I am running the London Marathon in April in support of the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA).

Why choose air ambulances? In March 2017 my brother, Richard, was involved in a very serious cycling accident when he was hit by a car and nearly lost his life. At the side of the road, he had multiple injuries including broken spine, shoulder blade, elbow, ribs, a massive head injury, 2 collapsed lungs plus internal bleeding so severe that he was on the verge of having a cardiac arrest. In the minutes, hours and days after the accident, the actions of many people helped save his life, one of which was the DLRAA.  After two months in hospital, Richard has made a good, but unfortunately not full, recovery and is back home being a Husband and a Dad. He has also started cycling again!

I realise that this could be anyone of us and in this situation, the air ambulance was essential to save a life. Did you know all our air ambulances are charities? They need our support to continue to operate.

As a charity, the DLRAA relies on donations and fund raising events like this. Prior to 2017, I didn’t know anyone who needed the help of an air ambulance. However there is no doubt my brother would not be riding a bike or kissing his boys goodnight if it wasn't for the DLRAA support that day. I now realise after telling Richards story to people I meet that the Air Ambulance has helped saved many lives. Please support a charity I hope you'll never need.

One life saving journey aboard the helicopter cost the charity £1700 so that's my target. However, would be great to raise more for others in need of the air ambulance.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.