Charity

Wales Air Ambulance appeals for support as aviation fuel costs soar

Published

9 seconds ago

April 20, 2026

THE WALES AIR AMBULANCE charity is urging the public to continue their support after a sharp rise in aviation fuel prices linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Even if the conflict were to end in the coming days, the Charity warns it would still face additional costs of around £50,000 due to sustained increases in global fuel prices.

Every day, Wales Air Ambulance crews respond to some of the most serious medical emergencies across the country, reaching people who are critically ill or seriously injured. Missions often involve long-distance flights, with medics travelling to patients before transferring them to specialist hospitals in Wales or England for urgent treatment.

Wales Air Ambulance pilot Captain James Gardiner said: “Every time we take off, we know someone on the ground is relying on us during one of the worst moments of their life. Fuel isn’t just a cost for us – it’s what allows us to take A&E-standard care to patients wherever they are in Wales, and then take them to the most appropriate specialist centre for their needs.

“When fuel prices rise this sharply, it has a real impact. The support we receive from the public genuinely helps keep us flying, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who makes this service possible.”

Since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, the Charity has seen a significant increase in fuel costs, coinciding with a seasonal rise in air ambulance demand. Spring and summer typically bring longer daylight hours and improved flying conditions, leading to increased operational activity.

The Charity is asking supporters to consider donating – however small – to help offset these exceptional costs and ensure crews can continue to respond when they are needed most.

Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, bringing hospital-standard treatments directly to patients and, where necessary, transferring them to the most appropriate hospital for their condition. The service is delivered through a unique partnership between the third sector and the NHS.

It relies on public donations to raise the £13 million required each year to keep helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.

The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) provides highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work alongside the Charity’s crews. This advanced level of care includes the ability to administer anaesthesia, deliver blood transfusions and perform minor surgical procedures at the scene of an incident.

As a pan-Wales service, crews travel across the country to deliver emergency, lifesaving care wherever it is needed.

Dr Barnes said: “The war in the Middle East has created an unexpected and, we hope, temporary challenge. Rising fuel costs are a serious issue for air ambulance charities across the UK and reflect global factors beyond our control.

“Global fuel markets do not respond instantly to geopolitical change, and we anticipate that any reduction in costs following the end of the war would be gradual and spread over a prolonged period. This means the financial impact on the Charity would continue well beyond the immediate end of the conflict.

“When someone’s life is at risk, our crews must be ready to fly, no matter the distance or the time of day.

“While we carefully manage these increases, we are also asking supporters, if they are able, to help us mitigate this exceptional rise in fuel costs.

“We know that many people across Wales are facing rising costs in their own lives, and we don’t take lightly the decision to ask for help.”

To find out more or to donate, visit: https://www.walesairambulance.com/fuel-cost-appeal

ENDS

Images:

Captain James Gardiner, Wales Air Ambulance pilot
Wales Air Ambulance helicopter

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PRESS RELEASE
Embargoed until: Tuesday 21 April 2026, 07:00hrs

Wales Air Ambulance appeals for support as aviation fuel costs soar

Wales Air Ambulance Charity is urging the public to continue their support after a sharp rise in aviation fuel prices linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Even if the conflict were to end in the coming days, the Charity warns it would still face additional costs of around £50,000 due to sustained increases in global fuel prices.

Every day, Wales Air Ambulance crews respond to some of the most serious medical emergencies across Wales, reaching people who are critically ill or seriously injured. Missions often involve long-distance flights, with medics travelling to patients before transferring them to specialist hospitals in Wales and England for urgent treatment.

The Charity is asking supporters to consider donating – however small – to help offset these exceptional costs and ensure crews can continue to respond when they are needed most.

It relies on public donations to raise the £13 million required each year to keep helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.

As a pan-Wales service, crews travel across the country to deliver emergency, lifesaving care wherever it is needed.

“When someone’s life is at risk, our crews must be ready to fly, no matter the distance or the time of day.

“While we carefully manage these increases, we are also asking supporters, if they are able, to help us mitigate this exceptional rise in fuel costs.

“We know that many people across Wales are facing rising costs in their own lives, and we don’t take lightly the decision to ask for help.”

For more information or to donate, visit:
https://www.walesairambulance.com/fuel-cost-appeal

ENDS

Images:

Captain James Gardiner, Wales Air Ambulance pilot
Wales Air Ambulance helicopter

Charity

Charity campaign showcases powerful bereavement support for local families

Published

2 minutes ago

April 20, 2026

Cerys Lafferty

HYWEL DDA Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, is calling on local communities to help them provide comfort and support to families who have lost a child.

The charity is running a campaign this spring to highlight its Wish Fund which provides support to families during times of bereavement.

The Wish Fund supports Hywel Dda’s Paediatric Palliative Care team to provide personalised support to families of children and young people receiving palliative care, and helps them create treasured memories when their child sadly passes away. From hand moulds and fingerprint jewellery to memory boxes and specialist sibling support, the fund ensures bereaved families are not alone during the most devastating moments of their lives.

