A Gwynedd housing manager is setting off on a 50-mile hike this weekend in aid of Wales Air Ambulance to mark her half century.
Heulwen Jones, who works at an independent sheltered living accommodation in Tremadog, says she has had ‘amazing support’ from the residents.
“They are a wonderful bunch, and one lady in particular has sponsored me £1 a mile, she handed me fifty pounds the other day, which is hugely generous of her!”
This is the second time Heulwen has done a sponsored walk for our lifesaving service. She raised £1,200 last year and hopes to top that amount.
She said: “I usually support a few organisations, but this year because it is my 50th I wanted to focus purely on Wales Air Ambulance.
“I challenged myself with a ‘She Ultra’ in April and I am going skiing at the end of the year – but my big aim is to raise as much as I can for the service.”
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 lifesaving care.
Heulwen visited the team based at Caernarfon Airport and said the clinicians and pilots are ‘incredible’.
She said: “We live in a beautiful part of the world, and it is very rural. I think farming communities and those living out near the coastline are much more mindful of the work of the lifesaving service.
“I got to meet two of the critical care practitioners last year and they showed us around the helicopter. It was deeply moving to hear about their work.”
She added: “Elaine the Regional Fundraising Manager was so welcoming on the day and has been really supportive of my fundraising events.”
Heulwen organised a Coffee and Cake morning at her work back in April to mark the Charity’s 24th anniversary and helped raise just over £200.
She said: “It was wonderful to bring my colleagues and residents together to celebrate Wales Air Ambulance.
“Who doesn’t love a nice bit of a cake? So, we did well and helped raise a good amount.”
Heulwen is also training for the Cardiff Half Marathon this October – but for now, her focus is completing her fifty-mile walk.
She said: “I’ve put a lot of planning into making sure the walk is exactly 50 miles! I even did a trial back in May to make sure the range was something everyone could do.
“Originally, we were going to do the hike in June, but a few of my friends couldn’t make the date.
“So, I changed it to September as I needed my team with me; we help spur each other on.”
Heulwen’s plotted a rugged route and is pretty much uphill from the off.
She said: “We’ll head from Maentwrog down to Porthmadog on to the coastal path. Then up to Rhoslan and over to Golan. We’ll make our way towards the mountains, we cut across some of them and there’s a beautiful lake at the bottom.
“There’s a bit of a climb, we’ll be heading towards Beddgelert and along the old Roman Road up to Croesor, that’s where I was brought up and my 9-year-old niece is going to join us for the last leg through to the Oakley Arms.”
She admits ‘it’s going to be a bit of a challenge’ but said: “I like that. I didn’t start running until two years ago.
“I’ve done an ultra-marathon and signed up for the Cardiff Half Marathon in October, it’s good to set yourself different goals.
“Hopefully my planning, will pay off and we’ll be home for supper! We start at midnight on the Saturday and should be at the finish line by 8.00pm that evening. So, wish us luck!”
Heulwen has set up a JustGiving page. You can show your support to Heulwen by donating to her JustGiving page. Heulwen’s fundraiser for Wales Air Ambulance Charitable Trust
Elaine Orr, Regional Fundraising Manager for Wales Air Ambulance said: “Heulwen’s a little bit of a legend around these parts! She’s raised thousands of pounds for different charities over the years, and we are very grateful that she has chosen to fundraise for our lifesaving service to mark her 50th year.
“We wish her and her friends well as they set off on their 50-mile hike and look forward to hearing all about their journey on their return.
“It’s fundraisers like this that make such an enormous difference and saves lives. Without the help of people like Heulwen we could not continue to do what we do.”
