Some of the medics who normally race to emergencies by helicopter took to the Gower coast path on foot — alongside a Welsh rugby legend — to raise money for the service that keeps them flying.
Wales Air Ambulance crew members joined former Wales fly-half James Hook for the Gower leg of the charity’s annual Walk Wales challenge.
Hook, who won 81 caps for Wales, walked from Rhossili to Mumbles on Saturday, 6 June, with the medics joining him along the route.
The crew — critical care practitioners Marc Allen, Jez James, Steffan Simpson and Dewi Thomas — deliver emergency treatment wherever and whenever it is needed across Wales.
But for one day, they swapped the pressures of the job for the Gower coast, some of them having finished a shift only hours earlier.
More than 180 walkers signed up for this year’s event, which also included legs in the Elan Valley and on the Great Orme.
Lead critical care practitioner Steff Simpson was joined on the walk by his 12-year-old son.
He said the crew worked shifts across the whole of Wales, which made it hard to get everyone together.
“The Walk Wales event has been a fantastic way for us to all meet up outside of work and do something for the charity,” he said.
“We also rarely have the opportunity to meet fundraisers, so it was lovely to connect with so many people.”
For Dewi Thomas, it was his second Walk Wales challenge. He said walkers had come from Treorchy and further afield to take part.
“It is amazing how much they love the charity and will do anything to help raise money,” he said.
Jez James, who volunteered for the charity for 21 years before joining the crew in 2017, said fundraising events helped save lives.
“All of us who crew the service witness daily the incredible difference it makes to patient outcomes,” he said.
He said the walk had given the team a rare chance to relax together and talk with the public, away from the intensity of a callout.
Walk Wales was set up during the pandemic, with Hook coming on board in 2024.
He has a close connection to the charity, which came to the aid of his young son following an incident during a family day out at Rhossili.
Critical care practitioner Marc Allen, who walked part of the route with Hook, described him as a “national treasure.”
“He is really interested in learning as much as he can about the service,” he said. “It felt surreal at times — he spoke about being in awe of the service, when so many look up to him as a role model.”
Allen said he had also been moved by the former patients who took part, including a woman from Brecon airlifted to Cardiff after a quad bike accident in 2009, who has supported the charity ever since.
The charity relies on public donations to raise the £13 million it needs every year to keep its helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.
The walk is one of many fundraising efforts that keep the service going, with supporters across the region regularly taking on challenges in its name.
Gail Windley, the charity’s events and partnerships manager, thanked the crew for supporting Hook and the South Wales leg of the walk.
“Once everyone headed into Oxwich and saw those red uniforms, it brought a smile to their faces,” she said. “The crew provided a gentle reminder of why everyone was hiking in the rain.”
Walk Wales returns in 2027, with the Gower challenge set for 5 June, followed by mid Wales on 10 June and north Wales on 13 June.
