A volunteer has defied a leg injury, and stormy weather conditions to take on a challenge in aid of the Wales Air Ambulance Charity.
At the start of 2025, 68-year-old Neil Marsh, from Llanwnda announced he was going to take on a tri-challenge with a twist, just three years after receiving treatment for lung cancer.
He said: “I had it all mapped out; I’ve been trying to do a mini triathlon in North Wales since I moved up here 25 years ago.
“But when I looked into the route I was planning, I was told it would be far too dangerous, and my canoe would most likely end up in Ireland.”
As Neil started to plot a plan B, he unfortunately injured his calf and had to postpone his fundraiser until the autumn. It seemed like the odds were against him, but after a few months of rest and rehabilitation, Neil was ‘ready to go for it.’
The former self-defence instructor who worked with the police in London has been involved with sport and leisure all his life. On Wednesday, 3 September 2025, he set off, on what possibly turned out to be one of the windiest days of the year.
Neil said: “A friend teamed up with me for the water leg of the challenge, and we took our canoes over to Cable Bay for an 8.00am start. But it was stormy, with torrential rain and big waves.
“We waited for a lull in the weather, before getting on the water and got across the bay and halfway back, when the sky opened again.
“Both of us ended up in the water and had to drag our canoes behind us until we got back on dry land. It was a battle, but we made it.”
After taking a fifteen-minute break, Neil got into his cycling gear – ready for a 40-mile solo ride.
He said: “My wife Nan, who is also a volunteer for Wales Air Ambulance, followed me in the car from Cable Bay to Llangefni, which is about halfway. Then the second leg on to Caernarfon Airport.
“It took me just over three hours to do. I covered just under forty miles but had been hoping to do the equivalent length of the Cardiff to Dafen bike ride. It’s just that the terrain around here is a bit lumpy, and the wind was blowing against me most of the journey.”
Neil is a big supporter of Wales Air Ambulance after he needed the service after a cycling incident in 2008 left him with hip and leg injuries.
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.
Over the years Neil has completed a 1,000-mile ride across America and Canada, raced in the Isle of Man, competed in triathlons and even pulled buses for charity. So, what is next?
Neil said: “I’ve got my eye on the Marcher Castles Way in aid of Wales Air Ambulance, it’s a new route, which hasn’t even been waymarked.
“It’s 180-miles and crosses the Welsh and English borders eight times with prehistoric and medieval ruins along the way.”
The historic route takes in Ironbridge, Wilderhope Manor, Ludlow Castle, Dolforwyn Castle, Montgomery Castle and Mitchells Fold Stone Circles.
Neil aims to cover it in three sections next spring. He continued: “I recently watched a video of riders, and it looks challenging. I’d like to break it up into 60-mile chunks, it’s about 5,000 metres of climbing.
“I’m looking forward to getting to explore the route and hope to raise lots of money for Wales Air Ambulance along the way.”
Neil’s autumn challenge helped raise £650 for Wales Air Ambulance. He was delighted to receive the same t-shirt as the riders who took part in the Cardiff to Dafen cycle challenge as well as a medal.
Elaine Orr, Wales Air Ambulance’s Regional Fundraising Manager for North Wales West said: “Neil is incredible, he defies all the odds and just cannot seem to keep still! He deserved to receive a Wales Air Ambulance medal for his efforts.
“We are so grateful that he has once again completed a challenge in aid of us and delighted that he’s already planning his next big adventure.
“Our Charity relies on fundraisers like Neil to help keep our helicopters in the sky and rapid response vehicles on the road.
“Every pound raised, makes such an incredible difference and saves lives every day, across Wales.”
