Search this site

Broadway Belles WI raises £10,000 for BASICS Essex in its tenth-anniversary year Fundraising can achieve much more than generating money for a good cause. It can bring people together, create new friendships and give members an enjoyable way to make a genuine difference in their community. The members of Broadway Belles Women’s Institute from Leigh On Sea have demonstrated exactly that, raising an incredible £10,000 for BASICS Essex, almost more than double the amount they had ever raised for a chosen charity before. The achievement came during the Broadway Belles tenth-anniversary year, making the milestone even more special. In 2025, Broadway Belles nominated BASICS Essex as the group’s Charity of the Year. Members were inspired by BASICS Essex volunteer paramedic John Horton who visited the group to explain how the charity’s volunteer doctors and paramedics respond to some of the most seriously ill and injured people across Essex and provide pre hospital critical care before the patient gets to hospital. Learning about a service operating within their own county and realising how few members had previously heard of it really resonated with the group. BASICS Essex receives no mandatory government funding and relies on donations, fundraising and community support to keep its volunteer clinicians responding across the county. With 98 members, Broadway Belles chose to make fundraising something in which everyone could become involved, rather than leaving all the responsibility with its committee. We asked Lynda to share some of the benefits members have experienced during their fundraising. 1. It gives everyone an opportunity to contribute Community fundraising does not have to begin with a large or complicated event. Broadway Belles’ fundraising was kicked off by one member who organised a pizza and prosecco evening, despite never having run an event before. Her willingness to try something new encouraged others to come forward with their own ideas. Members went on to organise a quiz night, curry night, barn dance and other activities. Raffles, refreshments, sponsored walks and homemade cakes all helped add to the final total. 2. It helps members discover new skills Organising a fundraising activity can give people the confidence to try something they have never done before. Members may discover that they enjoy planning events, baking, promoting activities, securing raffle prizes or bringing people together. Others may prefer to contribute behind the scenes or support an event simply by attending. Fundraising works best when everyone can become involved in a way that suits their interests, confidence and available time. No single contribution is too small. 3. It strengthens friendships and creates new connections With 98 members, fundraising gave Broadway Belles an opportunity to bring together women who might not previously have had the chance to get to know one another. The events created relaxed social occasions where members could talk, laugh and build friendships beyond the group’s usual meetings. Friends and family members were also introduced to both the WI and the work of BASICS Essex, spreading awareness much further. This social benefit was central to the group’s approach. Fundraising was never intended to feel like a chore—it became a light-hearted excuse to spend time together and do something enjoyable. 4. It raises awareness as well as money Before choosing BASICS Essex as its Charity of the Year, many Broadway Belles members had never heard of the charity. Through John Horton’s visit, the fundraising activities and conversations with friends and family, more people learned about the volunteer clinicians who respond to life-threatening emergencies across Essex and provide interventions to save lives that would normally only be given in hospital. This shows how community fundraising can create a ripple effect. Every conversation, event and social media post introduces the cause to someone new and that increased awareness can continue long after the fundraising year has ended. 5. It creates a shared sense of achievement Reaching an incredible £10,000 gave Broadway Belles a powerful shared achievement to celebrate during its tenth-anniversary year. The total was nearly almost double anything the group had previously raised, but its success was not measured by money alone. Members had tried new things, formed friendships, enjoyed memorable experiences and supported volunteer clinicians working in their local communities. Lynda said the experience showed that fundraising should be something people enjoy. It does not matter whether an individual activity raises £50 or £1,000—every effort contributes to the final result and helps the charity continue its work. Fundraising should be fun! The Broadway Belles story shows that successful fundraising does not need to depend on one enormous event or a small number of organisers. It can begin with a pizza and prosecco evening, a few homemade cakes or an idea from someone who has never organised anything before. By keeping activities social, enjoyable and open to everyone, community groups can raise vital funds while strengthening the group itself. BASICS Essex is enormously grateful to every member of Broadway Belles WI who organised an activity, donated, attended an event or helped spread the word. Their outstanding £10,000 contribution will help our volunteer doctors and paramedics continue responding to critically ill and injured people across Essex. If your WI, club, workplace or community organisation would like to support BASICS Essex, arrange a free CPR or field first aid session, or invite one of our volunteers to give a talk, we would love to hear from you.

