A Wales Air Ambulance volunteer is ‘delighted’ to hand over a cheque to the Charity after fundraising for the lifesaving service during his year as Men’s Golf Captain.
70-year-old Dilwyn Roberts who plays at Denbigh Golf said: “One of the privileges of being club captain, is that you get to nominate your chosen Charity.
“Obviously volunteering for the Wales Air Ambulance, it was the natural choice that it should be the beneficiary during my year from 2024 to ’25.”
He added: “We held a few events including the Captain’s Day and had a Captain versus Vice Captain match.
“Thursday, is the Men’s Competition Day, we have a halfway house on the 9th green so I would spend the morning providing tea and coffee, which helped raise funds too.”
The grandfather of three helped raise £1,250 for Wales Air Ambulance. He said: “It costs so much to fund the service, people are quite surprised when I tell them.
“I am grateful to all those who donated and supported me during my year as Captain.”
Dilwyn who has been married to Janet for 47 years said: “When I retired, I knew I would have plenty to keep me occupied because of my interests.
“Living in Denbighshire, my local football club is Colwyn Bay and up until four months ago I was a director there.
“It is still a passion of mine, except now I just get to sit back and enjoy the game, whether home or away.”
He continued: “But thanks to my wife, I became a volunteer for Wales Air Ambulance back in 2019.
“She started talking to a representative whilst shopping at Tesco in Prestatyn and said my husband will be a driver or do bucket collections.
“As a result, we both became volunteers and have made so many friends over the past 7 years, we have a really good crowd in North East Wales.”
Wales Air Ambulance offers a range of volunteering roles that cater to different interests and skills. Volunteers can help organise and attend community fundraising events or volunteer in their local Charity shop. If you are interested in volunteering roles there are further details on our website and an application form: Volunteering Opportunities | Make a Difference | Wales Air Ambulance
Dilwyn said: “We collect fundraising boxes from the shops and other organisations and do bucket collections in local supermarkets. I think we have collected around £9,000 over the years.
“As a former bank manager, counting money suits me quite well. We have about 40 boxes that we look after.
“Some shops have more footfall than others, so need changing more often – but we often make a day out of it. If it’s a village outside of town and a bit of a hike we’ll have lunch there, we make it fun.”
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.
Debra Sima, Wales Air Ambulance Regional Fundraising Manager for North East Wales said: “We are so grateful to our incredible volunteers who generously dedicate their time to support our lifesaving service.
“Dilwyn and Janet have been part of the Wales Air Ambulance family for seven years and are among our biggest champions.
“On behalf of the Charity I wish to extend our thanks to Dilwyn for making us his chosen Charity and to all the members of Denbigh Golf Club, through your donations you are making a lifesaving difference. Diolch yn fawr!”
