Dave Thomas, from Radstock, set himself the challenge of walking 700 miles in a calendar year with his two dogs, Ruby and Lily. The trio, who were also raising money for Guide Dogs for the Blind, ended up smashing their target, walking over 1,435 miles and raising £313.74 for the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC).

On choosing to support his local Air Ambulance charity, Dave said: “Supporting Great Western Air Ambulance is a no brainer, really. I’m staggered that GWAAC isn’t Government funded and, as this service is vital to many people, it only makes sense to help them out.”

GWAAC has been providing the critical care and air ambulance service to 2.1 million people across Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire and surrounding areas for over ten years. The charity relies solely on the generosity and support from people like Dave in the local community to raise over £3 million a year needed to stay operational, and receive no day-to-day funding from the Government.

GWAAC Community Fundraising Coordinator, Ian Cantoni, said: “It was a real pleasure to meet Dave, Lily, and Ruby following their epic year-long challenge. Dave is a wonderful example of a community-spirited individual who had a great fundraising idea and made it happen!

“We are so grateful to him for supporting Great Western Air Ambulance Charity and helping to save local lives all across Bath and North East Somerset.”

Dave would like to extend his thanks to everyone at Network Rail, Easyforms, his family and friends for their generous support of two fantastic causes. Find out more at: www.gwaac.com