On Friday 24th July at approximately 4:50pm, BASICS Essex Headquarters, situated on Highlands Farm was directly affected by a fire and explosion, which was quickly classed as a major incident. Firstly, we would like to reiterate our sincere thanks to the outstanding firefighters and emergency services who responded with such bravery and professionalism, including many of our colleagues East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, in particular the HART team. Their actions ensured people’s safety during an exceptionally challenging situation. We would like to send our best wishes to the 20 individuals that were taken to Hospital following the incident, who we understand have now been discharged. These thoughts are extended to local businesses alongside anyone living in the surrounding area that has been directly impacted by the explosion. We can confirm that one of our emergency response vehicles - located on the site, suffered both windscreen and roof damage, further assessment will be required before appropriate repairs are made. We will now be operating with one less vehicle on-the-road, however we will continue to utlilise our second response car and our solo responders to ensure that we can respond to critical incidents, providing pre-hospital emergency medicine. While we have not been able to access the site over the weekend and have only had photos sent to us, we will be assessing full damages at the headquarters as soon as we are granted access, which holds essential life-saving equipment and fragile medical stocks that enable our volunteers to provide critical care throughout the county, when needed. We can confirm that we are currently reviewing options for a temporary headquarters re-location. Once we have more information in regards to these damages, we will share publicly. While we have been fortunate that our damage is minor compared with that suffered by others, we recognise the significant difficulties many now face. We are extremely grateful to the kind words and donations from the public over the weekend. We would like to re-assure you that these donations will go a long way in the road to recovery for the charity. In 2026 alone BASICS Essex volunteers have responded to over 215 critical incidents, alongside hosting several FREE CPR / Field First aid demonstrations for local businesses. As a charity that receives no statutory funding, we rely on donations and the generosity of our local community to keep our volunteer doctors and paramedics responding to critically ill and injured patients across Essex. We are therefore asking our community to support us through this unexpected and difficult period. Any donation, however large or small, will help us meet these unplanned costs and protect our ability to continue delivering vital pre-hospital emergency medicine. You can support BASICS Essex here: Donate to BASICS Essex Alternatively, text ESSEX to 70085 to donate £5, or contact kim.turner@basicsessex.org.uk directly.

BASICS Essex is celebrating the ongoing impact of funding received from The National Lottery Community Fund, which is helping ensure critically ill and injured patients across Essex continue to receive enhanced emergency pre-hospital medical care when they need it most. The charity was awarded £20,000 through The National Lottery Community Fund to support the development and operational readiness of its volunteer clinicians. The funding has been used to support training and professional development, vehicle blue light installations, emergency response activity and essential administration costs that enable the charity to function effectively. BASICS Essex volunteers respond to some of the most serious medical emergencies and traumatic incidents across the county, often providing advanced critical care at the roadside, in people's homes, or in remote locations before a patient reaches hospital. The charity's clinicians include experienced doctors and paramedics who volunteer their time alongside their NHS roles, responding to incidents such as cardiac arrests, severe trauma, major collisions, serious medical emergencies and critically ill children. Paul Gates BEM, Chairman and Co-Founder of BASICS Essex, said: "The support we have received from The National Lottery Community Fund is making a genuine difference to our ability to provide enhanced pre-hospital critical care across Essex. "Every training session delivered, every clinician equipped to respond and every emergency call attended helps improve outcomes for patients facing some of the worst moments of their lives. We are incredibly grateful to National Lottery players whose support makes this possible." The funding has helped ensure BASICS Essex clinicians remain equipped, trained and ready to respond whenever they are needed, while also supporting the behind-the-scenes infrastructure required to coordinate emergency responses across the county. In 2025 alone, BASICS Essex volunteers attended more than 300 incidents, and demand for the charity's specialist support continues to grow. As BASICS Essex continues its mission to bring hospital-level expertise to patients before they reach hospital, the charity would like to thank The National Lottery Community Fund and National Lottery players for helping make that work possible. For more information about BASICS Essex, volunteering opportunities, fundraising initiatives or ways to support the charity, visit www.basicsessex.org.uk.

