christmas markets. We love to do them wherever we can. They're always good fun. It's good spirit, you know, really gets you ready for the, for the famous week. Yeah. And of course you get all the stall holders that are selling Christmas things. You can rush about and buy them last minute items you forgot to get.

Yeah, I mean there's a local one to us where a well known local butcher, he always attends, he does the most amazing burgers and actually always look forward to that as well. It's the simple things in life, it's just. But yeah, and it always does so well because it's so well received and so well supported because everybody can relate to the air ambulance. So of course being Christmas time, everybody's happy anyway.

Another family I spoke to were Tyler and his dad Dave. Tyler was taken to hospital after an accident on his bike.

It was just a regular old day on the track with my dad practicing and everything was just going smoothly until I went round the corner as usual. The back wheel lost traction in the corner and like came back up and spat me off backwards. And the severe force of the impact on my head caused a bleed in like this side of my head and over the next five minutes I've deteriorated, like. And my dad didn't know. My dad just thought I was concussed until obviously signs started to show that there was something more wrong with me. And then obviously my arm came up and I started fitting. So my dad immediately called the Air Ambulance and they got to me like as quick as possible and got me in and got me to LGI as fast as possible and I can't thank them enough because without them I won't be there talking to you. So honestly, thank you so much.

I can't remember a single thing about what happened. I just went around the corner and just blacked out and I just woke up in hospital. And then the doctors came in. Morning, Tyler, do you know where you are? And I says, yeah, I'm in Italy. Bormio. And they were like, oh, you're far from there, you're in Leeds. Because I was skiing in Italy the week before and obviously I thought I was in Italy, so. And I was like, really? I thought I was in Italy.

And they were like, yeah, you're far from there. I mean, I bet you wish you were, but you're not.

Skiing in Italy does sound a lot better than being in hospital.

Yes.

Have you managed to meet the crew who saved you?

Yeah, actually, not long ago, but here only for, like, two minutes or so because they got called out for another job. But at least I got to actually, like, say hello and thank them for all of their extraordinary help. When they got called out, we actually watched them take off to go for their job and that felt really nice as well, because, like, just knowing that they're going out to save another person, it feels nice seeing them, the people who literally saved my life, because without them, I won't be able to tell my dad that I love him, I won't be able to tell my mum that I love her and I won't be able to give my dad a hug.

Dave, you were with Tyler on the day of the accident. What do you remember?

He was out on his motocross bike, practicing as usual. Everything was going fine. I was actually videoing him when he came round the corner and it was a fairly innocuous crash, really didn't seem really bad at the time. And like Tyler said, it lost traction and it just pinged him off backwards and I got straight to him and his first words, I said, you alright, mate? His first words were, my head's killing me. I said, just letting him get straight up. So I took his helmet off, checked his collarbones and can you move your fingers and your toes? And did all that stuff.

Stuff.

And yeah, he got up and walked back to the van and I noticed he asked me three times on the way back to the van what was hap. What happened? So, again, as Tyler said, I just thought it was he's concussed himself.

But then he was. I noticed he was struggling with his water bottle to get the lid off and just a few things that weren't adding up.

And then the next thing he threw up and I just thought, there's something not right. So I rung the ambulance, 999. And he sort of deteriorated from there. His hands started cramping. Up and he started sort of stiffening up. So I got him laid down, cut his shirt and everything off and took the front of his body armor off because I was half expecting how he was breathing because he was sort of. He's got his teeth clamped together and he was just grunting through his nose.

So I was half expecting him to stop breathing. So I was getting him ready to do CPR. Luckily I didn't have to do that and it didn't seem long at all before Air Ambulance came in. And yeah, they took over from there and thankfully, brilliant job they did. Is still here. So.

And how did it feel for you when the helicopter arrived?

It's like a weight lifted off your shoulder. It's like, thank God they're here. You know, it's because as a parent, you just don't know. Even though I'm qualified first aid, when it's your own son, it's a different ball game. And you just. That calmness that we've talked about in past, about how calm they are around patients and stuff, it's.

It goes out the window for me personally, it was like, what do I do? And am I doing it? You know, it would just. It's horrible. But, yeah, they're an absolute godsend and wish I could do more and more for him, but. And I hope people continue to do so. But, yeah...

Dave Tyler being alive may well be the best Christmas present you could ask for, but what will Christmas be like for you this year?

That's the one. It's brilliant to think that it's, you know, and he is still here. It is a struggle thinking because I keep. I keep hanging on to the what ifs and I'm trying to get past that at the minute. But, yeah, he is here and it's going to be a special Christmas this year. Definitely. Knowing that he's already got his big list in, put it that way. We don't generally go out and about, do we always tend to stay all round family and just drink and eat, like everybody does something.

Yeah. So, yes, but it'll be an extra special one this year. Definitely more alcohol.

To be honest, we didn't really have much tradition. We just like played games, little mini games and stuff like that. Just some family fun, to be honest. But I reckon this Christmas just as much family time as possible because, like I say, I possibly wouldn't be here to spend any more time with my family. So I just need to cherish as much time as I possibly can with my mum and dad.

And what is your Christmas wish for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

My wish for Yorkshire Air Ambulance is that they get as much support as possible because, well, you don't know until it's you after saving. Well, like I say, because I didn't know that day that I was going to be, you know, the one to be saved. So just give them as much support as possible.

What a remarkable young man Tyler is. He's certainly on the nights list and so, of course, is his dad. I think it's time I made my way back to the North Pole for now. It's very busy, you know, I should be flying out across Yorkshire on Christmas Eve and I know the crews and everyone at Yorkshire Air Ambulance will be working hard over the festive season and beyond. If you want to support the charity, Please go to yorkshireairambulance.org.uk

Thank you for listening for Summat In t’Air. If you've enjoyed the podcast, please share it and tell your friends to listen and everybody have a happy and safe Christmas.

Ho, ho, ho.