One of Wales Air Ambulance’s most enthusiastic supporters has been thanked for a decade of support, thanking the charity for airlifting him.

Mike Hughes was acting as co-driver in the 2005 Cambrian Rally when the car flew through the forest and plunged 30ft down a ravine.

The geography teacher had suffered catastrophic injuries, and Wales Air Ambulance were called to the scene, airlifting him to the care he needed as quickly as possible.

Mike was back teaching just four months after the accident, and he attributes his quick recovery to the charity’s fast response, and the teacher has fundraised for WAA ever since to thank the charity for coming to his aid.

Wales Air Ambulance needs to raise £6.5million every year to fund its operations across Wales, and Mike has been working hard since his accident to raise awareness for the charity, as well as completing gruelling fundraising fitness challenges in their aid.

In July, Mike was thanked for a decade of support for Wales Air Ambulance at the charity’s airbase, with WAA crew presenting him with an award for 10 years of service.

Since his accident, Mike has raised thousands for Wales Air Ambulance through fundraising challenges, including cycling across Wales in aid of the helicopter charity.

Mike’s fundraising has funded several of Wales Air Ambulance’s missions, with each of the charity’s missions costing around £1,500, funded through donations.

Helen Thomas, Wales Air Ambulance Community Support Coordinator, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Mike for his endless support.

“Mike has experienced the benefits of our service first-hand, and provides us with outstanding support to help fund our missions, so that we can come to the aid of others across Wales.

“We wouldn’t be able to keep our helicopters flying if it weren’t for the support we receive from people like Mike, who help us raise the donations needed to fund our operations.”