A North Wales grandfather is delighted to have bagged himself the first prize of £3,000 in the Wales Air Ambulance’s Spring Raffle.
Due to the shock win, originally Dr Roger Trueman couldn’t believe he was a winner and thought the news from the Charity was a scam call.
The phone call from Emma Moore, the Charity’s Senior Individual Giving Manger was indeed legitimate and she was delighted to break the exciting news to Roger.
Roger, a grandfather of six, said: “When I received the call I could not believe it and I think my first words were “is this a scam?”. Then I was assured it was genuine, and Emma proceeded to tell me the good news again.”
The retired Chemical Engineer, who lives with his wife of almost 57 years, has supported the Wales Air Ambulance for numerous years. He also does the Charity’s weekly lottery.
He said: “We have supported the Wales Air Ambulance Charity for many years and it is one of just a few we do support. My wife suggested we enter the raffle as we try to support the Charity when we can as it is such a worthwhile service.
“I am very glad that she did. It was definitely one of our better decisions as we have never won anything this much before. I am of course delighted about winning the first prize which is particularly welcome at this time as we need a new central heating boiler!”
Lucky winner Roger purchased the £1 ticket to be in with a chance of winning the £3,000.
The second prize winner, Ms Beckett from Holyhead won £500, and Mr Lewis from Llanelli won the third prize of £300.
The Spring Raffle raised over £60,000 this year for the all-Wales Charity.
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 £11.2 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.
The digital raffle was drawn on Friday 23 May 2025.
The Charity’s Emma Moore, said: “Thank you to everybody for supporting the spring raffle and congratulations to Dr Trueman for winning our top prize. When I broke the news to him, the surprise from him was incredible, he couldn’t believe his luck. I was delighted to inform him it wasn’t a scam call. Roger and his family have been great supporters of our Charity and we’re delighted the winnings have come at the right time.
“Congratulations to all the winners. Everyone who purchased a spring raffle ticket is a lifesaver in our eyes.
“We are thrilled with the success of the Charity’s Spring Raffle and are very grateful to all of our staff and volunteers who got involved in spreading the word and engaging with our local communities in buying and selling raffle tickets.”
