A retired Penarth man has presented the Wales Air Ambulance with a cheque of £2,000 after he completed a ‘Dawn to Dusk’ challenge in aid of the charity.

Ed Griffith drove his MGC GT classic car to all four of the Wales Air Ambulances bases in just one day on behalf of the Bridgend MG Owners Club.

His challenge saw him clock off over 400 miles in his classic car and use nearly 17 gallons of petrol. He started off from his home in Penarth, and then visited the following sites at Llanelli, Caernarfon, Welshpool and Cardiff. 

Despite experiencing delays due to roadworks and diversions, Ed managed to finish the challenge in 17 and a half hours.

During his challenge Ed was met at the bases by a number of Wales Air Ambulance staff and volunteers, although, unfortunately when he arrived at the Cardiff base the helicopter had been called out to an emergency.

Ed added: “I was quite tired, but hugely encouraged by the friendliness, helpfulness and dedication of all the Wales Air Ambulance staff and volunteers I met during the day, and it made me even more determined to achieve my target of donating £2,000 to the organisation on behalf of Bridgend MG Owners Club.”

Ed is no stranger to fundraising; in 2018 he raised over £2,000 for Blood Bikes Wales by driving his then 50-year-old MG to the four corners of Wales in one day. 

As a member of Bridgend MG Owners Club (MGOC), Ed has previously taken part in several of the club’s “Cwm to Coast” annual charity runs over the years in his MGC GT classic car.  One of their main beneficiaries is the Wales Air Ambulance, as the club concluded some time ago that anyone might need this essential service at any time. 

He funded all his expenses himself, so all donations went entirely to the Wales Air Ambulance. After reaching his target of £2,000 the club recently presented a cheque to the charity at the Dafen base, in Llanelli.

Now operational 24/7, the Charity needs to raise £8 million every year to keep the helicopters flying.

Wales Air Ambulance offers advanced critical care and is often described as a ‘Flying ED’. The on-board consultants and critical care practitioners are highly skilled and carry some of the most pioneering medical equipment in the world. They can deliver blood transfusions, administer anaesthesia, and undertake emergency operations at the scene of the incident, before flying the patient directly to specialist care.

James Cordell, Wales Air Ambulance’s community fundraiser, said: “A huge thank you to Ed and Bridgend MG Owners Club for the £2,000 donation. Ed was determined to visit our four bases in one day, and despite the heavy traffic and roadworks that he experienced he continued his journey in aid of our lifesaving charity. We can’t thank Ed enough for wanting to raise funds for the Wales Air Ambulance. Donations like Ed’s will help us to be there for the people of Wales 24/7. 

There are several ways that the public can continue to support the Wales Air Ambulance. These include online donations, signing up to the Charity’s Lifesaving Lottery or by coming up with their own innovative ways to fundraise at home. Further information can be found via www.walesairambulance.com. 

Alternatively, a £5 text-message donation can be made by texting the word HELI to 70711.