Reimbursement: Cardiff student aims to repay Wales Air Ambulance
Nov
Wales Air Ambulance
At the age of 12, whilst on Scout Camp, Nick Salter was involved in a mountain bike accident that nearly cost him his life.
As a result of the serious head injuries that Nick sustained, he was left with no recollection of the day the accident occurred or the days that followed. There is one thing that he will remember for the rest of his life though and that is the critical importance of the Welsh Air Ambulance that day. He says ‘without the fast response of the WAA and their crew, I may not be here today. I owe them my life.’
Nick’s accident happened on the rough terrain of the Forest of Dean and therefore, being airlifted was his only chance of getting to hospital.
Fortunately, Nick went on to make a full recovery with only a few scars to remind him of that fateful day and is currently at university studying International Wildlife Biology.
Aside from his studies, Nick has made it his mission to repay the WAA as a ‘thank you’ for saving his life. He has been fundraising tirelessly since the age of 13 in an effort to give something back to the charity he owes so much to.
With the backing of friends, family, teachers ‘and anyone else daft enough to get involved in my extreme sports’, Nick has accomplished a number of daring feats raising thousands of pounds for the WAA. He has arranged a number of sponsored bike rides including one of 55 miles over the Brecon Beacons, riding over similar terrain as that of his accident! On top of this, he has organised bungee jumps, parachute jumps and bog snorkelling, ‘to name but a few.’
Now aged 18 and six years on from his accident, Nick has recently been recognised for his fundraising endeavours on ITV’s ‘Surprise Surprise’ (3rd November 2013) which he describes as ‘lovely but a huge shock!’ The huge amount of ambition that Nick has is clear in the sheer scale of his fundraising plans.
Raising the bar a little more, Nick’s future pursuits include cycling from Cardiff to London next year ‘and further afield, I hope to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and row the Atlantic.’
Before Nick embarks on his bigger plans though, he is hosting a musical event closer to home for the festive season. The event will be held on the 23rd December in the Earl Haig Club, Whitchurch and is a tribute to Michael Buble and the Rat Pack era.
If you would like to attend, tickets are for sale at £10 from the Earl Haig Club or by telephoning 07775 656410.
Alternatively, they are also available for purchase from Nick’s website www.fundraisingwithnick.webs.com where you can also see information of Nick’s past and future pursuits. The ticket price includes a buffet and all monies raised will go towards the WAA. Nick says, ‘Please come along and support us, it should be a great night to get Christmas off with a swing!’
What’s more, you may be saving somebody else’s life in the process.
