Mark Kempsell’s connection with Wales Air Ambulance had a sudden, life-changing beginning.

The 30-year-old had been riding on his motorbike on 23 July 2021 when he came around a bend in Denbigh to see a pick-up truck coming at him in the opposite direction.

Mark’s bike was struck at around 35mph, causing him to hit the truck’s windscreen and propelling him more than 25 feet down the road.

The impact knocked Mark unconscious, but luckily a fellow biker who had been in a similar crash a few years earlier came to his aid. Matt Green reassured him and kept him talking until rescue crews arrived.

The crew onboard Wales Air Ambulance treated him at the scene and airlifted him to the Royal Stoke hospital. But it was a long road to recovery for Mark.

The crash left him with several serious injuries: his left leg was at a 90-degree angle, his arm was dislocated, his pelvis was damaged and his spine was fractured in several places.

Mark needed surgery in hospital and, upon release, moved in with his father for several months while he recovered.

Remarkably, exactly one year to the day, the Co-op worker climbed to the top of Wales’ highest mountain, Snowdon.

He said: “I have climbed Snowdon a number of times before. But this time I was still in a lot of pain and still on a lot of medication. It was a tough climb.

“The big thing I wanted to do was raise awareness. It was my way to say thank you for saving my life. I know without the Wales Air Ambulance I wouldn’t be here.”

Cheering him on during the remarkable fundraising feat was Matt Green, the good Samaritan who stayed by his side after the crash.

Mark, who lives just across the border in Newton-le-Willows, raised more than £5,500 (including Gift Aid) for the Charity, smashing his already ambitious £1,500 target. Mark is now embarking on his volunteering journey with us.