Charity

Forecourt operator raises money for lifesaving air ambulance missions

Published

1 year ago

April 9, 2025

ASCONA GROUP have helped raise an incredible £67,814 in just over six months for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity.

The company has teamed up with the award-winning UK fintech charity Pennies, which enables micro-donation opportunities at checkout, helping create huge impact for charities in need.

Customers are given the opportunity to donate to charity when paying by card or digital wallet which Ascona will be match funding.

Darren Briggs, founder and Chief Executive of Ascona Group said: “Wales Air Ambulance, is such a phenomenal service and our customers recognise that.

“They have been so generous at our tills, whenever they make a purchase, they are given the option of donating 30p to the Charity, which Ascona will match-fund.

“As you can see from the amount raised so far, they think a lot of the service.”

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.

Darren said: “It means a lot on a personal level to be able to help support a Charity that helps save so many lives each year.

“One of my longest serving employees, needed the help of the Wales Air Ambulance, and is thankfully still with us.”

He added: “As a helicopter pilot, I also understand the flying element to the service too, it’s unbelievable what they do under such pressure.

“There are so many things that must be considered even before take-off.

“There’s the logistics, navigating the terrain – some patients can be in hard to access areas, and most importantly providing critical care at the scene.”

Ascona Group has 62 forecourts across the UK and serves 300,000 customers a week. It dispenses 5.0 million litres of motor fuel per week – That’s an equivalent of 19 tankers per day.

Valero is a global fuels manufacturer and owns and operates Pembroke Refinery in West Wales. It has taken around 18 months for both companies to rollout the Pennies initiative.

Alison Cousins, Area Sales Manager for Valero Energy Ltd, said: “Valero is proud of our charitable partnership with the Wales Air Ambulance, and is pleased to have been able to support the rollout of Pennies charitable giving across Ascona sites.

“Wales Air Ambulance carry out inspirational, lifesaving work for those who need it most, and we are delighted today to help celebrate the public and Ascona’s generous donation efforts across the communities we are so fortunate to be a part of.”

Customers making a purchase at Ascona’s Valero branded forecourts will see messaging around the campaign on fuel pumps and at the counter.

Geoffrey Harding, Head of Fuel Strategy at Ascona Group, said: “If you pay using the card reader, you will have the option to donate 30p, which Ascona will match up to £100,000.

“For every donation we have seen so far, we have matched, when paid by card.

“We also have donation boxes at the checkout, for anyone paying with cash, who might wish to donate.

“It is totally the customer’s choice, the staff are fully trained to answer any questions the customer has and it’s just a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ option on the card reader, if they wish to add a donation on to their transaction, they can with the added bonus that Ascona will match fund the donation.”

Pennies CEO, Alison Hutchinson CBE, added: “Pennies is proud to partner with Ascona, and congratulations to the team and customers for their amazing fundraising efforts.

“The generosity of Ascona customers and Ascona with their match funding has created tremendous impact for The Wales Air Ambulance.

“Thank you to the Ascona team and to all those customers who press ‘yes’ – your small acts of generosity make such a difference.”

Ascona and Valero’s Pennies’ campaign is raising around £1,200 per week on average. Since its launch in 2010, Pennies has facilitated over 255 million micro-donations, raising £62 million for more than 1,060 charities.

Phae Jones, Director of Income at Wales Air Ambulance said: “We’d like to extend a huge thank you to every customer who has donated over the past six months at Ascona sites.

“We are hugely grateful to Ascona for kindly match-funding all money raised to the value of £100,000. That is an incredibly generous amount, which will help save many lives and will be the company’s second £100,000 donation in the last two years.

“The Valero team are also hugely supportive of the work we do and have been fantastic during the rollout of the Pennies initiative.

“As a Charity, we must raise £11.2 million pounds each year, to keep our helicopters in the sky and rapid response vehicles on the road.

“Partnerships like this are key to enabling us to keep doing what we do.”

Charity

Toy Story fans fill charity toy box at Haverfordwest cinema

Published

1 day ago

June 20, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Donations pour in for SNAP Specialist Play as families embrace Toy Story 5 launch

A TOY STORY-themed charity appeal at a Haverfordwest cinema has got off to a flying start, with families donating toys to support children with additional needs across Pembrokeshire.

The Palace Cinema has teamed up with local charity SNAP Specialist Play to collect new and pre-loved toys during screenings of the newly released Toy Story 5.

The appeal centres around an “Andy’s Toys” donation box, inspired by the beloved Pixar films, which has already been filled by generous filmgoers.

***Toy Story magic: The Palace Cinema foyer has been transformed with themed decorations to celebrate the film’s release***

Cinema manager Hannah Cramp said the response from the community had exceeded expectations.

