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Ashley van Bruygom

YLAA OWN PLACE FUNDRAISING

Donate to Ashley and help them hit their goal of £1200!

My Story

On April 25th I will be running the Spring Wolf Run in support of the Air Ambulance Service. I am beyond grateful to now be in the position where I can do something to thank the charity that saved my life. This fundraiser is to mark and, in some ways, celebrate 10 years since the road traffic accident that changed my life in my first year of my undergraduate degree at Loughborough University. Thanks to the air ambulance and NHS I have been able to live my life to the fullest over the last decade.  Any donations would be greatly appreciated.

Every day of the year, Your Local Air Ambulance (Warwickshire & Northamptonshire/Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland) is helping save more lives. Our critical care paramedics, doctors and pilots attend an average of five rescue missions a day.

The air ambulance gives people the very best chance of survival and recovery. We are supported by a Critical Care Car meaning that we can reach those who need us 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The charity receives no government funding for its daily missions.

Donate to help me save lives

Raised

£1,624 + £177.25 GiftAid

My Goal

£1,200

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My Milestone Badges

More milestone badges will unlock as my fundraising targets are achieved

My Updates

Faces of some people who were happy they made it to the finish!

Tuesday 28th Apr

Fun in the sun!

Tuesday 28th Apr

I’m not going to say it was easy but I had a blast!

Tuesday 28th Apr

Smiles all around!

Tuesday 28th Apr
We did it! 5k, a lot of obstacles, and even more mud. Thanks to my fabulous team for joining me at the Wolf Run!

Thanking...

Monday 20th Apr
And last but by no means least, the biggest thank you goes to The Air Ambulance Service and NHS for looking after me so well and supporting me through so many different aspects of my recovery. I was in hospital for 27 days and during that time was looked after by a whole host of doctors and nurses who I will be forever grateful for. I'm not going to say it was a fun time (because it wasn’t,) but when you're surrounded by so many people who are all trying to give you the best outcome possible it's hard not to reflect on it being one of the times I'm most grateful for in my life.

Improving...

Monday 20th Apr
The recovery process has been long, and in one sense or another, is probably still ongoing. One of my biggest thank-yous goes to my physio, Jo, who I've seen since returning to campus 10 years ago. What started as weekly visits is now monthly and I'm certain that without her help I'd be in a much different position to where I am today. More recently I've been invested in becoming stronger working with my PT, Di, who has endless patience, adapting exercises to what my body can do. It turns out Jo was right spending time getting stronger helps with how I'm feeling overall and I probably should have been doing it sooner (shhhh… don’t tell her I said that).

Representing...

Monday 20th Apr
I've been lucky enough to have spent the past decade at Loughborough and something that has made that experience all the better are the opportunities and people I've met through working within Team Loughborough. Returning to campus after my accident, I was in serious need of gaining back some confidence and working within for the university has, without a doubt, had the biggest impact on me. I've had so many different opportunities from touring families around campus (even during COVID) to talking in front of rooms full of prospective students and parents and even all the way to ending up in prospectuses and banners on campus. I've loved every minute and one of the saddest things for me about graduating is that I could no longer work as a student ambassador, but luckily since I'm still on campus, I'm never too far from the amazing people that I met along the way, some of which are running with me.

Settling....

Monday 20th Apr
Another milestone I’m celebrating is buying my first house! It has been a completely new experience, being able to put my stamp on a house that I own and that is not something I’ll take for granted. I've definitely found a home here in Loughborough and I'm looking forward to continuing to work at the university for many years to come.

Reflecting...

Sunday 19th Apr
My PhD might supersede my undergraduate degree but, in many ways, it's my first degree that I'm the proudest of. As I've alluded to, the car accident took place halfway through my first year of undergrad. I ultimately returned a year later following a medical leave of absence, picking up at the start of semester 2 to see out my first year. Coming back was challenging, the group that I started my degree with were now in second year and I had to find my footing again, starting halfway through the year with my body still healing. Keeping up was generally really difficult, but I was provided with a great deal of support through lectures, exams, and in all aspects of my life. I am beyond grateful for the support I had from so many people as without them, I would never have completed that first degree, let alone my third.

Evolving...

Sunday 19th Apr
One of the more challenging things for me to reflect back on is my relationship with rowing. I started rowing in my first year and was getting fairly good at it when the accident forced me into retirement. It was hard watching all my friends continue rowing, being really successful, whilst accepting that for me, I'd never be competitive in the sport again. I could have let that be the end of my time in the sport but instead I opted for developing through coaching and leadership roles within the Loughborough University Rowing Club, which I chaired for 2 years. I learnt that you don't have to be an athlete to feel the benefits of sport which ultimately led me to becoming a national umpire. I really love umpiring and have met some amazing people who all strive for making the sport fairer and safer for all competitors. I'm looking forward to umpiring for years to come!

