Published: 06 February 2024

A successful bucket collection has raised £550 for Wales’ lifesaving charity.

After visiting the Wales Air Ambulance’s airbase in Caernarfon members of the Rhos-on-Sea Rotary Club decided they wanted to fundraise for the Charity.

They arranged a bucket collection at Tesco in Llandudno Juction and raised much-needed funds for the Charity. Every year the Wales Air Ambulance needs to raise £11.2 million each year to keep the service running.

This is the second time the rotary club has fundraised for the Wales Air Ambulance and in total they’ve raised £1,200.

Following the bucket collection, Alwyn Jones, Wales Air Ambulance’s Community Fundraiser in the North West was invited as guest speaker to Rhos-on-Sea Rotary Club, where he received a warm and impressed reaction to his talk.

A grateful Alwyn said: “It was wonderful to hear that after visiting our airbase and hearing about the essential work our Charity does 24/7, that the members went on to raise a fantastic £550. It was lovely to meet the members of Rhos-on-Sea Rotary Club. Every donation that is made to the Charity enables us to continue our hard work in making sure this lifesaving service is available to the people of Wales when they need us most. Thank you to everyone who took part or made a donation during the bucket collection. It is really appreciated. You have all played a part in saving lives across our country.”

Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and, if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury. For the patient, this can mean hours saved when compared to standard care and is proven to greatly improve survival and early recovery. 

It is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.  

Dr Kent Hill, from Rhos-on-Sea Rotary Club added that a variety of different people of all ages, particularly aged between 50-80 were happy to donate to the charity. He added it was quite ‘remarkable’ to hear people explaining why they were donating; including the fact some people donated because they were used to seeing the helicopter because they lived in the mountains or near the hills.