Yorkshire Air Ambulance chairman to retire after 19 years

Peter Sunderland, Chairman of Yorkshire Air Ambulance, has announced he is to retire after 19 years with the charity.

Mr Sunderland will officially retire as chairman and trustee at the end of June. He joined the YAA in 2004 after retiring from his role at the RMC Group PLC, where he worked for over 27 years as one of the firm’s UK directors..

He became YAA chairman in 2006 and has since led the transformation of the charity – which has offices in Elland and a helicopter base in Wakefield – to the successful organisation it is today.

Mr Sunderland said: “I have been a trustee of Yorkshire Air Ambulance for 19 years now and chairman for 17 of those years, however I feel now is the right time to step down from my role with the charity.

Peter Sunderland was a key figure in many of the charity's important milestones over the years including purchasing helicopters and developing their two air bases including one in Wakefield.

"When I first joined the YAA in 2004 it was a very different organisation from the one that it is today. I am so very proud of how the YAA has evolved over the years. It has truly been a team effort.”

Mr Sunderland has led on the implementation of many important milestones over the years including purchasing helicopters, developing the two air bases at Nostell near Wakefield and Topcliffe in North Yorkshire and gaining the charity’s own Air Operators Certificate – the first of its kind at the time.

As well as his work with YAA, Mr Sunderland has also been a member of the Wakefield Cathedral Council and is a past President and Subscribers Secretary of Huddersfield Choral Society.

In 2007 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2016 for ‘Voluntary service to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the community in West Yorkshire

Abby Barmby, Director of Marketing & Communications, added: “Peter has truly been the pillar of YAA for nearly 20 years now and will be greatly missed by us all.

“He really has made YAA the respected organisation it is, not just as our chairman but as a true ambassador too – a legacy we will all carry forward.”

“On behalf of everyone at YAA we’d like to express our heartfelt thanks to both Peter and his wife Margaret who has been a wonderful support to him over the years. We are indebted to them for all they have done for the charity during Peter’s tenure as chairman.”

When Mr Sunderland, of Huddersfield, stands down at the end of June, current vice-chairman Mike Harrop will step into the role of chairman from the beginning of July.

Mr Harrop will bring a wealth of experience from his 30-year career in the RAF including being the Station Commander at RAF Scampton, the home of the Red Arrows.

He also has an extensive and in-depth knowledge of YAA after initially joining as a volunteer back in 2017, before joining the Board in 2019 and taking on the role of Vice-Chairman in 2022.

Mr Sunderland added “I am delighted to be handing the Chairmanship of YAA over to Mike who I know will take YAA forward and build on what we’ve already established with a great team to support him.”