Staff from Serco have been donating their time to the Wales Air Ambulance as part of their commitment to create a legacy for their colleague who sadly died.
In 2024, mother of two Bella Chandley from St Florence, Pembrokeshire, who worked as an Employer Engagement Coordinator for Serco’s Restart Scheme, became unwell. She was initially taken to Glangwili Hospital where it was established that she had suffered a brain aneurysm.
She was then transferred by Wales Air Ambulance to the Health Hospital where she underwent surgery but sadly died a few weeks later.
Bella’s colleagues decided they wanted to give something back and have been volunteering at the Wales Air Ambulance shop in Bridgend and at its airbase in Cardiff, as well as writing thank you letters to fundraisers.
Serco has an office in Cardiff with its Restart scheme provision available Wales-wide. It offers staff one volunteer day a year – enabling them to support causes which matter to them.
Emma Wood, Strategic Account Manager for the Restart Scheme at Serco, said: “Everyone loved Bella! She was just so charismatic, straight talking and vivacious.
“It was a devastating shock for her dear family and all her work colleagues and friends to lose her at such a young age.”
Bella was a qualified beekeeper and before she joined Serco she used to make honey, wax candles and other products.
Emma said: “Our team wear bee brooches, which say ‘Be More Bella.’ She is very much in our thoughts most days.
“Her journey got us thinking about the Wales Air Ambulance, it was there for her when she needed it most and it is a Charity which is now close to our hearts.”
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 critical care.
Serco staff have visited the Cardiff Heliport to learn about the service. The team are also planning to carry out several fundraising activities throughout this year.
Emma added: “It is just so inspiring to climb inside the helicopter and get to see what the clinicians are working with.
“Talking to Marc, who is a Critical Care Practitioner and Rory, who is a pilot, I’ve been blown away about how humble they are about everything they do.
“They are very brave people to do what they do, and if we can help support this incredible service in any way we can, we absolutely will.”
Emma Grant, Public Affairs Lead for Wales Air Ambulance said: “Bella sounds like an incredible person and is a much-missed member of the Serco team.
“She clearly inspired her colleagues and continues to do so. That is why we are so moved to collaborate and help create a legacy in her memory.
“It has been wonderful to work with the team, offering volunteer days within our Charity shop in Bridgend, where staff helped stock and create displays to help raise funds.
“We hosted a base visit at Cardiff Heliport, where attendees got to see the helicopter up close and watch it prepare for a mission. They also wrote Thank You letters to our fundraisers and supporters.
“We rely on partnerships like this to enable us to keep doing what we do. We look forward to supporting Serco’s fundraising activities. Every pound raised, really does help save lives.”
