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| Hammond rescuers hit by hoax gift | Hammond rescuers hit by hoax gift |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A charity appeal for the air ambulance which rescued Top Gear star Richard Hammond after his high-speed crash has fallen victim to a £50,000 hoax. | A charity appeal for the air ambulance which rescued Top Gear star Richard Hammond after his high-speed crash has fallen victim to a £50,000 hoax. |
| The money was pledged to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance which took the presenter to hospital shortly after the smash at Elvington airfield near York. | |
| The charity is hoping to raise £500,000 to pay for a second aircraft. | The charity is hoping to raise £500,000 to pay for a second aircraft. |
| But the appeal total has now fallen to £152,000 after a gift of £50,000 turned out to be false. | |
| The donor had pledged the cash but when the appeal approached the bank, officials said they could not hand over the money. | |
| Further demands for the donor to verify his details have not been met - so now organisers believe they have been the victims of a hoax. | |
| Earlier this week, Mr Hammond's wife Amanda praised the air ambulance crew for getting her husband to Leeds General Infirmary so quickly after the near-300mph crash. | Earlier this week, Mr Hammond's wife Amanda praised the air ambulance crew for getting her husband to Leeds General Infirmary so quickly after the near-300mph crash. |
| "The service is entirely funded by charitable donations and there is little doubt in my mind that without it, Richard would not be making the excellent progress he is," she said. | "The service is entirely funded by charitable donations and there is little doubt in my mind that without it, Richard would not be making the excellent progress he is," she said. |
| The important thing is not the one rotten apple but the thousands and thousands of good people who have donated Martin Eede, Yorkshire Air Ambulance chief executive | The important thing is not the one rotten apple but the thousands and thousands of good people who have donated Martin Eede, Yorkshire Air Ambulance chief executive |
| Mick Lindley, operations manager at the air support unit at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said the hoax setback was "disappointing" for an organisation which relies solely on donations. | Mick Lindley, operations manager at the air support unit at Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said the hoax setback was "disappointing" for an organisation which relies solely on donations. |
| "We were at the £200,000 mark but now that's dropped back," he said. | "We were at the £200,000 mark but now that's dropped back," he said. |
| "We had a single large donation of £50,000 at the weekend but it turns out to have been a hoax. It's disappointing but we can't dwell on it. | "We had a single large donation of £50,000 at the weekend but it turns out to have been a hoax. It's disappointing but we can't dwell on it. |
| "The actual response has been very positive and people's generosity has meant we can bring forward plans to buy a second helicopter." | "The actual response has been very positive and people's generosity has meant we can bring forward plans to buy a second helicopter." |
| Chief executive Martin Eede said: "The important thing is not the one rotten apple but the thousands and thousands of good people who have donated and supported the air ambulance, which in turn will support the people of Yorkshire." | Chief executive Martin Eede said: "The important thing is not the one rotten apple but the thousands and thousands of good people who have donated and supported the air ambulance, which in turn will support the people of Yorkshire." |
| Donation investigated | Donation investigated |
| James Casey, marketing manager at the donations website Justgiving.com, said: "Since the weekend we have investigated this donation, requesting that the donor contact his bank to verify both his identity and the validity of the donation. | James Casey, marketing manager at the donations website Justgiving.com, said: "Since the weekend we have investigated this donation, requesting that the donor contact his bank to verify both his identity and the validity of the donation. |
| "Having received no firm confirmation that the donation was genuine, we withdrew this figure of £50,000 from the appeal page." | "Having received no firm confirmation that the donation was genuine, we withdrew this figure of £50,000 from the appeal page." |
| Yorkshire Air Ambulance operates an MD902 Explorer twin engine helicopter with a top speed of 154 mph. | Yorkshire Air Ambulance operates an MD902 Explorer twin engine helicopter with a top speed of 154 mph. |
| It flies paramedics to more than 1,000 incidents a year but costs £3,600 a day to operate. | It flies paramedics to more than 1,000 incidents a year but costs £3,600 a day to operate. |
| A second helicopter would enable a medical team to attend an extra 300 incidents a year when the first aircraft would otherwise be engaged. | A second helicopter would enable a medical team to attend an extra 300 incidents a year when the first aircraft would otherwise be engaged. |