Frankie’s parents Phil and Veronica shared how the Wish Fund helped them during their darkest days:

“We had the absolute pleasure of looking after the most beautiful, awesome, wonderful, loving and brave little lad who was very poorly in the last years of his life.

“We met his Paediatric Palliative Care team two years before his passing and boy what an awesome team they are.

“We will never be able to thank the Wish Fund enough. Thanks to the Wish Fund, we had the most amazing mementos, a Christmas bauble, a necklace with Frankie’s fingerprint on it and a mould of his hand. Those simple objects are our most treasured possessions along with a lock of his beautiful hair.”

The Wish Fund relies on charitable donations, and every contribution can have a lasting impact:

£15 provides a teddy for a bereaved sibling
£30 funds a sibling support session
£50 creates a hand mould keepsake
£70 provides a Memory Box
£85 funds bespoke hand‑printed jewellery

These meaningful items offer comfort to parents, carers and siblings who are navigating unimaginable loss.

Rebecca McDonald, Clinical Nurse Specialist – Paediatric Palliative Care, said: “I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has donated and continues to donate to the Wish Fund.

“Thanks to your kindness and generosity, we have been able to provide meaningful memory-making items and bereavement materials. These resources make an immeasurable difference in helping us support our families through the most difficult time.

“Your compassion and support truly help us bring comfort, dignity, and lasting memories to the families we care for. Thank you for your support in helping us make a big difference to families we support across our health board.”

To find out more or to donate to the Wish Fund, please visit: https://hywelddahealthcharities.nhs.wales/campaigns/the-wish-fund/

Charity

Greenacres Rescue saved as public clears £24,000 crisis bill

Published

18 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Supporters in Pembrokeshire and beyond rally to keep animal sanctuary open to urgent new cases

GREENACRES RESCUE has been pulled back from the brink after an overwhelming public response cleared a £24,000 vet bill that had left the Pembrokeshire animal sanctuary facing the prospect of shutting its doors to new intakes.

The Talbenny-based rescue had warned it was at breaking point after receiving a March veterinary bill of £24,113.92, saying it could be forced to stop taking in emergency cases unless the money was raised by the end of the month.

The stark appeal triggered an immediate wave of support, with donations pouring in from Pembrokeshire and beyond.

Within the first 24 hours, Greenacres said it had raised £12,759, taking the charity more than halfway to its target. By Wednesday, the full amount had been reached.

In a message thanking supporters, the Greenacres team said: “Because of you our doors stay open.

“We hit our target for the vet bill and we are absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude.

“The support we’ve received has been nothing short of incredible, and thanks to every single one of you, our doors can stay open to help as many animals as we physically can.”

The rescue had warned that failing to clear the bill would have devastating consequences, with new emergency calls potentially having to be turned away.

Mikey Lawlor said last week that March had been the toughest month the charity had faced, despite more than £43,000 already being raised and paid off earlier this year.

He said the number of animals needing urgent help had reached an all-time high, pushing the rescue to the brink.

While Greenacres stressed it would always honour commitments to animals already in its care, it warned that being forced to close to new intake could leave other animals without a lifeline.

In its thank-you message, the charity said the successful appeal meant it could continue helping “animals who feel forgotten” and those with nowhere else to turn.

The rescue also highlighted the case of Venus, a Doberman taken in last week after spending time in council pound kennels.

Greenacres said Venus had faced an uncertain and heartbreaking future after going unclaimed, and had arrived too frightened to show her true character. Staff said she has already begun to relax and reveal herself as a gentle dog.

“Dogs like Venus are the reason we exist,” the team said.

As well as direct donations, Greenacres is continuing to ask supporters to help through its Amazon wish list, which provides food and other essentials for the animals in its care.

The charity, which has been rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming neglected and unwanted animals since 2008, cares for dogs, cats, horses, reptiles and other small animals across Pembrokeshire.

Charity

Cancer Research UK shop in Tenby to close after more than three decades

Published

3 days ago

April 17, 2026

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

A WELL-KNOWN charity shop in the heart of Tenby is set to close after serving the town for more than three decades.

Cancer Research UK has confirmed that its Tudor Square branch will shut as part of a nationwide restructuring of its retail operation, which will see hundreds of stores disappear over the next year.

The Tenby outlet, which first opened in 1992, has long occupied a prominent spot in the town centre and has become a familiar part of the local shopping scene.

The charity says around ninety of its shops will close by the end of May this year, with as many as a further one hundred due to shut by April 2027. The Tenby branch is not included in the first list of closures, so it is expected to remain open a little longer.

Cancer Research UK says it is reshaping its retail network to focus on fewer, stronger-performing high street stores, while increasing its investment in larger retail sites and stepping away from its online marketplace.

The organisation says the move is aimed at protecting future income for research, with the changes expected to free up millions of pounds over the next five years for work into cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Julie Byard, the charity’s director of trading, paid tribute to those who have supported the Tenby shop over the years, including staff, volunteers and customers.

She said the decision had not been taken lightly and stressed that it was not a reflection on the efforts of local teams, but part of a wider response to increasing running costs and shifts in the way people shop.

Cancer Research UK says it believes many of its current shops would struggle to remain viable in the longer term without major changes.