Mandy Reynolds was enjoying a walk on Great Orme last year when she slipped on jagged rocks and needed help from Wales Air Ambulance.
On 10 April 2025, Mandy was returning to the car park when she suffered injuries that left her in significant pain and in need of critical care.
The Charity’s critical care team, Doctor Gareth Thomas and Critical Care Practitioners Dan Evans and Jo Thomas, were dispatched to the scene. When they arrived, they assessed Mandy’s injuries.
At the scene, Mandy was given strong medication and antibiotics to help prevent an infection in the open wound.
The critical care crew manually repositioned Mandy’s foot, dressed the wound and secured it in a splint. Her blood flow and pulse improved after treatment, and they gave her further pain relief.
Mandy said: “I was enjoying a lovely day out with my husband and grown-up children in Llandudno, a place we have visited many times. The sun was shining; it was a beautiful day. The next thing I knew, I was in severe pain with terrible injuries to my leg and foot. At first, it felt like it wasn’t real, but then I heard a helicopter above me and the air ambulance came to my rescue. I was aware of the critical care crew transferring me over the tram lines to the top of the mountain on a stretcher and then being placed inside the helicopter, feeling safe and relieved to have this help.”
Mandy, 55, from Cheshire, had injuries so severe that she was airlifted to the major trauma centre at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.
The mum-of-two sustained a very complex triple open fracture with full dislocation of her ankle.
Mandy said: “I woke up in the trauma department with an unstable, multiple open fracture of my ankle. During my time in hospital, I had two operations, one to fit an external fixator while doctors decided how best to save my foot, followed by surgery to fit titanium plates and screws to reconstruct the lower leg and ankle. This was followed by months of painful rehabilitation.”
Following plastic and orthopaedic surgery, Mandy had to learn to walk again.
She said: “I now have lots of metal in my right foot, where it had to be completely reconstructed. I had to learn to walk again and I have been told these injuries will affect me for the rest of my life.”
A grateful Mandy has fundraised for the lifesaving charity since her accident and is a wonderful supporter of the service. She has sold hand-painted pebbles for the Charity.
The former teacher said: “I will be forever grateful to Wales Air Ambulance for the kindness and treatment they gave me that day, and for the continued support they have given us as a family to help us come to terms with what happened and the huge impact it now has on our lives. I felt completely overwhelmed by what had happened to me and did not fully appreciate what Wales Air Ambulance did until we needed them ourselves.
“I feel incredibly grateful that the crew were able to help me that day. It is difficult to find the words to express what their actions meant to me.”
As well as being there from the beginning, Wales Air Ambulance continued to support Mandy once she was discharged from hospital.
The Charity offers an Aftercare Service through its Patient Liaison Nurses. Thanks to this service, the Charity is not only one of the first to arrive by a patient’s side, but also one of the last to leave, supporting them and their families throughout their recovery.
Mandy received support from Patient Liaison Nurse Hayley Whitehead-Wright. Mandy was recently delighted to meet Hayley during a base visit. She said: “Hayley and the aftercare service were fantastic. Everything that had happened to me was fully explained, from the medications I received to my observations and the names of the crew. I was provided with information throughout, including an offer of ongoing support for me and my family, such as counselling services. Hayley totally understood how I was feeling and made me feel listened to throughout.
“It was great to meet Hayley, who continues to support me following my accident.”
“I am extremely thankful to the Wales Air Ambulance crew, who came to my rescue when I was in urgent need. Meeting the crew was a very emotional experience and a day that I will never forget. My family recognised their faces, but initially all I could remember was the calm and kindness in their voices. It was a truly special moment for me and my family.”
“The skills of the Wales Air Ambulance team gave me a second chance and saved my foot. I will always be deeply grateful to the service and to everyone who has helped me during this life-changing event.”
As well as Mandy’s fundraising for the lifesaving Charity, close family friend Louis Davies, who is like family to the Reynolds family, has been raising money for Wales Air Ambulance and Mandy.
This year, Louis, who has completed many marathons and ultra-marathons, took on the Manchester Marathon and raised an incredible £1,814.
Mandy was proud that Louis chose to run for her and the Wales Air Ambulance. Louis has since applied for a place in the London Marathon 2027 in aid of the Charity.