Families attending opening screenings have arrived carrying bags of toys, with many children keen to share their own treasured items to help others.

The cinema has transformed its foyer into a colourful Toy Story-themed experience, complete with hand-painted decorations, character silhouettes, bunting and famous film slogans including “Reach for the Sky” and “To Infinity and Beyond”.

Many visitors have also embraced the spirit of the occasion by attending in costume as their favourite Toy Story characters.

***Specialist support: SNAP’s sensory facilities help children with additional needs learn and develop through play***

The toys are being donated to SNAP Specialist Play, a charity based within the Child Health Department at Withybush Hospital.

SNAP supports pre-school children with additional and complex needs through specialist play sessions designed to encourage communication, physical development and sensory learning.

Its facilities include sensory rooms, therapeutic play spaces and bespoke equipment used by speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

Project manager Cindy Jenkins said the charity was delighted by the partnership and grateful for the generosity shown by local families.

She said every toy donated would be put to good use, either during specialist play sessions, at family events, or through seasonal initiatives such as Christmas gift boxes for children and their siblings.

The appeal will continue until mid-July, with organisers hopeful that even more donations will be received over the coming weeks.

Anyone attending Toy Story 5 at the Palace Cinema is invited to bring along a new or good-quality pre-loved toy to support the appeal.

Cover photo:

Fancy dress fun: Palace Cinema manager Hannah Cramp helping launch the Toy Story charity appeal.

Charity

Afghan resettlement sex offence case “raises questions over public safety”

Published

6 days ago

June 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

MINISTERS are facing calls to explain what checks were in place after the Ministry of Defence confirmed that an Afghan national resettled in the Vale of Glamorgan was convicted of a sexual offence.

Conservative Senedd Member Andrew RT Davies said the case raises “serious questions” for authorities after months of correspondence about the use of the Holiday Inn Express in Rhoose as temporary accommodation under Afghan resettlement arrangements.

The issue was first raised by Mr Davies in August last year, after he met Ministry of Defence officials about the decision to house Afghan families at the hotel.

Following that meeting, he asked whether anyone housed in the Vale of Glamorgan under Afghan resettlement schemes had been charged with or convicted of sex offences or other crimes.

Delayed response

The Home Office initially refused to provide the information, saying it would exceed the cost limit for Freedom of Information requests because thousands of Afghan national records would have to be checked.

However, the Ministry of Defence has now confirmed that it holds information relating to ten cases in which a person relocated to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy or Afghan Response Route later committed a criminal offence.

Of those ten cases, five people were resettled under ARAP, three under ARR, while the MOD said it did not hold information on which route applied to the remaining two.

The department also confirmed that one person was based in the Vale of Glamorgan at the time the offence was committed and had been convicted of a sexual offence.

The MOD said the individual is no longer part of the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

A further two of the ten cases related to sexual offences, bringing the total number of sexual offence cases held by the MOD to three.

‘Public safety implications’

Mr Davies said: “It’s disgraceful that the Government failed to provide this information for so long.

“After authorities chose to use the Holiday Inn Express in Rhoose for temporary accommodation, I asked them to confirm if any individuals relocated under various Afghan resettlement schemes were convicted of sex offences.

“But they failed to answer the request repeatedly.

“Now it has confirmed an Afghan resettled in the Vale of Glamorgan was convicted of a sex crime, the Government has serious questions to answer.

“There are public safety implications that must be addressed.”

MOD caveat

In its response, the Ministry of Defence stressed that its figures should not be treated as a complete picture.

The department said that once an eligible person is resettled in the UK, integration and ongoing support becomes the responsibility of the relevant local authority.

It added that the MOD does not routinely collect data on people once they begin the resettlement and integration process.

The MOD also said it does not hold information on the specific category of sexual offences committed.

Mr Davies has previously raised concerns from residents about whether statements made about those housed at the hotel accurately reflected the schemes under which they had been resettled.

He said constituents deserved transparency over both the resettlement process and any public safety issues arising from it.

Charity

Charity football match raises £10,025 for Glangwili Hospital units

Published

6 days ago

June 15, 2026

Herald Sport

A CHARITY football event held at Carmarthen Town AFC has raised £10,025 for two key services at Glangwili Hospital.

The event, organised by LHP Accountants, took place on Saturday and raised money for the Chemotherapy Unit and the Special Care Baby Unit through Hywel Dda Health Charities.

Organisers said they had been “absolutely overwhelmed” by the support shown on the day, thanking everyone who played, donated, sponsored, volunteered, bought raffle tickets, bid in the auction or attended the event.

They said: “This achievement belongs to every single person who supported us. Thank you for helping us make a real difference.”

The event was also filmed by S4C’s Heno, with coverage due to air tonight between 7:00pm and 7:30pm.