Royal Polo Event Raises £100K for Wales Air Ambulance

A prestigious charity polo event hosted by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, last month (12/07/24) has raised £100,000 for the Wales Air Ambulance.

The Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Charity Polo Cup took place at Guards Polo Club in Windsor. The Prince, who was announced as Royal Patron of the Wales Air Ambulance in February 2023, played as part of the U.S. Polo Assn. team. They took to the field in a tournament that also included the Brand Machine Group team and the BP Healthcare Polo team.

In an exciting round-robin format, the US Polo Assn. team defended the title they won last year.

Wales Air Ambulance was chosen as one of eleven charities to benefit from the event, with other beneficiaries including SHOUT, Mountain Rescue England & Wales, Child Bereavement UK, Royal African Society, Place2Be, Action for Children, The Motor Neurone Disease Association, The Blackthorn Rally, HMS Oardacious and The Royal Marsden.

Dr Sue Barnes, Wales Air Ambulance Charity Chief Executive, said: “This is the second year in a row that Wales Air Ambulance has been chosen as one of eleven charity beneficiaries of The Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Charity Polo Cup. This is truly humbling for us. 

“Wales Air Ambulance has become a vital part of the emergency response in Wales and we need to raise £11.2 million every year to keep our helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road. The funds we received following last year’s Royal Polo Cup event were a huge step towards meeting that target. Every penny ensured that we could be there for those who suffered a life or limb-threatening illness or injury. To put that into context, we attended nearly 4,000 emergencies during 2023. We have attended over 50,000 missions since our inception in 2001.

 “The Prince takes a keen and proactive interest in our Charity and, as a former air ambulance pilot himself, understands better than most the importance of such a service. He has become a passionate member of the Wales Air Ambulance family. We are overwhelmed to be chosen as a beneficiary of the Royal Charity Polo Cup again this year.”

Out-Sourcing Inc’s David M. Matsumoto said: “Out-Sourcing and I are honoured to support the charity polo match. Knowing that this polo event will raise much-needed funds for eleven incredible charities aligns perfectly with the company’s own charitable ethos. We focus on creating platforms to highlight and support charitable endeavours across the world, including here in the UK.”

Wales Air Ambulance, which was founded in 2001, is on standby 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It offers advanced critical care that is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership between the Wales Air Ambulance Charity and the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS). 

As a result, the service is consultant-led and is known as a ‘mobile emergency department’, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient. This includes the ability to administer anesthesia, deliver blood transfusions and conduct minor operations, all at the scene of an incident. 

As a pan-Wales service, the dedicated air ambulance crews, regardless of where they are based, will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care.  

The Royal Charity Polo Cup was made possible by its generous sponsors and event partners. These include Out-Sourcing Inc, Guards Polo Club, U.S. Polo Assn., Brand Machine Group, BP Healthcare, Lugano Diamonds, Audi, AP&Co, The Cox Family of Oklahoma, Whispering Angel and Moët Chandon.