Why we are taking on the Bath Half for Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity

On Sunday 15 March, our crew and former patient will be setting off to complete Bath Half, in aid of Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity.

Pilot Elvis Costello, doctor Dr Giles Nicholes, critical care paramedic Matt Metcalf and former patient Luke Dark are running to raise vital funds for the Charity’s lifesaving work.

Every mile they run helps us be there when we’re needed most.

Luke’s story

Luke Dark knows just how important this charity is.

After suffering a serious medical emergency that left him in a coma, Luke’s life was changed forever. His recovery took strength, determination and support. Today, Luke chooses to give back by fundraising for charities that help people when life takes an unexpected turn.

Luke’s fundraising supports the crews who provide advanced critical care to people across Wiltshire and Bath, often at the worst moments of their lives.

The crew who respond

While Luke represents those whose lives are changed by medical emergencies, Elvis, Giles and Matt are part of the team who respond to them.

Elvis Costello, one of the Charity’s pilots, has been flying helicopters since 1999 and joined Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity in 2018. From the cockpit, Elvis helps get specialist medical teams to patients as quickly as possible. From the Charity’s airbase in Semington, it takes just four minutes to reach the centre of Bath by air.

Dr Giles Nicholes joined the Charity as a volunteer doctor in December 2024. An intensive care medicine registrar, Giles brings hospital-level expertise to patients at the roadside, in fields, homes and city streets. He also volunteers with mountain rescue, driven by the same commitment to help people in their moment of greatest need.

Matt Metcalf is a critical care paramedic who joined the Charity in 2023 after years working with the Hazardous Area Response Team and the Royal Air Force. Matt delivers advanced medical care in often life-threatening situations, using specialist equipment that mirrors what you would expect to find in an emergency department.

Together, the crew are on call every day for up to 19 hours, responding to an average of three incidents daily by helicopter or critical care cars.

Why your support matters

Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity provides critical medical care by land and air, but it is not funded by the government. Every mission depends on charitable support.

In Bath alone, the crew is called out around four times a week. In 2025, they attended 97 missions in the city, more than eight per cent of all their missions that year. Each one requires highly trained clinicians, specialist equipment and rapid-response vehicles, all ready at a moment’s notice.

Please support our run

By supporting Elvis, Giles, Matt and Luke, you are helping ensure that when someone needs critical care fast, the crew can be there.

Every donation, big or small, helps give patients the very best chance of survival.

Thank you for helping us save lives.