Charity

Coach driver raises over £41,000 for Wales Air Ambulance after health scare

Published

1 year ago

June 13, 2025

Volunteer praises ‘lifesaving service’ as community rallies behind his fundraising efforts

A PEMBROKESHIRE coach driver who volunteers for Wales Air Ambulance has raised an incredible £41,000 for the charity over the past six years.

Richard ‘Barney’ Lewis, who works for Pembrokeshire County Council’s Transport Bus and Coaches team, began fundraising after a serious health scare in 2010.

“I had a mini-stroke,” said Barney. “The two paramedics who came to my aid also worked for Wales Air Ambulance. Back then, there were no helicopters flying at night, and there weren’t any clinicians on board. It’s changed so much.”

Wales Air Ambulance now operates four helicopters, with onboard NHS consultants and critical care practitioners. The service also runs a night-time operation from Cardiff, covering all of Wales.

“It’s fantastic,” Barney added. “It’s like the emergency department comes to you — they can deliver advanced care on scene.”

The consultant-led service brings hospital-level treatment to patients wherever they are, including blood transfusions, anaesthesia, and even minor operations. The charity needs to raise £11.2 million annually to keep its helicopters in the air and its rapid response vehicles on the road. It is delivered through a partnership between the Wales Air Ambulance Charity and the NHS’s Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS).

After recovering from his stroke, Barney returned to work and began raising funds.

“It took me 18 months to recover,” he said. “Once I was fit again, I wanted to give back. I’ve raised quite a bit over the years — I’ve lost count how much! I just love supporting the Charity because it helps thousands of people across Wales.”

His fundraising efforts include sponsored bike rides, walks, and a 100-mile challenge last October, which he completed despite suffering from sciatica.

“I spread the miles out over three months,” he said. “One day I took a bucket and walked from Pembroke Dock to Milton and back. I stopped at a local pub for a glass of water and they let me collect there. Then I went into Café 9, and ended up at Bethany Chapel where ladies at a coffee morning were putting £5 notes in my bucket. I raised £178 that day alone.”

Barney has since launched a regular tabletop and coffee morning at Pennar Community Centre.

“I used to do car boot sales,” he explained, “but working six days a week, I couldn’t manage the 4:30am starts. So I started a monthly event at Pennar. We raised £300 at our first one. The next is on June 28, from 10:00am to 2:00pm.”

He’s supported by friends Pauline Morgan, Jessica Lewis, Heidi Rowland, and the team from Milford Marina’s Spinnaker Café, who bake cakes and have even donated four picnic benches to help boost footfall.

Barney also sells unwanted items online to raise additional funds.

“I put things on Marketplace and sell them — every penny goes to the air ambulance,” he said. “Since January 1, I’ve raised £999 just from that, not counting everything else I do.”

He added: “People are so generous when they hear it’s for the air ambulance. Everyone knows how vital it is to our communities. I’ll keep volunteering as long as I can — I’ve made new friends, it keeps me active, and I’d recommend it to anyone.”

Mike May, Regional Fundraising Manager for Wales Air Ambulance, said: “Barney is a fabulous ambassador for our Charity. His incredible £41,000 total is the equivalent cost of around thirteen lifesaving missions. Volunteers like him are crucial to what we do.”

Sandra Hembery, Volunteer Development Manager, added: “Barney is an absolute star and a shining example of the difference our volunteers make. We are truly grateful for his service over the years — in all weathers!”

To find out more about volunteering with Wales Air Ambulance, visit:
www.walesairambulance.com/volunteer.

Charity

Sea shanties and street food bring crowds to Cardigan RNLI festival

Published

2 days ago

June 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

SUNSHINE, sea shanties and street food helped draw hundreds of visitors to Cardigan RNLI Lifeboat Station on Saturday (Jun 20).

The station’s Sea Shanty and Street Food Festival brought together families, supporters and visitors from across the region for a day of maritime music, food and community spirit.

Traditional sea shanty groups performed throughout the event, with songs echoing around the lifeboat station, while street food vendors served a range of refreshments.

The event also gave visitors the chance to learn more about the lifesaving work carried out by the RNLI and its volunteer crews.

Cardigan RNLI thanked the performers, food vendors, volunteers, sponsors and supporters who helped make the day a success.

Bruce Harris, Launch Authority and event organiser, said: “It was wonderful to see so many people come together to support the station, enjoy the entertainment, and celebrate our maritime heritage.

“The atmosphere throughout the day was fantastic, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who attended, performed, volunteered, and contributed to such a memorable event.”

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts.

The charity operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands.

Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved more than 146,700 lives.

