A Warrington man has raised £1,200 for the Wales Air Ambulance as a thank you for saving his father’s life in 2017.

Scott Owen, 38, put on his running shoes to run his first marathon in Chester this month.

Scott’s father Ashley Owen, 61, suffered a massive heart attack on a remote beach in Wales - Porth Towyn, Tudweiliog - four years ago.

Scott, who works in operations for Skills for Security, said: “The Wales Air Ambulance rescued my dad from a remote beach in North Wales in 2017 after he suffered a massive heart attack and flew him to hospital for an emergency operation. If they hadn't been able to help, he probably wouldn't have survived so I ran the marathon to try and raise money to try and say thank you. We could never fully repay the Wales Air Ambulance service for their efforts that day.”

He enjoyed the Chester Marathon for the first 21miles but the last five miles were ‘absolute torture’, Scott finished the marathon in 3:59.02.

The dad-of-one smashed his original fundraising target of £500 by raising £1,200 but stated he wished he could have raised more for the charity.

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.  

Debra Sima, the Charity’s Community Fundraiser, said: “It is humbling to hear stories of family members raising funds for our Charity as a thank you for saving their loved ones lives. Congratulations to Scott for completing the Chester Marathon, he raised a fantastic amount for the Wales Air Ambulance. Also, a huge thank you goes to everyone who donated to his fundraiser and who supported Scott on the day. Every donation will help keep our helicopters in the air so we can continue to take the emergency department to the patient, saving time and saving lives - just like Ashley’s.”

There’s still time to show Scott your support by donating to his Just Giving page Scott's Marathon - Wales Air Ambulance www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ScottOwen15

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.