Educational settings across the region have collected more than £850 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance following a fundraising initiative sparked by a road traffic incident affecting someone close to a nursery manager.
Lydia Spencer-Plumb, who oversees Partou Habergham Day Nursery and Pre-school in Burnley, organized the campaign after a motorcycle accident involving acquaintances from her past.
She expressed that the personal connection to the incident made the cause particularly meaningful, and she motivated children and families at her setting to participate, with overwhelming support from the community.
The fundraising effort commenced with a £60 bake sale held at Ms Spencer-Plumb’s nursery, during which young people dressed in yellow or their preferred colours.
Partou Little People Day Nursery and Pre-School, located in Burnley as well, contributed £85 to the total.
Two primary schools and an additional nursery joined the campaign, which accumulated £714.25 by that stage.
Ms Spencer-Plumb decided to expand the initiative beyond her immediate setting after witnessing the strong local response, presenting the fundraising opportunity to the wider Partou Yorkshire region.
This expansion encouraged two further nurseries to participate: Woodlands House in Bradford and Ashmoor in Shipley, which together generated an additional £140.
The combined total reached £854.25.
Ms Spencer-Plumb noted that the campaign held significance for all participants, enabling children to engage with the cause in an age-appropriate manner through activities such as wearing yellow, organizing bake sales, learning about the helicopter service, and understanding how charitable contributions support emergency services available to those in critical situations.
Laura Clay, regional childcare director at Partou, commended the achievement, stating that the participation from settings and families surpassed expectations.
She observed that what began as a modest concept to encourage schools and nurseries to turn Yorkshire yellow evolved into a collective community endeavor, while most importantly providing children with an opportunity to support a service that had directly impacted someone familiar to them.