Charity

Mum takes on half marathon to give back to NHS

Published

2 days ago

June 22, 2026

Cerys Lafferty

KATE DAVIES is taking on the Wales Half Marathon to say thank you to the NHS services that supported her during a difficult time.

Kate, a mother of one who works in operational workforce at Withybush Hospital, is heading to Tenby on June 28 to take on the Wales Half Marathon at Long Course Weekend Wales to raise funds for Cilgerran Ward at Glangwili Hospital.

Having been in good health for much of her life, Kate has been fortunate to not need many Hywel Dda University Health Board services until recent years.

Kate said: “The journey to becoming a parent wasn’t straightforward, and I experienced several difficult and emotional setbacks along the way. Throughout this time, I was supported with great care, kindness and compassion by various services across the health board, for which I will always be grateful.

“In December 2023, under the care of Glangwili consultants, I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. I’m incredibly grateful and fortunate that I have a fantastic, healthy and happy two-year-old daughter.

“To celebrate, I have signed up to take part in the Long Course Wales Half Marathon! I would love to raise money to give back to the health board that was there when I needed it.

“I can think of nothing better than reaching the finish line in good health, with my daughter waiting for me, knowing I have raised funds and given back to say thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has donated.”

Tara Nickerson, Fundraising Manager, said: “What a heartfelt story. A huge thanks to Kate for taking on the Wales Half Marathon to support a service so close to her heart. We look forward to cheering her on!

“The generous charitable donations we receive don’t replace NHS funding. Instead, they are used to provide items and activities above and beyond core NHS expenditure, such as more welcoming surroundings for patients, families and staff, and research into, and the development of, treatments.”

You can donate to Kate’s fundraiser here: https://hyweldda.enthuse.com/pf/kate-davies

Charity

Welsh gold prize helps Cancer Research Wales mark 60 years

Published

2 days ago

June 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A DIAMOND-set Welsh gold necklace donated by Clogau will headline a special fundraising raffle marking 60 years of Cancer Research Wales.

The award-winning jewellery brand has gifted the necklace as the grand prize in the charity’s inaugural 60th Anniversary Diamond Raffle, which will raise funds for research, diagnosis and treatment projects across Wales.

The prize was unveiled at Clogau’s Cardiff store by Cancer Research Wales ambassador and Miss United Kingdom Millie-Mae Adams, who received it on behalf of the charity.

Clogau, founded in North Wales, is internationally known for jewellery containing rare Welsh gold. Its heritage is closely linked to the Royal Family, with Welsh gold from the Clogau St David’s mine used in royal wedding rings for more than a century.

Ben Roberts, Managing Director of Clogau, said: “We are incredibly proud to support Cancer Research Wales as it celebrates this remarkable 60-year milestone.

“As a Welsh business with deep roots in our communities, we recognise the impact cancer has on families across the country and the importance of investing in research that can save and improve lives.

“We hope this beautiful Welsh gold necklace will help generate significant support for the raffle and encourage people to get behind the charity’s vital work.”

Millie-Mae, a proud Welsh speaker and doctor in training, is also the founder of Exeter Street Doctors, a charity which equips young people with lifesaving first aid skills.

She said: “As a proud ambassador of the charity, it is my privilege to play my part in Cancer Research Wales’s 60th anniversary and be here today to unveil the first prize in the 60 Anniversary Diamond Raffle – a stunning, diamond-set gold necklace, generously donated by Clogau.

“The gift of life and time with our loved ones is the most precious thing in the world, so please show your support for Cancer Research Wales’s life-saving and life-prolonging work today by entering the raffle.

“You could win this stunning Clogau gold necklace while helping to fund vital cancer research here in Wales.”

Millie-Mae also advocates for health education through her Medic Millie Mondays social media series and delivered the first Welsh-language Street Doctors session. Her work with Cancer Research Wales is shaped in part by her own family’s experience of cancer.

Lisa Buckley, Head of Income Generation at Cancer Research Wales, said: “I’m very grateful to Clogau and Millie-Mae Adams for supporting us to launch our 60 Anniversary Diamond Raffle – our first ever raffle, as we celebrate 60 years as the independent Welsh cancer research charity and 60 years of innovation in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

“Since 1966, we have invested £41.68 million to push the boundaries of cancer research discoveries here in Wales and we couldn’t have done that without the kindness of the Welsh public and our fantastic business community.

“Thank you for your support over the years and together we will unite Wales against cancer.”

Cancer Research Wales says the raffle will help support projects aimed at improving cancer outcomes for people across the country.

To enter the raffle, visit www.cancerresearch.wales.

Prize unveiled:

Miss United Kingdom Millie-Mae Adams received the necklace on behalf of Cancer Research Wales at Clogau’s Cardiff store (Pic: Paul Fears).