A group of North Wales motorcyclists are pledging to raise thousands for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity and Anglesey Young Carers.
Anglesey Motorcycle Club, which was established in 1998, has nominated both charities for fundraising events this year.
Its members, whose clubhouse is based at the Anglesey Circuit Café Bar at Ty Croes near Rhosneigr have raised over £42,000 for various worthy causes over the decades.
Its Secretary Eddie Howarth said: “We have supported the air ambulance over the years and donated money after fundraising for the charity. But what we do every January at our AGM is ask all members to nominate a charity of their choice.
“Then the next meeting we vote and the two charities that were voted the highest this year were the Wales Air Ambulance and Anglesey Young Carers.”
Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury.
It is delivered via a unique Third sector and Public Sector partnership. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the charity’s vehicles.
Eddie said their members felt it was important to support the air ambulance because “motorcyclists can be badly injured if caught up in serious road incidents.”
Every year Anglesey Motorcycle Club organises a fundraising Easter Egg Ride, it is hugely popular with bikers travelling from across North Wales to take part. Eddie said: “All they have to do is make a donation when they sign in on the morning of the event and if possible, bring an Easter egg.
“This year we had 292 Easter eggs donated, which is about the number of motorcycles that turned up.
“Llanddwyn Fudge also donated some hampers, so we did a raffle during the event too.”
Eddie says their ride out is a great a way of meeting new friends and getting to see the island. He said: “We set off from one point and stop at various landmarks along the way for half an hour.
“People come along look at the motorcycles, talk to the riders, donate, buy raffle tickets, donate an Easter egg and it is just a lovely day spent on Anglesey. This year we ended up at the Anglesey Model Village they hosted our final stop on the ride. All the riders had something to eat and drink, a chance for everyone to chat.
“You meet a lot of riders who you would not otherwise meet from other places in North Wales. It is just the coming together of like-minded people to raise money for good causes.”
The Easter event alone raised £2,800 which was shared equally between the air ambulance and young carers.
Eddie said: “It is nice to support a larger and smaller charity – each plays a very important role in our communities.”
Wales Air Ambulance needs to raise £11.2 million every year to keep its helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.
North West Fundraising Manager Elaine Orr said: “We are delighted that Anglesey Motorcycle Club’s members have chosen us as one of their charities to fundraise for this year. It is wonderful that they are supporting the incredible team at Anglesey Young Carers too.
“Our charity relies on fundraising events like the Easter Egg Ride to help towards the cost of running our service, it is incredibly expensive but makes such a difference to thousands of lives each year. We are also hugely grateful to the Anglesey community who came out to support the riders and helped raise such a large amount.”
Eddie and a group of fifteen riders rode to the Caernarfon base to handover their cheque. He said: “It was a brilliant day. Thanks to Elaine we got to meet the crew and pilot and find out about the work they do. It was very enlightening.
“The latest air ambulances are very well equipped, so we got to see all the kit. We were surprised how compact the air ambulance was, it is a cosy little space in there, isn’t it?
“It’s a really worthwhile cause and we are just happy to help in our own little way.”
