Patrons and Ambassadors

Opera star Bryn Terfel has been Patron of Wales Air Ambulance since 2005. He supports the charity across Wales, often in celebration through music.

The bass-baritone has recorded two CD singles for the charity, Anfonaf Angel and its English version Guardian Angel.

James Hook is a former Welsh international rugby union player, coach, commentator and author. A versatile back, he won 81 caps for Wales, claimed three Six Nations titles—including two Grand Slams—and toured South Africa with the British & Irish Lions in 2009.

At club level, he played for Neath, Ospreys, Perpignan and Gloucester, winning major honours including league titles and the European Challenge Cup. Since retiring from professional rugby in 2020, James has moved into coaching with the Ospreys, where he has worked as a skills and kicking coach, supporting the development of emerging talent.

Alongside coaching, James has built a successful media career as a rugby pundit and commentator across television and radio. He is also co-author of the award-winning children’s book series Chasing a Rugby Dream and serves as a director of the Fab Four Coffee Company.

James is also a passionate supporter and long-standing ambassador for Wales Air Ambulance, inspired by the charity’s lifesaving intervention when his young son required critical care. Since then, he has helped raise both awareness and vital funds for its work.

Paralympic cyclist Simon Richardson joined Wales Air Ambulance as an Ambassador in 2012. The Porthcawl athlete, who won silver and two gold medals at the Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2008, was airlifted by Wales Air Ambulance after a road traffic collision. Simon set up the special fundraiser and hashtag #Simonstrong, with a host of fundraising events planned for the charity.

Welsh tenor Rhys Meirion joined Wales Air Ambulance as an Ambassador in 2012. Rhys spearheaded a 200-mile trek through Wales, raising thousands of pounds in aid of the charity.

Darren Briggs is a Welsh entrepreneur and Founder and Chief Executive of the Ascona Group, one of the UK’s fastest-growing forecourt operators. Based in Pembrokeshire, he has grown the business from a single site in 2011 to a nationwide network serving communities across Wales and beyond.

In 2025, Darren became the Wales Air Ambulance Charity’s first Business Ambassador, in recognition of his exceptional and long-standing support for the lifesaving service. Through Ascona Group, he has helped raise more than £400,000 for the Charity through innovative, customer-led fundraising initiatives across forecourts, with a pledge to raise over £1 million in the years ahead.

Driven by both professional commitment and personal experience of the Charity’s impact, Darren is passionate about giving back to communities across Wales. He uses his business expertise, influence and networks to champion the Charity’s work, helping to raise vital funds and awareness.

Darren holds a Private License for Helicopters – PPL(H) – and is rated for a Bell 505 Jet Ranger helicopter.

As Business Ambassador, he plays a key role in strengthening corporate engagement, supporting the Charity in its mission to deliver critical care wherever and whenever it is needed.

Emyr Afan OBE FRSA is a Welsh-speaking entrepreneur, media executive and community advocate with more than 30 years’ experience building Afanti Media into one of Wales’s leading independent production and live-events businesses.

His career has combined creative leadership, governance and public-purpose work across broadcasting, music, sport, youth culture and major national events. Through Afango and the Nessa battery project, he has helped pioneer practical clean-energy solutions for live production and community events in Wales, work recognised through the Innovation Award 2026 at the Wales Business Awards.

As a Wales Air Ambulance Business Ambassador, Emyr brings his network, communication expertise and commitment to Welsh communities to support a service that makes a life-changing difference across the nation.

Jessica Shipman is Chair of NatWest Cymru, representing Wales within NatWest Group and leading the bank’s economic engagement across the nation. Proudly from the Rhondda Valleys, she is passionate about Wales’s long-term future, its communities and its economy.

The first in her family to attend university, Jessica studied Psychology, became a Chartered Banker, and later studied Economics at the University of Oxford. With more than 20 years of experience supporting businesses across Wales, she has worked with organisations of all sizes, from local entrepreneurs and rural communities to major manufacturers, scale-ups and large corporates.

She chairs the NatWest Cymru Regional Board, helping to support more than 700,000 customers across Wales, and also serves as the UK Government’s Mid-Market Growth Champion for Wales.

A regular speaker on economic trends and regional growth, Jessica is a strong advocate for building confidence in the Welsh economy and championing future opportunity. She became a Business Ambassador for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity in 2026, supporting its lifesaving work across the country.