A Wales Air Ambulance consultant, who also serves as a medical officer in the Royal Air Force is gearing up for the Charity’s Cycle 100 challenge.
Kieran Whittle works as an emergency department consultant at Southmead Hospital in Bristol and joined the lifesaving service two years ago.
The 37-year-old is ‘urging riders looking for a challenge to sign up’ for the fundraiser which will take place on Sunday 6 September 2026.
Cyclists will set off from Cardiff, make their way through Bridgend, pedal through Port Talbot and pass through Swansea and finish at the Dafen airbase Kieran flies out of.
He said: “It’s such a privilege to be able to work for Wales Air Ambulance, it is such an incredible service which is respected worldwide.
“We bring advanced medical procedures, usually only available in a hospital setting, to the very sick or injured, sometimes in the remotest environments.
“Our focus is on stabilising the patient’s condition and making sure they are not in pain.
“Once we hand them over to continue their care in hospital I often wonder how they are doing.
“Thankfully through our patient aftercare service we sometimes get to reconnect and hear the rest of their story.”
The Wales Air Ambulance aftercare team provide support to patients and their relatives.
Recovery from a critical illness or injury can be long and challenging as people move between different departments, hospitals, and rehabilitation centres before finally returning home.
Our patient liaison nurses will arrange follow-up visits at varying intervals during recovery, signpost to other organisations that can help and offer bereavement support for those who have lost a loved one. They can also pass a message to the crew via letter or email.
Kieran said: “Receiving letters of thanks or updates on a patient’s recovery are incredibly rewarding and, although not the most scientific thing, the human side of the care we give and how we make patients feel is often the bit that sticks with them. It’s so important to connect on that level and offer reassurance.”
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.
Kieran says, ‘there is no other job quite like it’ and ‘providing care to people in their moment of need, is really humbling.’
The father of two learnt to fly whilst in medical school, gaining his private pilot’s licence when he was part of the University’s air squadron.
He said: “I had a mixture of influences growing up; grandfathers in the Royal Air Force, grandmothers as nurses and an older brother who has needed a lot of support throughout his life. This combination, I think, set me on the path to where I am today.
“It took me around thirteen years to bring both my passion for flying and medicine together.
“I’ve been working for Wales Air Ambulance since 2024, I do around two shifts a month and it’s a role which is so fulfilling, it’s an honour to be part of the crew.”
He added: “I am looking forward to Cycle 100 as it will be an opportunity to catch up with so many people who I don’t get to see when I am on my shift.
“I am also looking forward to meeting those who have benefited from the service and to say thank you to all the fundraisers and supporters.”
By signing up for Cycle 100 you will be making a lifesaving difference.
We’d ‘wheelie’ love you to join us on the start line on Sunday, 6 September 2026. Cycle 100
Gail Windley, Wales Air Ambulance Events and Partnerships Fundraiser said: “We are delighted that Kieran will be among the crew taking part in this year’s Cycle 100 challenge.
“He wears so many hats, through his hospital work, as a medical officer in the Royal Air Force, working for Wales Air Ambulance and a dad of two, I imagine he has very little free time.
“We are so grateful that he has chosen to sign up for Cycle 100 along with his dad, to help raise funds for our lifesaving service so it can continue to be there for the people of Wales, whenever and wherever they need us. Diolch yn fawr!”
