Critical care nurse in Peterborough to tackle London Marathon in aid of East Anglian Air Ambulance

A critical care nurse from Peterborough City Hospital is to run the London Marathon in support of the air ambulance – after witnessing their life-saving work first-hand.

Emily Gent will tackle the 26.2 mile race on April 27 to raise money for the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA).

In her role working in Critical Care (ICU), Emily experiences the vital work of their crews – who can reach critical patients anywhere in the region within 25 minutes.

Closer to home, some of Emily’s loved ones and friends have also required the help of the EAAA after suffering serious injuries.

“East Anglian Air Ambulance receives no regular government funding and relies entirely on the support of the community,” she said. “The service is dear to my heart, and I have had first-hand experience with them rescuing and preserving the lives of my family, friends and patients I have looked after, both on the wards and in intensive care.

“I have a farming family background and I have had neighbouring farmers that have required EAAA after machinery accidents.

"In my spare time I enjoy riding horses. Unfortunately, accidents happen and almost everyone who rides knows someone who has required immediate assistance. In a rural area, that is almost always EAAA.”

Closer to home, Emily’s partner Ryan required the air ambulance after near-fatal motorbike accident in 2022, resulting in EAAA rescue and transport to hospital for life-saving surgery.

Ryan, along with Emily’s parents, will be travelling to London to support her Marathon effort.

Despite a love of long-distance running, which began at secondary school, this will be Emily’s first ever race. Fitting in training on the country roads close to her home in Gedney Hill, Spalding, alongside her busy hospital shifts, Emily is aiming for a completion time of around four hours.

Emily initially set a fundraising target of £2500 – but has already smashed this with more than £3,000 in donations so far. To help Emily to raise even more vital funds to support the EAAA, visit her JustGiving page.