A rugby player from will swap her boots for running trainers this weekend to raise funds for the Wales Air Ambulance, the service that was there for her family when they needed it most.

Jess Fletcher, who is from Milton Keynes and is co-captain of Bletchley RUFC Women’s team, will run the 13.1 miles of the Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday, October 5, in memory of her father, Dene Fletcher.

Dene fell seriously ill while on holiday in Llandrindod Wells, suffering a cardiac arrest. Despite the rapid response and advanced pre-hospital care provided by Wales Air Ambulance medics, he sadly passed away a week later.

Jess said “I’m running to honour my dad and to say thank you to the Wales Air Ambulance for the amazing care they gave him. If I can raise funds to help them continue their work and save more lives, then every step will be worth it.”

The Wales Air Ambulance delivers hospital-standard treatment at the scene and, if necessary, transfers patients directly to the most appropriate hospital. Its emergency medical teams, including NHS consultants and critical care practitioners, can administer anaesthesia, give blood transfusions, and even perform minor operations on site.

The charity relies on public donations to raise the £11.2 million needed each year to keep helicopters and rapid response vehicles in operation.

Jess has already surpassed her initial fundraising target of £1,000, raising more than £2,000 so far.

Kate Thomas, Wales Air Ambulance’s Regional Fundraising Manager for Mid Wales, said: “It is heartwarming to hear that Jess wanted to raise funds in memory of her father, Dene. Jess and her family know firsthand how important our service is across Wales and we really appreciate the fact she wanted to fundraise for us.

“Fundraisers like Jess’ will help us to keep our helicopters flying and our rapid response vehicles on the road.”

Support Jess and the Wales Air Ambulance by visiting her fundraising page at: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jess-fletcher-1