As a small emegency medical charity, your donation will enable us to respond to more critical incidents across Essex, providing enhanced pre-hospital care to patients and help save lives across Essex. We do not receive any statutory funding and therefore rely solely upon grants and donations. Your donation will make a BIG DIFFERENCE!! ONLINE DONATION Donate to us through JustGiving to directly fund our lifesaving work. TEXT MESSAGE (SMS) To donate £5 , text ESSEX to 70085 To donate a sum of your choice, text ESSEX followed by the amount (no £ sign). Example: Essex 15 You will have the option to Gift Aid your donation via a reply text link. WRITE A CHEQUE If you'd like to donate by cheque, please make it payable to BASICS Essex Post it to: BASICS Essex, Unit 10, Office 1, Highlands Farm, Rettendon, Chelmsford, CM3 8EB Join our weekly charity lottery to help us raise funds, while also being in the chance to win some great prizes! Win prizes of up to £25,000 Christmas Mega Bundle prize Guaranteed BASICS Essex winners 50% of all tickets sold go to us Tickets cost just £1 per week Weekly Lottery Get your tickets Gift vouchers Lottery powered by OneLottery. T&Cs apply. See website for details.

Meet the team TRUSTEES Paul Gates Chairman Dr Ian Gibson MBE Honorary President Dr Phil Brown Clinical Director Dr C John Eaton Trustee Rob Davies Trustee NON-TRUSTEES Alex Cook Treasurer Stuart Jackson Secretary AUTONOMOUS RESPONDERS (Respond individually from home or work) Paul Gates Critical Care Paramedic John Chatterjee Doctor James Samouelle Critical Care Paramedic Gaynor Wareham Critical Care Paramedic Nick Sillett Critical Care Paramedic Matt Buckland-Hoby Doctor Dan Worley Doctor TEAM RESPONDERS (Respond as part of the scheme Enhanced Care Car) Alex Girling Paramedic Tim Anderson Paramedic Matt Burton ACP Ben Finbow Critical Care Paramedic Phil Brown Doctor David Hockley Paramedic Rich Booker Doctor & Medical Director John Horton Paramedic Stuart Jackson Paramedic Matt King Paramedic Shad Aziz Doctor Matt Noble Doctor Neil Studd Doctor Graham Wareham Paramedic Keiran Campbell Doctor Lou Samouelle Paramedic Adam Pilgrim Doctor Ryan Perry Doctor Jake Humphries Critical Care Paramedic STAFF TEAM Kim Turner Fundraising Officer Lisa Thomas Trust and Grants Officer Alex Cook Accounts Joe Tye Communications CHARITY VOLUNTEERS Chris Lozeau IT Lead Belinda Hunt Fundraising Holly Burman Events & Education Coming Soon Events & Education

WHAT WE DO BASICS Essex , formerly known as BASICS Essex Accident Rescue Service or B.E.A.R.S , is a charity made up of volunteer doctors and paramedics who respond to incidents at the request of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust. We help save lives in communities across Essex and can be at your side in minutes, day or night. We're proud to supplement the outstanding service provided by our ambulance clinicians. We receive no government funding and rely solely upon your donations. Our committed volunteer doctors and paramedics make themselves available around the clock throughout the year. They are often first on the scene, be it at the roadside, in a field, or a home emergency. We have operated in Essex since 1973. Our qualified and experienced doctors and paramedics respond from home, or as part of a medical response team, in the schemes own Enhanced Care Car. The doctors and paramedics are able to provide additional treatment on the scene, like providing enhanced pain relief or emergency surgical interventions where required. With calls increasing BASICS Essex needs your support. You can help save more lives in your local area. Support us today and help us to continue to provide our vital lifesaving service to your local community. Ways to Donate Meet the Team