A brave five-year-old schoolboy has presented the Wales Air Ambulance with cheque of over £1,800 in memory of his father who tragically died last year.

Calan-James Rees, from Carmarthenshire, climbed Pen y Fan on the first anniversary of his dad, Sam Rees’ death in August. Sam died following an off-road motorcycle accident in Tairgwaith. 

The Ysgol Gwaun Cae Gurwen pupil was joined by his mother Gemma Lewis and around 30 family members, on the climb up to the highest peak in the Brecon Beacons. Calan-James completed the fundraiser in just one hour and 21 minutes in aid of the charity. 

The family took Sam’s memory teddy bear, which was made from his pyjamas and has some of Sam’s ashes in the belly, with them on the climb up Pen y Fan. 

Calan-James presented the cheque to the charity at a recent airbase visit at the Wales Air Ambulance’s headquarters in Llanelli. They were also joined by Calan-James’ auntie, Rachel, and cousin Koby.

A delighted Gemma said: “We absolutely loved our base visit it really was more of an eye opener to what incredible, dedication, love and support our heroes put into every patient in need. We absolutely loved our day at the base, our heroes don’t get enough credit and we couldn’t thank them enough. 

“We are so thankful and grateful for all the support and love our community put into helping us raise the money for an amazing cause!”

Wales Air Ambulance offers advanced critical care and is often described as a ‘Flying ED’. The on-board consultants and critical care practitioners are highly skilled and carry some of the most pioneering medical equipment in the world. They can deliver blood transfusions, administer anaesthesia and undertake emergency operations at the scene of the incident, before flying the patient directly to specialist care.  

Ysgol Gwaun Cae Gurwen also showed their support to its pupil Calan-James by raising £100 towards his fundraiser by having an in house sponsored walk around the school. 

Katie Macro, Wales Air Ambulance’s campaigns manager, said: “Calan-James and Gemma have raised a fantastic £1,879 for the charity in memory of their much-loved father and partner, Sam.

“Despite the pain the family are going through, they wanted to help raise funds so our medics could be there for the people of Wales when they need us most, which is inspirational. We are very grateful for this donation raised by the family. Calan-James is a delightful boy, and he should be immensely proud of what he has achieved at such a young age.”

There are several ways that the public can continue to support the Wales Air Ambulance. These include online donations, signing up to the Charity’s Lifesaving Lottery or by coming up with their own innovative ways to fundraise at home. Further information can be found via www.walesairambulance.com. 

Alternatively, a £5 text-message donation can be made by texting the word HELI to 70711.