Rural calendar aims to keep ambulance in air

Fresh air and photography have helped a furloughed Co Down man to get through the difficult lockdown period.
By Graeme Cousins
Published 6th Nov 2020, 12:31 BST
Steven Evans from Kirkistown, with a 2021 Calendar showcasing his photography of agricultural contractors operating around the Ards Peninsula, the sales of which will be donated in full, to the Air Ambulance NI.Steven Evans from Kirkistown, with a 2021 Calendar showcasing his photography of agricultural contractors operating around the Ards Peninsula, the sales of which will be donated in full, to the Air Ambulance NI.
Steven Evans from Kirkistown, with a 2021 Calendar showcasing his photography of agricultural contractors operating around the Ards Peninsula, the sales of which will be donated in full, to the Air Ambulance NI.

Steven Evans, 30, from Kirkistown was inspired to put together a calendar of images to raise funds for Air Ambulance NI after learning of a life-saving intervention from the crew in the Ards Peninsula in May.

Having been furloughed from his job as an automatic greaser technician during the early part of this year’s pandemic, he invested in some new camera equipment. At the time he didn’t realise just how much it was going to get used, never mind creating the fundraising calendar.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “At the end of April, I was stuck in lockdown and I was on furlough. You weren’t allowed to go anywhere or do anything so I decided to get some fresh air in the fields and take my camera with me.”

Steven Evans with his 2021 calendarSteven Evans with his 2021 calendar
Steven Evans with his 2021 calendar

A life-long interest in agriculture has led to a career working for Hi-Power where he spends a lot of time around farm machinery, lorries and other heavy plant equipment. It meant he was well placed to know where and when various agricultural contractors would be ‘doing the grass’.

He said: “I started playing with the camera settings and I learned more about photography every day I was out. I followed the machinery working through the fields and walked for miles – literally miles.

“At the start of May, there was an incident in the Ards Peninsula when a young lad called Declan was badly injured in an accident with a tractor. They got him into a road ambulance but they feared the worst so the Air Ambulance met them in Greyabbey.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The helicopter landed at the tennis courts in the village and the team were able to help Declan, then fly him on to hospital, which no doubt saved his life. It wasn’t long after this that I got chatting with one of the contractors I’d been photographing and the idea of a calendar showcasing my images of them working soon gave me a focus.”

Stephen said if urgent medical assistance is needed in the Ards Peninsula it can be challenging to reach patients as quickly as necessary due to the accessibility of the road network, therefore aerial support is all the more vital.

He commented: “This calendar is a fitting tribute to the farming community and Air Ambulance NI. It’s also a chance to raise some vital funding for such a valuable resource. It might help to make a difference and help to keep it in the air.”

The agricultural contractors who feature in the calendar have pledged to cover the costs of printing so that all proceeds go directly to Air Ambulance NI.

The 2021 calendar will be available soon via Steven’s Facebook page – SE Photography – as well as various farm and machinery shops, for £10.

Related topics:Air Ambulance NIFacebook