When Allan fell through his conservatory roof and landed on his back, breaking ten ribs and fighting excruciating pain with every breathe, he knew he needed help, and quickly.

In February 2024, Allan (71) climbed onto the roof of his conservatory at his Nottingham allotment to replace damaged panels. Standing on the beam structure to fix the last screw his foot suddenly slipped on the damp metal, and he fell backwards, straight through the UPVC and landed on his back on the concrete floor.

Allan said: “I could hardly breathe and every time I tried to move; pain shot through my body.”

His injuries were so serious that Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) was called. Within 16 minutes the Notts Critical Care Car arrived and LNAA’s doctor and paramedic were by Allan’s side, providing life-saving care.

Once stable Alan was stretchered to the waiting ambulance and LNAA crew accompanied him the Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre where a trauma team were waiting for him.

Allan spent three weeks in hospital whilst his ribs started to heal, and breathing became easier.

When he got home, he was frustrated in his inability to walk far, but in his determination to recover, he started a daily routine of walking up and down the stairs, gradually increasing the number of stairs climbed as his broken bones healed and the pain became more manageable.

Alan will always be indebted to the LNAA crew that day and believes without the crew arriving so quickly in the critical care car he may not be alive today.

As he said: “The crew were superb, I owe them my life. The response from Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance is quick and the doctors and paramedics can get to you quickly and sort you out before you get to hospital.”