A Transport for Wales employee has raised funds for the Wales Air Ambulance in memory of her ‘much-loved’ father, who sadly passed away in August 2020.
29-year-old Lucy Martin signed up for the Newport 10K after the public transport service provider nominated the lifesaving service as its Charity partner for 2023/24.
Lucy said: “I am not a natural runner, but I wanted to challenge myself whilst raising funds for a great cause.
“The Wales Air Ambulance means a lot to my family because it came to the aid of my Dad.”
Alan Martin worked as a lorry driver at Tesco’s Distribution Centre in Magor. He had just arrived at work and was walking through the warehouse when he collapsed.
Lucy said: “The team at Tesco were amazing and went to his aid straight away. They did CPR and all the first aid stuff that they were trained to do, as well as dialling 999.
“The rapid response vehicle came out from the Wales Air Ambulance.
“A doctor attended him, and they really did everything they could but sadly Dad died.”
Lucy said: “He was the most amazing father, very caring and funny.
“He supported us all, through the highs and lows. My mum was poorly for a few years, and was starting to get better, when we lost him.”
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.
The Wales Air Ambulance Charity also provides an aftercare service to patients who have needed the service’s help, and family members whose loved ones die suddenly.
Lucy said: “We weren’t aware of the aftercare team until we lost Dad. Mum received a phone call a week or two later from a patient liaison nurse.
“They talked her through what had happened, explained it all from start to finish and all the interventions that had been provided by the clinicians at the scene.
“We were obviously still in shock, but it helped give us a better understanding of what had happened.
“It also offered reassurance to all my Dad’s colleagues at Tesco who had tried to help him, that there was nothing more they could have done.
“That conversation was so important, as it helped so many people have a bit of closure.”
Lucy added: “Whilst battling her own personal long-term illness, my mum received life-changing treatment in 2019. She had made a full recovery with support from Dad, a challenge they both faced together.
“It was just over a year later, during the pandemic, that Dad passed away suddenly”
She continued: “It is so tragic because my Dad was such a fantastic person, a caring husband and father.
“The aftercare team helped my mum make sense of it all, she got a lot of comfort from that phone call.”
Lucy helped raise almost £400 after completing the Newport 10K on Sunday 14 April 2025.
She said: “After going through what we did, I set up a monthly direct debit for Wales Air Ambulance, but I wanted to do more.
“I took inspiration from my sister Jemma, who signed up to do a skydive in memory of my Dad for the Charity.
“I thought if she is brave enough to jump out of a plane, I can get over my fear of running. So, I just did it.”
Lucy admits she did ‘struggle a bit’ halfway through the run. Her left foot ‘started to go numb’.
She said: “I thought I just need to finish this race, get it done. My mum, sister, fiancé and best friends were at the finish line so I could see them as I was running down.
“The atmosphere was amazing, and I had such a sense of achievement when I completed it.”
Phae Jones, Director of Income Generation for Wales Air Ambulance, said: “How incredible is Lucy? To take on her fear of running in memory of her wonderful Dad.
“We are so grateful to the Martin family for fundraising for our Charity after a very difficult few years.
“It’s wonderful that Lucy and her amazing colleagues at Transport for Wales have helped raise over £14,000 during our Charity partnership.
“Without the support of our fundraisers, we couldn’t continue to do what we do.
“Every pound raised makes such a difference and enables us to travel 24/7 to patients in critical need of our help, whenever or wherever they might need us.”
