Pupils put their best feet forward to raise over £1,600

Pupils from Ysgol Bro Ingli put their best feet forward to raise a fantastic £1,610 for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity.

The Pembrokeshire school raised the funds by completing a sponsored walk around the town and coast of Newport, after the Charity’s medics were called out to someone they knew, and the school wanted to help the charity close to their hearts.

Around ninety pupils took part in the fundraiser – the older children walked 4 miles whilst the younger ones walked over a mile.

Delighted School Council members at Ysgol Bro Ingli, said: “The school raised the funds by taking part in a sponsored walk around Newport. Each class walked and walked and walked until we were very tired. It was worth all the sweat and sore legs due to the huge amount of money everyone had collected in sponsor money.” 

Proud headteacher at Ysgol Bro Ingli, Enfys Howells, said: “We feel enormous pride that we are able to help such a great cause and this is the largest sum of money we have ever raised for a charity so we are really, really proud.”

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.

Now operational 24/7, the Charity needs to raise £8 million every year to keep the helicopters in the air and its Rapid Response Vehicles on the road.

The sponsored walk is the first time the school has raised funds for the Wales Air Ambulance, but it ‘definitely won’t be the last time’. Ysgol Bro Ingli will be thinking of ‘more enterprising ideas’ to help raise money in the future. The children that took part in the sponsored walk were aged between 3 to11 years old.

The school are grateful for the support it has received from the childrens’ families, Enfys added: “All families gave something towards the cause as it is a charity close to everyone’s hearts. No one knows when they will need the Wales Air Ambulance’s help.”

Katie Macro, Campaigns Manager for Wales Air Ambulance, said: “The children have done a superb job in raising money for the Wales Air Ambulance. They walked and walked around Newport despite having sore legs and their dedication and commitment to raise funds for the Charity, that helped someone they knew, is evident. They’ve raised an incredible £1,610 for our lifesaving service.

“We regularly attend many life and limb-threatening emergencies in Pembrokeshire. Donations like this are vital and we know how important our service is, particularly for rural areas. By keeping our

helicopters in the air we can continue to take the emergency department to the patient, saving time and saving lives.

“We’re delighted to hear that the school would like to raise funds for the Wales Air Ambulance in the future. Diolch yn fawr, Pawb.”