A number of participants in this year’s Great North Run are set to raise thousands of pounds for a team of dedicated volunteer doctors which carries out life-saving work in Cumbria.
Beep Doctors (BASICS Cumbria), which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary, has thanked them all for their efforts and support.
They included paramedic Heather Beedie, from Skelton, who has first-hand experience of the Beep Doctors.
“I have requested the services of BEEP Doctors multiple times while working as a paramedic in Eden and they are just heroes in my eyes,” said Heather, 42.
“The doctors respond in their spare time, voluntarily, bringing valuable skills to the roadside and working with the Ambulance service to help save lives.
“I have lost count of the number of times doctors have responded during the night, in terrible weather or even when in the middle of shopping in B&Q! They literally drop everything when you need them.
“They provide a valuable service in the rural area in which we live and I thought that taking part in the Great North Run would be a great thing to do to raise some money for them.”
Heather, who moved to Skelton 12 years ago, is a paramedic with the North West Ambulance Service.
“I only started running in February this year and it’s been tough fitting training runs in around my shifts as a paramedic,” she said.
“The Great North Run was absolutely amazing, probably one of the best experiences of my life. It is the longest distance I have ever run. There were 60,000 people taking part and the people of Newcastle were all out supporting and cheering us on.
“Plenty of my colleagues have donated as we rely on the Beep Doctors and are proud to work with this life-saving charity. Colleagues tracking my progress on the Great North Run app could see when I passed a mile marker and were sending me good luck messages.”
Heather, who is married with two children, said the run was hard work and rainy conditions meant she got drenched but that raising money for BEEP Doctors gave her a lot of motivation to keep on going.
“I set myself a target of £500 but I am now at more than £1,000. People can donate by going on to the Just Giving website and searching for Heather Beedie. Every penny helps save lives.”
Others who completed the Great North Run is aid of BEEP Doctors Cumbria included: Emma Kirkwood, 34, a stock control manager from Kendal, who hopes to raise £360; Nigel Harling, 55, a police officer from Penrith, who hopes to raise £600; and Helen Tinnion, 65, a retired headteacher from Cockermouth, who hopes to raise £1,000.
Jo Blackburn, Operations Manager of BEEP Doctors Cumbria, said: “We would like to express our sincere thanks to all the runners who participated in the Great North Run in support of Beep Doctors.
“Their remarkable efforts are greatly appreciated and will have a huge impact on our ability to continue providing life-saving care. The funds raised will enable us to purchase essential drugs and medical equipment, ensuring our volunteer doctors can keep responding to emergencies and saving lives in our communities.
“This support means everything to us and we are deeply grateful for their contribution to our mission.”
Cumbria’s BEEP Doctors, who are all volunteers, provide enhanced pre-hospital emergency medical care. They work closely with the police and fire services, North West Ambulance Service, Great North Air Ambulance Service and North West Air Ambulance.
At incidents BEEP Doctors can carry out some surgical procedures, such as inserting chest drains; some can perform pre-hospital anaesthetics and all are able to administer drugs that most road crew paramedics cannot, such as ketamine/fentanyl to give pain relief and allow fracture manipulation.
Many of the emergencies they attend are road traffic collisions, as well as incidents involving farms, pushbikes, horses and water.
So far in 2024, BEEP Doctors have attended 176 incidents and carried out a total of 646 volunteer hours.