An eight-year-old boy from Swansea who survived a crash on the M4 that killed his mum has raised money for the Wales Air Ambulance as a way of thanking them for saving his life. Cian Evans from Pontardawe was just two-years-old when he was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff after the crash on the M4 near Port Talbot.
Sadly, the collision killed his mum, Rebecca Evans. Cian suffered two broken legs, a fractured skull and a bleed between his brain and skull. But despite these horrific injuries, Cian battled through and is now a happy and healthy eight-year-old boy.
While Cian enjoys most of his days playing football and running around outside, recently he has taken on a challenge. Back in April, the Neath Abbey Primary School student signed up for the Wales Air Ambulance's annual fundraising campaign, Walk Wales, which is a virtual walking challenge in which Cian had to achieve 100k throughout the month of May. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Read more: The sweet shop with 45-minute queues and products Willy Wonka would be proud of
According to his dad Alex, Cian was extremely keen to take part, having been brought up knowing how the Wales Air Ambulance had helped saved his life and the vital work the charity did. When Cian was just three years old, he attended the official opening of the charity’s headquarters in Dafen, Llanelli, where he presented the then Prince of Wales, and now King Charles III, with a jar of local honey.
Alex said: "Every time Cian sees the helicopter in the sky he always says, 'that is my helicopter', and tells people he met the King! When we told him about Walk Wales he was excited to take part. We made him his own personalised t-shirt and he bought a smart watch out of his own money to keep track of his kilometres.
"I was surprised how well he took to the challenge especially as the month of May started off rainy and cold. He walked every day and was fitting in the kilometres before school and in between his football practice and matches.
"I also gained a lot from it as well. It was really nice going out with Cian and enjoying quality father-and-son time together. I am incredibly proud of him. I did not expect Cian to raise so much money and I am incredibly pleased for him. He was excited to receive his medal and he is already looking forward to the next fundraiser!
"I am still surprised that the service is a charity and relies on public donations to operate. Unfortunately, we know personally how vital the service is and would encourage people to donate to the Wales Air Ambulance."
Cian ended the challenge by climbing to the top of Pen Y Fan mountain in Bannau Brycheiniog for the first time. Through hard work and determination, as well as asking his friends and family to sponsor him, Cian managed to raise £770 for the charity.
According to Cian, he thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Walk Wales challenge. He said: "I wanted to do the challenge because they saved my life when I was younger. It was hard but fun. I took my two dogs, Bear and Poppy, on the walks who definitely enjoyed it!
"My favourite walks were walking up Pen Y Fan and Corn Du mountains in the Brecon Beacons, Neath canal where I saw lots of fish, and I even saw llamas while out walking. I am pleased I raised £770 from friends, family, and lots of other kind people. I would do the Walk Wales Challenge again and would like to raise more money for the Wales Air Ambulance. It’s important because it help lots of people if they get badly hurt and need to go to hospital. Thank you to everyone at Wales Air Ambulance for helping me and other people throughout Wales."
As a whole, the Walk Wales Challenge raised £28,257 in total by people signing up to take part and donating to the charity. According to Wales Air Ambulance, the charity needs to raise £8 million every year to ensure it can carry on its lifesaving work.
