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BASICS Essex has celebrated the extraordinary contribution of its volunteers and supporters at its Annual Supporters Evening, while reflecting on another busy year of providing vital pre-hospital emergency medical care across Essex. The event, held on Tuesday 22 September, brought together volunteers, fundraisers, supporters and corporate partners to hear about the charity’s work throughout 2025 and the difference their support has made to patients and communities across the county. BASICS Essex is a team of over 25 highly trained volunteer emergency clinicians, including doctors and critical care paramedics, who respond to some of the most serious medical emergencies across Essex. Dispatched by the East of England Ambulance Service Trust, the team’s clinicians bring enhanced medical skills, specialist equipment and advanced drugs directly to patients at the scene, when every second can make a difference. In 2025, BASICS Essex volunteers responded to 352 emergency callouts, travelling more than 4,400 miles to reach patients in need. These responses included serious road traffic collisions, cardiac arrests and other life-threatening medical emergencies. The Annual Supporters Evening was an opportunity to recognise not only the clinicians who volunteer their time and expertise to respond to emergencies, but also the individuals, community groups and businesses whose fundraising makes the charity’s work possible. £25,000 raised by Potters Resorts Among those celebrated was Potters Resorts, which has raised an outstanding £25,000 in unrestricted funding for BASICS Essex through its ‘Every Second Counts’ campaign. Team members have thrown themselves behind the campaign, organising and taking part in activities ranging from prize tombolas to team charity runs. The importance of the partnership was brought into particularly sharp focus when a BASICS Essex team doctor provided emergency CPR to an entertainer who collapsed on stage at Potters. The incident demonstrated first-hand why rapid intervention and emergency medical skills can be so important when somebody becomes critically ill. Nathan Moore, Head of Content at Potters Resorts, said:“We are proud and honoured to support the work of BASICS Essex. The message of saving lives is something that our team and guests have really got behind, and the incident just goes to show that you never know when you need them most.” The £25,000 donation has enabled BASICS Essex the flexibility to direct the money to where it is most needed and helping the charity continue to equip and support its volunteer clinicians. Recognition from the Broadway Belles WI The evening also celebrated the support of Broadway Belles WI, who recently nominated BASICS Essex for ‘Team of Pride’ at the Pride of Essex Awards. The nomination recognises the collective contribution of the charity’s volunteers and the commitment they show in making themselves available to respond to emergencies across Essex. BASICS Essex thanked the Broadway Belles for putting the charity forward and for helping to raise awareness of the volunteers working behind the scenes and on the frontline to support patients across the county. Terry Cornelius, Secretary at Broadway Belles, said; “None of the group had heard about BASICS Essex before volunteer John Horton came to do a short talk, which really inspired the members to learn more about the charity’s life-saving work in the community. As a collective, we raised over £10,000 for the BASICS Essex, and were pleased to nominate them for such a prestigious award – we wish them the best of luck!” Raising a glass with the new BASICS Essex Gin Supporters were also introduced to a new fundraising initiative created in partnership with East Coast Distillery – BASICS Essex Gin. The new gin provides another way for supporters to raise funds for the charity while increasing awareness of its work in communities across Essex. Anything But Basic Passion Fruit-Cello £28. Purchase from East Coast Distillery, Thorpe Le Soken, or via their website, with a donation from each bottle going to BASICS Essex. Responding through a challenging summer The evening also provided an opportunity to reflect on the challenges BASICS Essex has faced during the year, including the impact of the Rettendon explosion incident during the summer, which left significant damage to one of BASICS Essex responding vehicles, while forcing the charity to relocate to a temporary office location. The experience reinforced the importance of the community standing behind BASICS Essex. As a charity, fundraising is essential to maintaining its emergency response capability, providing specialist equipment and ensuring its volunteer clinicians can continue to reach critically ill and injured patients. Every donation, fundraising event and partnership helps make those responses possible. Paul Gates BEM, Chairman and Co-Founder of BASICS Essex, said: “Our Annual Supporters Evening is our opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to the volunteers, fundraisers, businesses and community groups who make our work possible. “Our clinicians give their time to respond to people experiencing some of the most serious medical emergencies imaginable, but they can only do that because there is an incredible network of people supporting them. “From Potters Resorts raising an amazing £25,000, to the Broadway Belles recognising our team through their Pride of Essex nomination, and our exciting new partnership with East Coast Distillery, this year has shown just how much support there is for BASICS Essex. “After what has also been a challenging year for the charity, that support means more than ever. Every pound raised helps us continue to be there when patients and their families need us most.” BASICS Essex is encouraging individuals, community organisations and businesses across the county to continue supporting the charity through donations, fundraising and partnerships. You can read more about their recent fundraising appeal and donate here https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/hqrecovery

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.

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.

Roles that BASICS Essex are recruiting for. Recruitment If you are an East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) recognised Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) or a Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM) doctor and interested in joining BASICS Essex, please get in touch. Applicants are advised that this role will not lead to sign off as a critical care paramedic, but the scheme will, for those applicants who are interested in pursuing this, support such applications. Further information on this will be provided. We ask for a minimum of 2 shifts per month. If you are interested in joining, email your CV, intention to apply or any questions to office@basicsessex.org.uk.

TCS London Marathon Please note that we currently have a reserve list for the 2026 Marathon, but hope to have spaces for 2027. The London Marathon is the capital's most popular sporting event, with over 50,000 people taking part last year. Looking to join? BASICS Essex has 20 places available for 2026. BASICS Essex Team Runners will receive: A fundraising pack, full of hints and tips to help you smash your target A BASICS Essex running T-Shirt or Vest London Marathon phone support, advice and guidance Support on the day from BASICS Essex 'Cheer Points' along the route Subject to venues being open, a Pasta Party, ahead of the event Registration fee £150 (Non-refundable) Fundraising target £2000 (Excluding Gift Aid) Have you received a place through the Public Ballot or your Running Club? We need your support... Run with our team of life savers. Help ensure, our vital 999 Emergency Medical Charity, can continue to provide its voluntary life saving work. For further information contact our Community Fundraiser: christine.winzar@basicsessex.org.uk / 07932695389 2024 Runners Congratulations and thank you to all the BASICS Essex runners for TCS London Marathon 2024! Garry Raised nearly £2,000 - Thank you! Anderson Builders 6 runners raised £15,000 - Thank you! VIRTUAL MARATHON Looking to run the London Marathon virtually from anywhere in the world? We can also support you with the TCS Virtual London Marathon, and we'd love to be your charity of choice! Get in touch for more information! Meet John Tyszkiewicz John participated in the Virtual Virgin London Marathon 2020, in aid of BASICS Essex. He ran 26.2 miles around his chosen route in Essex. John has raised over £4,000 which will help BASICS Essex volunteer Clinicians, save further lives across Essex communities.