Avon Valley Runners donate £2,000 to Air Ambulance

AVON Valley Runners club has donated £2,000 to Wiltshire Air Ambulance. 

The club reports, “Following the club’s Wiltshire Half Marathon event in November 2021, club chairman, Richard Newman and assistant secretary, Sally Frawley visited the Semington base of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance to present the lifesaving charity with a sizeable donation. The club raise money for the charity every year and recognise the importance of the ambulance for the residents of Wiltshire and beyond.” 

Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s community and volunteer co-ordinator, Hollie Perryman, said, “We need to raise £4 million a year to keep the air ambulance flying and saving lives. We receive no regular direct government funding or National Lottery grants, so rely solely on generous donations from the public. Events such as Avon Valley Runners Half Marathon help to generate vital funds for our lifesaving work and we are very grateful for their support, with the most recent donation of £2,000.” 

Richard and Sally were shown around the inside of the helicopter by Paul Rock, critical care paramedic, on their visit and were shown why the service is so important to Wiltshire.  

The helicopter, which on average flies three times daily and needs around £11,000 each day, visits local areas but can travel up to Oxford in around 12 minutes but has also been called as far south as Southampton and Dorset too. 

Entries for the 2022 AVR Wiltshire Half Marathon opened this month and will once again be raising money for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance through the proceeds.  

Sign up for the event on the 27th November here:  https://race-nation.co.uk /register/the-avr-wiltshire-half-marathon