• Swindon & Wiltshire Community champions
• Monday September 9 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Health and safety expert raises £1,000 for Wiltshire Air Ambulance

Health & Safety expert Marc Reed has raised £1,100 for Wiltshire Air Ambulance when he took part in the Snowdon Sunrise Challenge.

Marc, who lives in Swindon and has run Anzen Safety & Compliance for five years, decided to take on the challenge as he was inspired by the vital work carried out by the air ambulance team.

He has already supported the charity by donating £100 every time he secures a new client which has come through his business connections. He does this in the name of the person who has made the referral.

“We all hope we’ll never need the services of our air ambulance,” Marc said. “Yet if we did need them then we’d be so grateful for their help and support at a time of crisis.

“Wiltshire Air Ambulance needs £12,500 per day to stay in the air so I felt this was an opportunity to give back to this important charity while challenging myself to something I’d never normally consider.”

Marc completed his challenge in July. He left the town of Llanberis at the base of Snowdon at 2am by the light of head torches and took the Llanberis Pass route. He then, with his colleagues, climbed the 3,199 feet to the Snowdon Sumit arriving just after 5am ready for the sunrise.

“Initially the summit was in full cloud cover but just as we prepared to start the descent, a crack appeared in the cloud and as it parted and we were treated to a brief but brilliantly glowing sunrise,” Marc explained.

“Despite six weeks of training walks, the climb was tough going and as the temperature dropped, I was glad of the kit advice we had received, as well as the camaraderie of my fellow climbers to keep me going.”

Thanks to his supporters – both professional and personal – Marc raised £1,100 which he presented last week to Sophie Holt, a critical care paramedic and Simon Gough MBE, one of the pilots alongside Chloe Holtom, who organised the challenge, at the air ambulance base near Semington.

In total 39 people took part in the Snowden Sunrise Challenge and around £15,000 was raised.