A grateful Swansea Valley grandfather has donated £1,000 to the Wales Air Ambulance, the charity that not only saved his life but also rescued his grandson a decade ago.

Fred Richards, 82, from Alltwen, experienced a sudden heart emergency on January 3 in 2024. A heart attack survivor, Fred sensed something was seriously wrong and phoned his son to say goodbye. His son immediately dialled 999 and rushed to Fred’s home.

An ambulance arrived within minutes to find Fred on the bathroom floor. Paramedics struggled to regulate his heartbeat, which had gone into a life-threatening abnormal rhythm. That’s when Wales Air Ambulance medics Dr Matt O’Meara and Critical Care Practitioners Corey Mead and Christopher Marsh were dispatched from their night shift in Cardiff.

Fred recalls the dramatic rescue: “Along came the Wales Air Ambulance and the medic said, ‘you’re not going to like me for this, but I will save you’. They pumped something into me, and I felt like my body was burning, but then there was a relief.”

At his home, medics administered medication to stabilise his blood pressure and magnesium to help his heart rhythm. A defibrillator was attached as a precaution, and Fred was taken to Morriston Hospital, Swansea by road ambulance, with treatment continuing en route.

“The air ambulance medic stayed with me until I was handed over to the cardiac specialist. I can’t thank him enough,” said Fred. “I want to shout from the top of the mountain and say a huge thank you to the Wales Air Ambulance. I wouldn’t be here without them.They also saved my grandson when he was young. I’m so grateful.”

Fred received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a small device that monitors the heart and delivers shocks to correct dangerous rhythms.

The family connection to the charity runs deep. Almost ten years earlier, Fred’s grandson Jenson fell while playing at primary school and required emergency care. He was airlifted to the University Hospital in Cardiff by Wales Air Ambulance. Jenson is now 19 years old and studying to go into medicine.

Fred, a familiar face at his local pub, the Pontardawe Inn, spotted the pub was supporting Wales Air Ambulance’s fundraising drive. He donated £1,000 towards Marston’s £50,000 target and also contributed a signed Ospreys rugby ball for a charity raffle. “I wanted to donate as a thank you because the charity is funded by public donations,” he said.

Wales Air Ambulance brings hospital-level care directly to patients. Crews, including NHS consultants and critical care practitioners, are trained to provide advanced interventions on-site, from anaesthesia and blood transfusions to minor operations.

Natalie Richards, Director of People and Organisational Development at the charity, met Fred at the pub and said: “A huge thank you to Fred for this incredible donation made to our life-saving charity. Fred and his family know firsthand how important our service is to the people of Wales, after not only his life was saved but that of his grandson.”