HOMESOWNERS STORYTELLING RAISES FUNDS FOR AIR AMBULANCE

Homeowners from the McCarthy Stone development at Silver Sands Court in Bembridge had a novel way of raising much-needed funds for the all-important Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) recently. Residents of the retirement living complex got together on a Sunday afternoon and told each other stories. The concept, hatched by resident Jackie Follett, was to take a subject from a list of 200 subjects or scenarios that anyone could relate to and then to talk about it. The first to go was ‘Have you ever been in an earthquake?’ It’s surprising how many people have. The beauty of the idea is that however simple the subject there is always an interesting story from someone. From fishing accidents to the experience of working in a prison, everyone has a wealth of stories – funny, tragic or poignant. All who took part made a donation with others who couldn’t be there contributing too. HIOWAA embarks on average 3 flights a day costing around £4,000 per flight but as speed is vital with many accidents or emergencies, this is an invaluable service.