Naturalising...

Sunday 19th Apr
Next up is celebrating me getting my British citizenship in 2022. As some people will know, I've spent my life living across several different countries, but the UK is where I've spent the longest time. Being able to apply for and be granted citizenship in the country where I've spent most of my life in is definitely a highlight of the last decade.

Travelling...

Saturday 18th Apr
One of the things I'm most grateful for is being able-bodied enough to continue travelling and seeing the world. Most recently, I've been privileged to go on holidays to the Caribbean and Mauritius with my sister, Brooke. Being able to take part in activities such as swimming, snorkelling and paddleboarding will be something I’ll never take for granted.

Developing...

Saturday 18th Apr
Since completing my PhD, I decided to stay at the National Centre for Combustion and Aerothermal Technology where I have been lucky enough to be involved with a number of projects. My PhD involved computational simulations of hydrogen combustion but more recently I've changed gears to get my hands dirty doing experiments, hence the photo (one from a number of photo shoots that might kick-start my modelling career). I've recently been appointed as a University Research Fellow in Sustainable Aviation and I'm looking forward to my career developing over the coming years.

Celebrating...

Saturday 18th Apr
Starting my review of the past decade by celebrating the award of my PhD in 2025 at Loughborough University. Thinking back all those years, I would never have dreamt that it was something I would have been able to achieve, and that’s what makes it so special. I started on the CDT in Future Propulsion and Power in 2021, which brought me to the University of Cambridge where I got my MRes. Over the course of the PhD, I had the most amazing opportunities to travel to present at conferences and develop my skills. Being based at the National Centre for Combustion and Aerothermal Technology has also provided me with the most amazing friends who I’m sure will be in my life for years to come.

10 years, 10 things!

Saturday 18th Apr
Leading up to the Wolf Run I am pleased to be in a position where I can reflect back on all those that helped me and the successes that I've had over the past 10 years. All of which would not have been possible without The Air Ambulance Service.

Welcome to my fundraising page!

Friday 17th Apr

Thank you to my Sponsors

£500

Richard Van Bruygom

£100

Andrea

100?hind you! Incredible journey and an incredible person!

£65

Anonymous

£50

Dominic Fryer

Good luck Ashley - such an amazing event for an amazing cause! X

£50

Ashley

£50

Kim And Stef

Well done x

£50

Tom Walker

£50

Morgan Cooper

£50

Alice-anne Debruin

10 amazing achievements. Good luck with your run.

£30

Carol (becca's Grandma)

Well done!

£30

David Tarbun

£30

Anna And Arth

So proud of you! Go Ash! 🙌🏼💖🏃🏻‍♀️‍➡️

£30

Alicia Torres Gomez

Great initiative! All the best for the run :)

£30

Alec Edworthy

Good luck!

£30

Tracy Walker

Amazing - good luck :) Toms parents xx

£29

Anonymous

£25

Sarah Langslow

£25

Jemima Biodun-bello

GO TEAM AVBBBBB!!! YOU’RE GONNA SMASH IT

£25

Grace & Max

Good luck Ashley! Wishing you all the best, Max and Grace

£25

Laura C.

Best of luck, Ashley! You got this! ♡

£25

Jared Patel

Absolutely amazing job, Ashley!! Credit to you. So so cool.

£20

Richard Lund

Happy to help the cause.

£20

Sarah Woods

Good Luck for your run Ashley!

£20

Sarah And Peter Martin

Go Ash Go!! Have a great run today and enjoy every moment!! Well done with all the fundraising 🚁 Love from Sarah And Peter xx

£20

Emma Lindsay

Where would I be without my bestie Dr van Dawg. You're amazing x

£20

Persephone Walker

Well done Ashley!

£20

Jill And Brian Lindsay

£20

Anonymous

£20

Andrés Leiva

£20

Anonymous

£20

Anonymous

Nice one bro I hope you can use the spirit of the chopper and run quickly.

£15

Dan Smith

£10

Anonymous

£10

Joanna Cotgrove

£10

William Mitchell

£10

Ryan

£10

Lucy Martin

WOOOHOOO!!!! Go you 🥳

£10

David Oladiran

Go Ashley Go!!!

£10

Tom Cross (oti)

Hope the Run goes well - and a great cause. TC, and your friends at the Osney Lab.

£10

Allan Walker

Good luck Ashley

£5

Tseno Tsenov

£5

Edward Roe

£5

Kezia Hobson

£5

Caroline Lytton

£5

Liz

Good Luck Ashley :)

£5

David

Our Team