A former health board manager has helped raise thousands for Wales Air Ambulance with the support of her local golf club.
Kath McGrath was the Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board before her retirement. She started playing the sport fifteen years ago and admits it is ‘a very challenging’ but ‘quite an addictive game.’
She became Ladies Captain at Southerndown Golf Club, Ogmore-by-Sea, during 2025-26 and chose to raise funds for the lifesaving service.
Wales Air Ambulance is a cause ‘close to her heart’ as Kath worked for the NHS for over forty years, starting in nursing, then training as a midwife, before moving into management.
The 65-year-old from Bridgend said: “I have a deep appreciation! When I managed operational services in Cwm Taf, I was involved as the Health Board representative on one of the Wales Air Ambulance committees as it moved from a 12-hour to round-the-clock service.
“It was a natural choice for it to be my chosen Charity, as I have seen firsthand the difference it makes to those in greatest need.”
The 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.
Through her previous role, Kath has had the opportunity to see the Wales Air Ambulance operation up close and visit one of its bases.
She said: “The crew are well-trained professionals taking the hospital setting to the scene – they make such an enormous difference to patient outcomes.
“Even at our golf course there have been several members and their loved ones, who have needed the service. It does such an incredible job.”
Kath, who is a mum of three, and is ‘blessed’ to have six grandchildren, rallied the help of her fellow lady golfers during her year as captain.
She said: “We raised the money through several different events which included donations from the ladies that travelled to Spain to play golf as well as raffles.
“We held a Charity open at Southerndown golf course, a 70/80s disco night and I also hosted a summer lunch at my home.”
The ladies section ran a Christmas decoration workshop and a Southerndown Golf Club calendar, featuring scenic views, also helped raise funds.
Kath recently presented a cheque for £6,200 to the Charity’s Regional Fundraising Manager, Christian Sullivan.
Christian said: “Kath has a close connection with the Wales Air Ambulance family, after spending so much of her work life at the frontline of healthcare.
“It is so wonderful that she nominated our lifesaving service as her chosen Charity for her year as Ladies Captain.
“We are grateful to everyone at Southerdown Golf Club for supporting our lifesaving service and helping raise such an incredible amount.
“Every pound raised will help save lives. Diolch yn fawr!
