Grand piano donated to Wales Air Ambulance raises £500

A grand piano that was manufactured over a hundred years ago and was donated to the Wales Air Ambulance raised £500 for the lifesaving charity.

At the beginning of the year the charity, which has 12 charity shops was kindly gifted the Bluthner grand piano from Mrs Gwen Gibby from Pembrokeshire.

The piano, which was manufactured in approximately 1910 and was encased in a rosewood cabinet had been well looked after and was in excellent condition for its age.

Since it was the first time that an instrument of this kind had been donated to the charity, The charity contacted Coach House Pianos to seek advice regarding its value and whether or not the company would be prepared to assist in a sale on behalf of the Wales air Ambulance.

Coach House Pianos were happy to assist and then became involved in the transportation and storage of the piano until a purchaser was found. 

Rhys Richards, joint head of retail at the Wales Air Ambulance, said: “We were delighted to hear that the charity was gifted the Bluthner grand piano from Mrs Gibby. The beautiful piano was in excellent condition and we were so happy that Coach House Pianos came on board with their expertise to help us with the valuation, as well as transporting the piano and selling it on behalf of the charity.”

Wales Air Ambulance has four aircraft based across Wales, in Dafen, Caernarfon, Welshpool and Cardiff.   

Now operational 24/7, the Charity needs to raise £8 million every year to keep the helicopters flying.  

A spokesperson for Coach House Pianos, said: “We were more than happy to assist the Wales Air Ambulance when Rhys first reached out to us. They do an excellent job and as a small gesture of thanks, we arranged for our professional transport team to collect the piano and bring it to our Swansea showroom until we found a purchaser. After a couple of months in the showroom, the piano sold and £500 was raised for the Wales Air Ambulance. Thanks to the Wales Air Ambulance for all they do from the Coach House Pianos team.”

Wales Air Ambulance offers advanced critical care and is often described as a ‘Flying ED’. The on-board consultants and critical care practitioners are highly skilled and carry some of the most pioneering medical equipment in the world. They can deliver blood transfusions, administer anaesthesia and undertake emergency operations at the scene of the incident, before flying the patient directly to specialist care. 

There are several ways that the public can continue to support the Wales Air Ambulance. These include online donations, signing up to the Charity’s Lifesaving Lottery or by coming up with their own innovative ways to fundraise at home. Further information can be found via www.walesairambulance.com.    

Alternatively, a £5 text-message donation can be made by texting the word HELI to 70711.