Swansea City Foundation, the charitable arm of Swansea City Football Club has held its final team meeting of the year at Wales Air Ambulance’s base in Dafen.
Twenty members of staff spent the day at the Charity’s headquarters learning about the work of the lifesaving service and celebrating the foundation’s successes during 2025.
Claire Atherton, Head of People and Culture at the Swans Foundation said: “We have had an incredible twelve months, engaging with over 14,000 people across local communities.
“Our team work incredibly hard throughout the year. They are often hosting events independently so moments like this, where we get to come together and reflect on our achievements are so important.
“Home for us is the Swansea.com Stadium, I know for our fans it is such a special place. But for the Swans Foundation family to have the opportunity to come as a group to the home of Wales Air Ambulance for the day has been an incredible experience.”
14,728 people took part in 4,490 Swansea City Foundation sessions during 2025. With a 112,816 attendance.
Tom Williams joined the Swans Foundation in 2015 as its Head of Programmes. He says, ‘The power of Swansea City Football Club’s badge is helping deliver impactful change in surrounding communities.’
He continued: “We work in partnership with lots of organisations and Charities delivering a range of projects from school age to adults.
“We help divert young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour through our Kicks programme.
“We also use the hook of the badge to bring people to the stadium to do specialist exercises in the concourse and get them involved in physical activities they might not normally do, had it not been for the pull of football.”
The Swansea City Foundation outreach is far and wide, covering Swansea to Pembrokeshire, up to Aberystwyth and across to Newtown in Powys.
Tom said: “The staff we have are such positive role models for so many people, so we are often working out of our region, which is fantastic and a testament to our incredible team.
“They have built up a strong bond with young people who keep coming back and are getting a lot of benefit from those sessions.”
Swansea City Foundation were invited to hold their final team meeting of the year at the Wales Air Ambulance base in Dafen on Monday, 15 December 2025.
Claire said: “I think like most people I have seen the red helicopters in the sky over the years and have not put much thought into how much it costs, the training involved and the skill required.
“When you get up close with the vehicles, get to sit inside and see what a small space they are working with, and the heavy kit they must carry, it is mind boggling.
“Our team were fully engaged throughout and will no doubt talk about this with family and friends. Days like this have a real ripple effect.”
Tom was particularly impressed by the ‘level of skill’ required by the clinicians and pilots to do their jobs.
He said: “I want to pay tribute to the crews that run the service, I don’t think people truly understand what they do.
“They are on constant standby, learning about the training and the skills required to run it, has been a real eye opener.
“I think my takeaway is that I am grateful it is there, but after hearing about the type of injuries they deal with, I hope that I never need it.”
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.
During the Swans Foundation visit, the team witnessed Wales Air Ambulance taking off on a
mission.
Emma Jones is Head of Fundraising and said: “It was breathtaking watching the team get into the helicopter, knowing that they were flying to save someone’s life.
“My husband is a firefighter, and I worked in my previous career for the criminal justice system, so I am aware of the level of care provided by the Wales Air Ambulance.
“But it isn’t until you are airside and up close with the helicopter and talking with the team, then seeing them take off, that you understand how impactful their work is.”
She added: “My role is to fundraise for the Swans Foundation and work in collaboration with other charities and organisations.
“So, I was very interested to learn that Wales Air Ambulance must raise £13 million to keep the service operating. That is an incredible amount.
“We are so grateful to have had the unique opportunity to be part of Wales Air Ambulance’s world for the day – and look forward to collaborating in 2026.”
Emma Grant, Public Affairs Lead for Wales Air Ambulance said: “Swansea City Foundation was founded in 2008 and has an impressive legacy.
“It has worked with thousands of people over the past 17 years in many communities the length and breadth of Wales.
“It’s been wonderful for the Wales Air Ambulance family to welcome the team to our Dafen base and spend time with our crew to learn about our lifesaving work.
“We value collaborations like this and looking forward to forming meaningful connections in 2026.”
