A FORMER PE teacher from Colwyn Bay has raised thousands of pounds for the Wales Air Ambulance as part of her year as Lady Captain for Abergele Golf Club.
Lynne Horsley took up the game after retiring, because she could not ski anymore. 17 years on and she still loves competing.
The 77-year-old said: “When I became lady captain for the 2023-24 season, there was only one charity I wanted to raise funds for.
“I chose the Wales Air Ambulance because it does such an amazing job.”
She continued: “I am quite an outdoorsy person; I do a lot of walking, and I think if something happens to me, I want to know that the service will be there for me.
“Whoever needs it, is usually at their wits end and the clinicians are the only ones who would be able to save them.
“So, we all need to do our bit to ensure that it keeps going and gets the funding it needs.”
The 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 Wales Air Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £11.2 million required every year to keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.
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.
This advanced critical care includes the ability to administer anaesthesia, deliver blood transfusions and conduct minor operations, all at the scene of an incident.
As a pan-Wales service, its dedicated crews, regardless of where they are based, will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care.
Lynne wanted her golf-playing friends to find out more about the Charity, so she invited Regional Fundraising Manager Elaine Orr to their Trophy Day.
She said: “We were so fortunate that Elaine could attend to hand out the trophies.
“Everyone had a wonderful time, and we were so grateful that she was able to give a talk about the work of the air ambulance.
“I can tell you that around 80 per cent of those who were there did not know that the service can do everything that you would find in an A&E department, which is outstanding really.
“It is incredible to think that they have even done open heart surgery in someone’s back garden, ‘someone’s back garden,’ you cannot imagine it, but they have.”
Lynne says the camaraderie at her club is ‘excellent’ and ‘everyone pitches in when there is a cause to raise funds for.’
She was ‘delighted’ to be invited by Elaine to visit the airbase at Caernarfon Airport last year.
Lynne said: “It is such a wonderful opportunity to meet the people you are helping fundraise for and to see the helicopter and vehicles used, up close.
“But unfortunately, on the day, we all arrived and within minutes, they were called to an emergency, so you can see how important the service is!
“I felt emotional watching the helicopter take off, knowing that the team were going to someone who was seriously ill and desperately needed their help, really brought it all home.”
Lynne says the talk and base visit were ‘inspirational’ and had a ‘lasting impact’.
She said: “I wanted to raise as much money as I could for the service and had originally planned a target of around £2,000.
“I organised golf competitions, raffles, I had ladies come from other clubs for a puzzle’s afternoon, there were lots of individual ladies and men’s events. It was a whole club thing really.
“I also had an away day, I wanted to play in my local area, I live in Old Colwyn, so I wanted to play in that golf club as it holds lots of memories for me. We all went there and everything we raised went to the Charity.
“We also made over a £1,000 at our coffee morning, it is hard to believe you can raise that much but people were so generous on the day.
“It was like that throughout the year, the money kept mounting up!”
Abergele Golf Club helped Lynne to double the original target she had set herself. She said: “I cannot thank club members and my friends enough for their support during my year as Lady Captain.
“It was such an honour to have the opportunity to help raise funds for such a worthy cause. It was extra special knowing, that what we were doing, was going to make a difference and save lives.”
It was a proud moment for Lynne and her team when they handed over a cheque for £4,300.
Elaine Orr, Regional Fundraising Manager said: “Lynne has been incredible during her year as Lady Captain and worked so hard to raise as much money as she could for our Charity.
“We are hugely grateful to Abergele Golf Club and its members, who have been so generous with both their time and donations.
“It was wonderful to be part of the trophy day and to have the opportunity to talk about the work of our incredible clinicians and pilots.
“We rely on our supporters to enable us to keep doing our lifesaving work and every pound raised really does make such a difference.”
