A mum and daughter who both work for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity were among the 1,600 guests that attended the Princess of Wales’ annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey.
Amanda, who is the Individual Giving Manager for Wales Air Ambulance started working for the Charity in 2001 and admits she was ‘very shocked’ when she received the invitation, initially thinking ‘it was a hoax.’
She said: “I read my invitation eight times, before it sunk in. It was a real honour to receive, and I was absolutely thrilled and delighted to attend.
“You can imagine my whole family were happy for me, and my daughter Danni was desperate to attend too, she was asking me to please take her. I felt awful, that I had to say it was by invitation only.”
But unknown to the Dunells the Charity’s Christmas elves were at work behind-the-scenes.
Amanda said: “Just days before the concert I received a lovely email from the Charity saying a ticket had been set aside for Danni at Westminster Abbey.
“As you can imagine there were tears of joy! She was so delighted to receive the news.”
32-year-old Danni has volunteered for the Charity for thirteen years.
Amanda said: “When Danni was in college, we wanted her to do work experience to help with her development, as she has learning difficulties. She started off at a hotel, but it was not the right environment for her.
“At this point I had been working for Wales Air Ambulance for over ten years and was aware of several volunteering opportunities which might be suitable. I helped Danni with her application, and it turned out to be the best decision, she hasn’t looked back since!”
Danni started working at the Wales Air Ambulance Charity shop in Cwmdu in 2012, but this year she moved to its branch in the city centre.
Amanda said: “As a volunteer she has a variety of roles but likes to clean the shop and make sure everything looks neat. Danni is also excellent at making teas and coffees and looking after everyone.
“She loves greeting the customers, decorating the Christmas trees and getting festive.”
She continued: “We’ve just been lucky, her confidence has grown so much through volunteering, and she has made amazing friends. The managers have all been great with her.”
But Amanda says receiving a ticket to attend the Princess of Wales’ Christmas concert was ‘like a dream’ for Danni. As soon as she knew she was going too, all thoughts turned to ‘what to wear?’
She said: “I had bought myself a lovely red coat which is the Charity’s signature colour and looked festive.
“Danni straight away said, she wanted one too. We had to search online to find a similar one, which fortunately we did. We topped it off with matching sparkly gloves.”
The pair were hugely excited on their journey to London and were overwhelmed by the beauty of Westminster Abbey.
The audience heard a mixture of readings from Kate Winslet and Chiwetel Ejiofor – and a Bible reading by Prince William.
Amanda said: “When we arrived there were lots of seats available, the front rows had been reserved. But we managed to find two seats on the second row which was amazing.
“The Royal Family were in a separate area away from us, so we saw them on their arrival walking through the great hall and every now and then they would appear on the TV screens that were dotted around the abbey.
“It was quite surreal to see so many people we recognised from the television, Mary Berry, who had help make the Christmas wreaths, sat opposite us.”
She continued: “It really is the most beautiful building we have ever seen. The architecture and detail, it really is breathtaking. Danni and I were in awe of it all.
“The Christmas trees were quite fabulous, with gorgeous decorations and candles everywhere. It was the tiny details, everything sparkled, it was magical.”
She added: “Both Danni and I are so grateful for this incredible experience. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute, and I am so happy we got to share this special moment together.
“We love working for the Charity and to receive this treat was a real gift, something we will remember forever.”
