Barney has no memory of the incident, but thankfully has made a fantastic recovery. Barney and his family recently held an online raffle raising a phenomenal £4030 for Air Ambulance NI, ensuring the service is there for future patients.

Grace Williams, Area Fundraising Manager at Air Ambulance NI, said,

“It was such a pleasure to meet Barney and Pauline, and we are delighted that Barney is making such a great recovery. They, along with their family, are such an inspiration, organising this unique fundraiser in support of Air Ambulance NI. We are so humbled they chose to support us in this way.”

“Thankfully, after a few weeks my Barney was back and incredibly in 6 weeks he was back to work! It was such a difficult time, constantly worrying whether Barney was going to have any permanent brain damage, and be himself again. The support we received from family, friends, and Barneys customers was fantastic. Barney was one of the lucky ones and we decided as a family that we wanted to fundraise for the charity that helped Barney, and hopefully help a future patient. Our online raffle was a HUGE success, raising over £4030, which was beyond our expectations.”

“We would like to thank the community for being so generous and supportive of our fundraising efforts – whether you donated a raffle prize or purchased a ticket for the raffle, thank you! You never quite know when you will need the assistance of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service team and we appreciate the value this lifesaving service can bring a patient and their family”

Air Ambulance Northern Ireland, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, provides the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service for Northern Ireland. The service brings urgent medical assistance to anywhere in the province, operating seven days a week for 12 hours per day. It can get to anywhere in Northern Ireland in approximately twenty-five minutes.