Wales Air Ambulance receives substantial backing from leading housebuilder

Persimmon Homes West Wales has donated £5,000 to Wales Air Ambulance to help fund its Castles in the Sky art trail which will help raise vital funds for the charity.

Wales Air Ambulance provides a vital service across the country, with four emergency helicopters delivering expert time-critical care to patients wherever they may be. The organisation also has eight critical care cars, which enable clinicians to reach more urban, built-up areas swiftly and remain operational when poor weather or essential maintenance prevents the aircraft from flying.

Wales Air Ambulance relies entirely on charitable donations and the money gifted by Persimmon Homes West Wales is going towards supporting the charity’s ‘Castles in the Sky’ initiative – a first of its kind family art trail being held in Swansea. 

An event was held at the Wales Air Ambulance base in Dafen to mark the collaboration, attended by the Chair of Carmarthenshire Council, Cllr Rob Evans, with pupils being given the opportunity to go on board the helicopter and learn about the lifesaving skills of the crew.

Commenting on the donation Siany Martin, Corporate Fundraiser at Wales Air Ambulance said:

“Generosity is the seed that grows into a flourishing community. Persimmon Homes’ donation towards the Castles in the Sky public art trail is a shining example of how small acts of kindness can create a lasting impact on the lives of others.

“The Castles in the Sky school project provides an opportunity for children to learn about their local history and culture. By creating art pieces that depict historical landmarks, such as castles, children can learn about the significance of these landmarks and how they have shaped the community over time.

“Castles in the Sky benefits Wales Air Ambulance by raising awareness and funds for their life-saving services. Through public engagement with the art trail, Wales Air Ambulance can continue to provide critical care to those in need throughout Wales.”

Castles in the Sky is a special event that will promote health and wellbeing, bring businesses and communities together and help boost the regional economy across the city. Whilst exciting and inspiring people of all ages, the trail will also increase public awareness and raise vital funds for Wales Air Ambulance, enabling the charity to provide lifesaving critical care across Wales, 24 hours a day.

The generous donation by Persimmon Homes West Wales – through its Community Champions scheme, which donates up to £750,000 a year to good causes across Great Britain – will allow local school children to get involved in the art trail. 

Selected local schools will be able to design and decorate their own mini castle sculptures – ‘Little Keep-sakes’ which will also be displayed as part of the adventure – all of which will be able to be discovered through the bespoke trail map.

Above: Pupils with mini castles

Chair of Carmarthenshire County Council Cllr Rob Evans and local councillor for Dafen and Felinfoel, attended the event at the Dafen base with fellow local councillor, Nysia Evans. Commenting after the event, he said:

“We were delighted to be able to attend today’s event and meet pupils from two schools chosen to take part in te art trail thanks to the kind donation from Persimmon Homes West Wales.

“Wales Air Ambulance is a charity very close to my heart and as a former paramedic I have witnessed the marvellous work they do. The Air Ambulance relies totally on public funding and are our angels in the sky so we have to do all we can to encourage everyone to support this wonderful charity.

“We are already looking forward to seeing the finished designs by the local school children in Dafen and the surrounding area and are sure they will help make this unique art trail even more of a success.” 

The streets and parks of Swansea will be home to the series of castle sculptures for 10 weeks and along with raising vital funds for the Wales Air Ambulance it will providing a fun, family-friendly trail of discovery for local people and visitors. 

Ryan Greaney, Head of Land and Planning for Persimmon West Wales, said:

“Wales Air Ambulance is an incredible organisation, which goes above and beyond each every day to help people across the country.

“Persimmon’s Community Champions initiative is all about supporting the communities and people in which we build, and we are delighted to be able to support the Charity as well as giving local school children an opportunity to be involved in this art trail. 

“We have a long-standing presence in West Wales and not only are we proud to provide good quality homes for local people, we are also determined to give what we can back to people in the local area. 

“We’re delighted to support Wales Air Ambulance and thank them for their outstanding service to our local communities.”