A Wales Air Ambulance consultant is among the riders gearing up for the Charity’s Cycle 100 challenge this autumn!
Felicity ‘Fliss’ Clark is an Anaesthetics and Intensive Care Consultant at Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthenshire. But three days a month, she works for the lifesaving service, operating out of the Dafen airbase.
She sees Cycle 100 as the ‘perfect opportunity to give back’ and hopes her fitness journey will inspire others to sign up for the event on Sunday 6 September 2026.
The ‘Cycle 100km for the Wales Air Ambulance’ fundraising event will see participants cycle from Cardiff to the Charity’s headquarters, in Dafen, Llanelli.
The 49-year-old said: “Wales Air Ambulance carries out over 3,500 missions each year across Wales.
“We rely on the support of the people of Wales to help us take the hospital to the patient, whenever or wherever they might need us.
“It’s an incredibly expensive operation, and without fundraising events or generous supporters, our lifesaving service would not exist.”
Fliss, who is originally from Merthyr Tydfil but now lives in Carmarthen added: “As a clinician, who witnesses first-hand the benefits of Wales Air Ambulance, I feel I have a responsibility to get involved with events like Cycle 100.
“It is my way of giving back to the Charity and saying, thank you to everyone who has donated and volunteered their time over the years, as we celebrate its 25th anniversary.
“I do feel that we all benefit from the service. I benefit from it personally, I live in the area, my family live in the area. So, if anything should happen to any of us, it is reassuring to know that the service is there to provide the critical care needed.”
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. 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 lifesaving care.
Fliss has worked for Wales Air Ambulance for six years and believes the training required to get in, ‘probably’ saved her life, as it encouraged her to focus on her own health.
She said: “Just before Covid, I was about kilo seventy kilogrammes heavier than I am now and was thinking about coming back to Wales to work, after spending most of my career in England.
“I had to do a fitness test as part of the recruitment programme for Wales Air Ambulance, and I unfortunately failed the first attempt.
“It was not surprising to me, as I was working incredibly long hours and not really spending much time focusing on my own health and fitness.”
Fliss says it was the ‘reality check’ she needed, to get back in shape. She joined a gym and started following a programme which helped her lose weight and strengthen her physique.
She said: “All our crew are very fit; we sometimes are required to walk a fair distance from the helicopter to the patient carrying kit bags, they weigh around 18 kilos. We also lift and turn patients, which requires strength and agility.
“So, when I first joined the gym, I was focusing on the basics to get me up to a level which would enable me to pass the fitness test, and work for Wales Air Ambulance.”
Within months, Fliss had met someone who was doing triathlons, and she decided to start training.
She said: “I was used to running, but I couldn’t swim, so I had to learn. I hadn’t been on a bike for 20 odd years, and had to learn to ride with cleats, which nearly made me a patient as I fell off quite a lot.
“I started gaining confidence, increased my stamina, and made the grade joining Wales Air Ambulance. Since then, I have taken part in a few triathlons and ironman events.”
Looking back, she said: “If I hadn’t pushed myself, I would not like to think how my health would have suffered. I wouldn’t have been able to work for Wales Air Ambulance either.”
Fliss admits her fitness journey, ‘hasn’t been easy’ but she hopes it will inspire people who are nervous about taking the first step, to ‘go for it’ and sign up for Cycle 100.
She continued: “I did the challenge last year, and it was such a great atmosphere. Shane Williams was there at the start line, rallying us on.
“I got to meet so many people who have benefited from what we do and that’s the beauty of events like this.
“I am fortunate in that in both my roles I get to help patients, on some occasions I’ve attended a person providing lifesaving treatment with Wales Air Ambulance, then gone on to look after them in hospital.
“When you get to witness their journey, and see them return to their normal life, it feels wonderful.”
By signing up for Cycle 100 you will be making a lifesaving difference. We’d love you to join us on the start line on Sunday, 6 September 2026. Cycle 100
Gail Windley, Wales Air Ambulance Events and Partnerships Fundraiser said: “Our crew work tirelessly throughout the year helping patients who are critically ill or injured.
“They see the difference the service makes, they understand how every pound raised translates into saving lives.
“Fliss’ fitness journey is inspirational, and we are so grateful that she has chosen to sign up for our Cycle 100 challenge, the second year in a row!
“Whether you’re a seasoned cyclist or a first-time racer, we hope to see you on the start line with our crew members. You too can make a lifesaving difference! Diolch yn fawr!”
