A Wales Air Ambulance Trustee will pilot her late husband’s hot air balloon this weekend for the first time at a festival she co-founded five years ago in his memory.
“It will be a very poignant Ar y Gorwel 2026”, says Laura Davies, with just days to go to the event, which is in aid of the lifesaving service.
Large crowds are expected at Llandovery Rugby Club over the bank holiday weekend, with flight updates being shared on the event’s Facebook page.
42-year-old Laura from Llanwrda made hot air ballooning history in July last year, when she became the first woman in over forty years to learn to fly and gain her pilot’s licence in Wales.
She admits the weekend is going to be a ‘massive milestone’ and added: “We are not only celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Ar y Gorwel festival, but it’s success too.
“It keeps growing year on year, with fifteen hot air balloons featuring throughout the weekend, that’s a first.”
Laura continued: “On a more personal note, it will also be the first time I will be involved as a pilot, so there are a lot of emotions going on. I feel incredibly proud.”
The Tywi Valley skies will be filled with colourful hot air balloons throughout the festival, which Laura says, ‘is a sight to behold.’
With excitement building in the local area, the mum of two is urging anyone who is looking for something different to do over the weekend to venture to Llandovery.
She said: “There is such a magical feeling in the air! When you hear the burners, feel the heat, and see the skyline, there is nothing quite like it.
“Then you look down at the crowd, happy and carefree, watching us float up in the air – that’s why we do it. All the effort is repaid seeing those happy smiling faces.”
Just over a year ago, Laura set herself the target of flying ‘Arwel’s beloved hot air balloon’ in the hope that it would ‘return to the skies’.
She said: “I was part of my husband’s crew for 13 years, so to be able to do this in his memory, in front of our family and friends, is truly wonderful.”
On Thursday 8 July 2021, Arwel, 40, and daughter Sofia, then aged seven, were involved in a head-on collision near Llandeilo.
Two Wales Air Ambulance critical care teams were dispatched to the scene. Arwel required blood products and other critical care interventions, but despite the crew’s best efforts, he tragically passed away.
Sofia was airlifted to the major trauma centre. She did not require any medical interventions, but because of the nature of the incident, she was assessed by the paediatric trauma team.
Laura said: “As you can imagine, our family misses Arwel every single day. We had such a wonderful life together, and we are so grateful to have such lovely memories.
“A lot of them revolve around hot air ballooning, and that has been Arwel’s lasting legacy. We still get to enjoy the gift he gave to us, to see our home, our village and other parts of Wales from the sky.”
Balloonists from across the UK are travelling to Carmarthenshire to take part in the fundraiser in aid of the Wales Air Ambulance.
The critical care provider 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.
It is delivered via a unique third-sector and public-sector partnership. The Wales Air Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £13 million required every year to keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.
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.
This advanced critical care includes the ability to administer anaesthesia, deliver blood transfusions and conduct minor operations, all at the scene of an incident.
As a pan-Wales service, its dedicated crews, regardless of where they are based, will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency critical care.
Laura, who became a Trustee of the Charity in 2024, and both her family and friends have helped raise over £35,000 to date for Wales Air Ambulance.
She said: “The Charity does outstanding work, so it’s a huge honour to be able to represent the lifesaving service in this way.
“We’ve always flown with a little dragon Wales Air Ambulance mascot on board, as a symbol of hope, resilience and strength. But this year I’ll literally be flying the flag and banners too!
“Our festival weekend is an opportunity to celebrate the collaboration between Ar y Gorwel and the Charity as it marks its 25th year.”
Dr Sue Barnes, Chief Executive of Wales Air Ambulance, said: “We are deeply grateful that Wales Air Ambulance is once again the beneficiary of the Ar y Gorwel balloon festival.
“This extraordinary event created in Arwel’s memory is making a lifesaving difference. He has left a wonderful legacy for the people of Wales.
“We are very proud of Laura, who gives so freely of her time as a Trustee for our Charity. She is passionate about the service and understands the difference fundraising makes to patient outcomes.
“Every pound raised during the festival will help save lives. Diolch yn fawr!”
