A CHARITY RUGBY MATCH that was organised by a Wales Air Ambulance past patient has raised £6,000.

Richard Jones, of Tenby, organised the event to raise funds for Wales Air Ambulance and the Friends of Morriston Hospital, both of whom provided him and his family support after he survived a road traffic accident on the A40 in Carmarthenshire, which led to the partial amputation of his right leg.

Despite challenging weather, Pembroke RFC hosted the charity match organised by ex-player Richard, in front of bumper crowds.

Prior to the main match between Pembroke RFC and Richard’s guest squad, the ‘Misfits’, the Pembroke Panthers gave an exhibition of their skills in a non-contact session. The day also included a tombola, raffles and an auction, which included an aeroplane ride with ex-Wales international, Ian Gough.
The event, which took place on 5 August, was a success with Richard’s friends and family as well as the local community showing their support, including ex-army medic Ian Thompson, the man who was first at the scene of Richard’s accident, back in February 2022. 

Richard, 33, said he had always planned to hold his own event since his accident to say thank you to his chosen charities.

He said: “It took over four months of planning and organising the event and I was amazed with how it went in the end. It was my first time doing anything like that and in the run up to the event it felt that everything was against me. People were dropping out; we had a storm and the bouncy castle and family activities had to be cancelled due to the weather.

“However, thankfully the day went amazingly well. A personal highlight had to be when the Misfits team were winning at half time. I have had so much positive feedback with people asking for the match to become an annual event, and I feel I have no choice to do something like this in the future.”
The funds from the match will be split between the Wales Air Ambulance and the Friends of Morriston Hospital.

Richard said: “Without the Wales Air Ambulance, I simply would not be here today. The Charity was not only there for me at my accident but was there for me and my family afterwards also. While I have done some fundraising campaigns for the Charity, I wanted to raise funds by holding my own event, to say thank you for all the help and support they have shown us since my accident.

“I never expected to raise so much money from one event and I am very grateful for all the support and kind donations from everyone who helped make the day a success.”  
The Wales Air Ambulance relies entirely on public donations to raise £11.2 million every year to keep its four helicopters in the air and fleet of rapid response vehicles on the road.

Richard said he wanted to thank everybody who donated raffle prizes, the match sponsors and Daps Baps

Burger Van and Pembroke Rugby Club for their hospitality.

He added: “I want to thank all the players who took part, they all put in so much effort. But most of all, I would like to thank my family and friends for their support and who helped make the day possible.”

SPORTS Pembrokeshire’s “Fit and Fed” initiative, aimed at helping children in disadvantaged areas to access nourishment and take part in a variety of sports, is hoping it can be expanded to more school holidays and even 52 weeks a year. 

The project, which has support from the Bluestone Foundation, the community support arm of Bluestone National Park Resort near Narberth, Pembrokeshire, has been operating each summer for the past two years. 

Over the course of this time, the project has supported children in Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven, Haverfordwest, and Fishguard. 

Spearheaded by Matthew Freeman, Sport Pembrokeshire Manager, the initiative has not only provided essential sustenance to children but also enabled them to participate in sports activities through local clubs and groups. 

Matthew said: “The success of the ‘Fit and Fed’ project has been truly amazing. We’ve witnessed children benefiting not just from nutritious meals but also from the chance to engage in physical activities. Our aim is to expand this initiative to all school holidays, including Christmas, ensuring year-round support for these deserving children.” 

Matthew said he envisions the project evolving into a year-round project, making a positive impact every single week. He said the current project has focused exclusively on areas identified as deprived within Pembrokeshire, with hopes to broaden its scope to cover other communities in the county.  

Marten Lewis, Director of Sustainability at Bluestone, said the project had proved to be much needed, playing a vital role in providing nourishment and exercise to children.  

Marten said: “The Bluestone Foundation has been pleased to play a small part in contributing to such a crucial project. It serves as a catalyst for the creation of more initiatives that support our community’s young members.” 

The Bluestone Foundation was launched in 2010 and has distributed over £250,000 in grants across Pembrokeshire. The Foundation strives to help people help themselves and to principally assist projects falling into economic, social, and environmental categories. 

The initial success of “Fit and Fed” stemmed from its roots in assisting children to engage in sports via local clubs and organisations.  

It was launched in response to the fact that many children in disadvantaged areas were missing out on both meals and opportunities for physical activity. 

Matthew added: “It became evident that children were arriving at school and sports events without having had a proper meal. The ‘Fit and Fed’ project addresses this critical issue by ensuring access to food, leading to healthier and more active lives.”  

The collaboration between Sport Pembrokeshire, community sports clubs, and third sector organisations such as Milford Youth Matters, Tanyard, Pembrokeshire Youth Service Haverfordwest Youth Club, and Sport Pembrokeshire, has been important to the initiative’s success. 

Sue Lines of the Tanyard Youth Project, said: “I would like to thank Sport Pembrokeshire and the Bluestone Foundation on behalf of the trustees, staff, volunteers and young people of the Tanyard Youth Project. 

“This exciting new partnership has enabled us to provide sporting opportunities and healthy meals to dozens of children and young people in Pembroke, many of whom arrive at the centre hungry or emotionally fragile.  The benefits of physical exercise and healthy food bring immense improvements to their mental health and general well-being.” 

As the project looks to the future, Matthew said: “Our ultimate goal is to extend ‘Fit and Fed’ to a year-round initiative, providing children with consistent support, if we can secure the necessary funding.” 

AWARD-WINNING Get Jerky high protein snacks helped energise Mid Wales based driver Jason Pritchard to a fantastic Historic Category win at the hugely successful JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion.

Builth Wells based Jason and his co-driver Phil Clarke were delighted to take first place in category and 14th place overall in their Ford Escort RS 1800 MKII, after two days of spectacular stages around Aberystwyth and across the Cambrian Mountains.

His sponsors include Get Jerky, a premium brand of Welsh Beef and venison jerky made by Trailhead Fine Food in Welshpool and Chartists 1770 at The Trewythen, a four star, 2 AA rosette restaurant with room in Llanidloes.

A big fan of Get Jerky, Jason said: “It’s the perfect snack for rally crews to have in our cars when we need an energy boost because it tastes good and is much healthier than eating chocolate.”

Gluten free and available in eight flavours – three of which are Great Taste award-winners – Get Jerky is a healthy, high protein snack for all ages, which provide an energy boost when you need it, especially when playing sports.

Success in the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion was the perfect build up to the RAC Rally from November 23-27, which will involve five full days of challenging forest rallying covering Wales, Scotland and England.

“We are entering only selective events this year as I want to put some mileage on our brand new car before the RAC Rally in November,” said Jason whose family owns the Toyota dealership, North Road Garage, Builth Wells, another key sponsor.

“We wouldn’t be able to enter these rallies without the support of our sponsors and it’s great to have the support of local businesses. Hopefully, our sponsors will have benefited from our success on the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion.”

Get Jerky is available to buy online at www.getjerky.wales or in farm shops and other quality food retailers across the UK.

Trailhead Fine Foods is the headline sponsor of the Get Jerky Rally North Wales based in Welshpool and the Get Jerky Devil’s Staircase ultra trail race, which is being held next Saturday, September 16 and also sponsor junior playing strips for COBRA Rugby Club, based in Meifod.

The company supports sports and events for young people and adults that benefit the Mid Wales tourism economy and encourage a healthy lifestyle, teamwork, leadership, competition and discipline.

Pictured above: Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke on their way to victory in the Historic Category at JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion.