Nine-year-old girl completes ‘Outrun an Ambulance’ challenge to support the East of England Ambulance Service Charity

A nine-year-old Norfolk schoolgirl has raised over £700 for the charity of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST).  

Grace Graver conquered the ‘Outrun an Ambulance’ challenge after being inspired by the work of her mum Rachel, a lecturer practitioner at EEAST, and her colleagues.  

Alongside her dad, Craig, Grace cycled 77 miles to beat her chosen target for the fundraising challenge. 

‘Outrun an Ambulance’ is a virtual challenge which invites people to conquer the mileage that staff and volunteers at EEAST cover on an average shift while responding to 999 calls.  

The challenge is designed to suit a wide range of people and abilities, as fundraisers can choose distances ranging from five miles – the distance that one of EEAST’s community first responders might travel – to 163 miles, the distance that an ambulance at Wisbech Ambulance Station may cover on a typical shift.  

Those taking part can also choose whether to complete the challenge by running, swimming, cycling, hand-cycling or riding anything that is self-propelled. 

Grace, from Newton Flotman in Norfolk, aimed to beat a distance of 76 miles as it is one mile more than the number of years the NHS has been in existence.   

Grace said: “My mum has worked for the ambulance service my whole entire life and I am very proud of what she does.  

“I know they all work very, very hard and try their best to help everybody they can. I would really like to raise as much money for the Ambulance Service as I possibly can.” 

Her Mum Rachael Graver said: 

“I’m extremely proud of Grace for taking up this challenge to raise funds for the East of England Ambulance Service Charity.  

“I’m amazed at the funds she has already raised and how well she is doing with the challenge. 

“At the ambulance service we call ourselves the green family and it’s humbling that my daughter is raising funds to support our teams who work so hard to support our communities.”  

Launched in January 2022 at EEAST, Outrun an Ambulance has reached a significant milestone recently with its 250^th donation and has raised over £5,000, including gift aid and match funding from fundraiser employers.  

Thanks to support such as Graces’, the East of England Ambulance Charity can support volunteers, staff and local communities in ways above and beyond that which NHS funding can ordinarily provide such as health and wellbeing initiatives, additional training and development, volunteer uniform, training aids and defibrillators and community life saving education programmes. 

You can still support our own ambulance hero Grace by donating on her just giving page: Grace Graver is fundraising for East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust Charitable Fund (justgiving.com)

Or you could join the challenge and really make a difference to those who are there for us when we need them most by signing up to Outrun an Ambulance today at www.justgiving.com/campaign/oaaeeast

Kate Lott, Head of the East of England Ambulance Service Charity, said:  

“I would like to personally thank Grace for taking up the Outrun an Ambulance challenge to support our staff and volunteers who go the extra mile to support communities in the region day in, day out.  

“We are looking for more people to take part in this fun challenge which helps the charity provide enhanced facilities and wellbeing support for our dedicated staff.” 

 

Before taking up the challenge, please do speak with your GP first if you have not exercised for some time or have any medical conditions or concerns. For further guidance visit www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise We also recommend people stick to well-lit areas if exercising outdoors after dark.  

For updates and to share experiences of doing the challenge visit the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust Twitter page @EastEnglandAmb and use the hashtag #ICanOutrunAnAmbulance.