WHAT WE'RE DOING:

We love cycling, but every so often, it all goes horribly wrong!
Sometimes, we've been a plonker, other times, someone else has.  When it goes very wrong, often a vehicle of some form is involved.

Fortunately, there's a group of highly skilled life savers out there who can get you to hospital within that "Golden Hour".  Without them, there'd be a lot more damaged or dead cyclists around.

So we're doing all sorts to raise some much needed funds for air ambulances around the country, starting with Surrey, Kent and Sussex Air Ambulance Service.

After all, if the Air Ambulance is involved, it is pretty much as bad as it could have been; and actually, they'll help you, no matter how many wheels you have :)

HOW YOU COULD CONTRIBUTE:

(If every Bike Swanky Member contributes just £5 we'll smash this target in one fell swoop and make a real difference!)

Share an "incident"  Tell everyone about it and get it off your chest and donate on here.  Share it with @BikeSwanky on Twitter. Send us piccies! (You can donate from £1 by texting "BSAA99 £1" to 70070)

Take Part In One Of Our Fundraisers: We're doing regular events, demo days and offers to raise funds.  If every Bike Swanky Member donated just £5 we'd smash our target!

WHY WE'RE DOING THIS:

In October 2014, Bike Swanky Andy was riding with a friend called James from Woking CC, a club we support.  James found out the hard way how solid the front of a taxi is; he had multiple, severe, life threatening, injuries.  It was only by pure chance that Andy wasn't badly hurt as well.

James was saved by the prompt response of the paramedics who called in the skilled Surrey Air Ambulance, and the fantastic trauma team at St George's Hospital, Tooting.

James is the main carer for his family, as his wife and son both require his assistance each day.  The impact of this accident was profound on his family.

The remarkable work by the medical teams, and notwithstanding the tremendous bravery and resolve of James himself, has seen him begin to make a remarkable recovery.

The Air Ambulance is a remarkable service that many of us take for granted as "being there when we need it".  Perhaps we shouldn't.  Each helicopter costs over £1 million a year to operate and no funds come from government.  It is 100% private contributions.

In this instance, "it could have been much worse".  Thank goodness, those that had gone before us had donated sufficient funds for the Air Ambulance to be there when James needed it.

We ride and drive a lot and we see too many of our friends and colleagues injured one way or another.  Inevitably, the Air Ambulance is likely to need to be called upon again.  When it is, you can know that you've done your bit to make a massive difference and make it available to everyone, on 1, 2, 3, 4 or more wheels.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.