Second national award for Outrun an Ambulance

The Outrun An Ambulance initiative, which raises funds for ambulance charities including the EEAST Charity, has won a second national award.

The campaign won the NHS Publicity Campaign category at the Health Business Awards on 15^th December. The award was presented to the campaign which demonstrated success in achieving its objectives.

Back in October it won the Working In Partnership Award at the NHS Communicate Awards virtual ceremony.

‘Outrun an Ambulance’ is a virtual challenge inviting people to conquer the mileage an ambulance covers on an average shift while responding to people in urgent need.

The East of England Ambulance Charity is one of six regional NHS ambulance charities that are involved in the ‘Outrun an Ambulance’ challenge. The others are the South Western Ambulance Charity, London Ambulance Charity, North West Ambulance Charity, South Central Ambulance Charity and Yorkshire Ambulance Charity.

Funds raised for East of England Ambulance Service Charity help to provide enhanced facilities, equipment and wellbeing provision for our East of England Ambulance Service staff, patients and volunteers.

‘Outrun an Ambulance’ was first launched in 2021 by the South Western Ambulance Charity and generated over £10,000 of vital donations. The concept was originally conceived by Emergency Care Assistant Shannon Witts while shielding during the pandemic. She and her family rose to the challenge in 2021, outrunning the total mileage of 196 for three ambulance stations in the Gloucestershire area, raising over £600 for the South Western Ambulance Charity. 

Want to take on the challenge?
The challenge is designed to suit all people and all abilities. People can choose the distance they want to do based on the mileage clocked-up by crews during the course of a typical shift. Fundraisers can choose their timeframe, up to a maximum of three months to ‘outrun’ the distance by at least one mile, either individually or as part of a team. If you do not want to run, you can walk, swim, scoot, hand-cycle, or ride anything that is self-propelled!

If you would like to take on the challenge, you can set-up a personal fundraising page for ‘Outrun an Ambulance’ here. Fundraisers can choose the area they want to support and discover the mileage target options for their own fundraising challenge.

For updates and to share experiences of doing the challenge visit the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust Twitter page @EastEnglandAmb and use the hashtag #icanoutrunanambulance

As participants prepare for their challenge, we recommended speaking to their GP first if they have not exercised for some time or have any medical conditions or concerns. For further guidance visit www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise We also recommend people stick to well-lit areas if exercising outdoors after dark.

Published 23rd December 2022