“One of the most memorable and proudest moments of my life.”
The words are those of Yorkshire Air Ambulance chairman, Peter Sunderland, who has been awarded an MBE by the Queen in a ceremony at Windsor Castle.
Mr Sunderland, 73, who was born and brought up in Huddersfield, was named in the New Year Honours list for ‘Voluntary service to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
He has been a Trustee of the life-saving charity for over 12 years, with nine of
those as its chairman, and has been responsible for some momentous changes at the YAA in recent years.
Mr Sunderland said: “It was a truly fantastic and overwhelming day at Windsor Castle. Up until arriving, I had been given no clue as to who would be awarding my MBE, so to find out it was Her Majesty was just wonderful.
“The ceremony itself was quite surreal but walking towards The Queen to collect my MBE will certainly go down as one of the most memorable and proudest moments of my life.”
Mr Sunderland joined the YAA after retiring from his role at the RMC Group PLC, where he worked for over 27 years as one of their UK Directors.
After spending an initial three years as a Trustee for the YAA, he then became Chairman in November 2006, and continues to hold the position today, supported by his Vice-Chairman, Trustees and a senior management team.
Mr Sunderland said: “I have been part of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance for over 12 years now and have seen some huge changes to the charity over those years. We now own our two current helicopters, with two new brand new replacement state-of-the-art models on order, have two flagship air support units in the region, a fantastic head office facility as well as brilliant paramedics, pilots and doctors, charity team and group of volunteers.
“The YAA really is going from strength to strength however none of this would have been possible without the amazing support of the people of Yorkshire. Something we will always be eternally grateful for. It truly is an honour to be its chairman.”
