A fundraising event held back in November to raise funds for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) – who airlifted mum-of-2 Gilly Harland to hospital after she was hit by a car on her way to work last October – raised nearly £1,500. As previously reported by Island Echo, the teacher from Christ The King College was struck by a Kia Picanto as she crossed Newport Road in Cowes on the morning of Thursday 5th October. The impact left the mum-of-2 with potentially life-threatening head injuries and, as a result, she was flown to Southampton General Hospital by air ambulance, where she stayed until she was allowed to return home. A crowdfunding page was set up to assist with ferry costs and accommodation for her partner and 2 children when they visited her on the mainland, and to replace a loss of earnings. To date, a total of £11,663 has been raised. The first ‘killer karaoke’ event, focused on collecting money via games of ‘killer pool’, Karaoke and a raffle. Held not far from the scene of the incident at Cowes’ Kingston Arms, the event which took place in late November raised £1,483.47 HIOWAA representatives made the journey across the Solent and and received a cheque for the full amount. Gilly’s husband, Chris has said:
“The emergency services were incredible on the day and we’ve made a point of kicking off a round of charity events, specifically focusing on the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. “Gilly is recovering well and with amazing support from the community and a few trips to the hospital for surgery, she has slowly begun returning to work. It’s also her birthday this week, so with a few reasons to celebrate – it’s time for our second event!”
Killer Karaoke part 2 is to take place this Saturday (24th February) at Kingston Arms in Cowes.
