College students and staff will spend the next year fundraising for the Wales Air Ambulance.

Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, which includes Coleg Menai and Coleg Meirion Dwyfor, has named the service as its charity of the year.

The students union says it will organise a visit to their North Wales base at Caernarfon Airport in the next few months and hopes to inspire "everyone to want to do as much as they can to help."

The Wales Air Ambulance relies on public donations to raise the £11.2 million needed every year to keep its helicopters in the air and its rapid response vehicles on the road.

Troy Maclean, student union president at Coleg Meirion Dwyfor, said: "We consider this charity to be of great importance and look forward to raising awareness and funds to support their vital life-saving efforts."

"I am looking forward to our dedicated charity weeks, during which we will promote the Welsh Air Ambulance and share information about their work, operational practices and how we can help."

As a national service, the air ambulance's crews travel across Wales to deliver emergency critical care - including on-scene minor operations and blood transfusions - regardless of where they are based.
The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service supplies NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the charity’s vehicles.

Elaine Orr, regional fundraising manager for the Air Ambulance in North West Wales, said: "We are hugely grateful for the support and look forward to working in partnership with everyone over the next 12 months."

"As Wales’ only air ambulance service we rely on our fundraisers to help keep our helicopters in the sky and rapid response vehicles on the road."

"Through the generosity of our supporters, we constantly strive to make sure as many people as possible are benefiting from our vital service across North Wales."

"I hope together we can create some very exciting fundraising opportunities which everyone will want to get involved with. Every pound raised will help save lives."

Aaron Beacher, student enrichment officer at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, added: "Our shared goal is to raise awareness about the work of the charity and raise as much as we can during the next academic year."

"Our fundraising is very student-led, they will guide us on the types of events that they want to do. I expect some interesting ideas to surface during our next meeting."