Cardiff chartered surveying firm Cooke & Arkwright has raised well over £3,500 for Wales Air Ambulance, the all-Wales charity which provides vital emergency air cover and has carried out over 17,000 missions since its launch in 2001.
The firm held social events and activities which raised around £650, and the lion’s share was raised by Director Jeremy Symons, who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with a small group of people in July. A gruelling climb towards the end, which saw some people suffering quite badly from altitude sickness, Jeremy managed to complete the 19,340 ft ascent in six days, raising over £3,000 in the process.
The cheque for the sum raised was presented to crew members of Wales Air Ambulance at Swansea Airport on the Gower Peninsular at the end of July. Mark Stevens, South Wales Fundraising Development Manager said, “We are extremely grateful to the good people at Cooke & Arkwright for their fundraising efforts for us. As we rely entirely on public donations to run our service, they are helping us to keep the helicopters in the sky and continue saving lives.”
Jeremy Symons said, “A change in circumstances galvanised me to take up the challenge and I managed to get some last minute practice on the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia. Whilst the weather at Kilimanjaro was excellent, we were camping at night in sub-zero temperatures. On the final day, with a midnight start, the hike to the top ranged from -6 to -20°c at the summit, which was reached after six-and-a-half hours. Raising money for Wales Air Ambulance was a bonus and bolstered my determination to succeed. It’s also given me the impetus to take on another challenge – Everest Base Camp in October, which hopefully will be equally enjoyable!”
Wales Air Ambulance provides 24 hour emergency services for those who face life threatening illnesses or injuries. It operates three helicopters covering 8,000 sq miles of remote countryside, busy towns and cities, remote mountain ranges and 800 miles of coastline. Crews are based in Swansea, Welshpool and Caernarfon and between them keep the helicopters on active duty 365 days a year. They are able to respond within three minutes and be anywhere in Wales within 20 minutes. Entirely funded by the people of Wales, the charity needs to raise £6m every year to operate.