It has been 10 years since the Thames Valley Air Ambulance scooped me up and rescued me. I have been wanting to say thank you by raising some funds ever since. It is not until now that I have been in a position to do that. Better late than never I say!

I was double barrelled (aka being kicked by both hind legs of a horse). I was in a field alone and with no telephone and several hundred meters away from the road.

I knew I had to get to the road to flag down some help. In severe pain and not quite knowing what had happened to me I dragged myself towards the road and thankfully a walker heard my screams and came running to me. Immediately I collapsed face down against the dusty earth. Little did I know but in the summer of 2014 there were ambulance strikes. The 999 call handler advised there were no ambulances available for me and they would try and find me a private ambulance.

Two hours of waiting struggling to breathe and in severe pain laying face down I heard the thrum of a helicopter. I am terrified of helicopters and naturally thought it was passing overhead. I wasn't told it was for me until the helicopter team were beside me.

This is the moment from when I begin to see the remarkable skill and service that The Thames Valley Air Ambulance give.

On top of my injuries I started having a panic attack. The TVAA team managed to completely put me at ease and reassured of what was happening to me, explaining every movement and moment to me while being braced and stretched up. Within minutes I was up and away to Oxford. My injuries included a punctured lungs, broken ribs and internal bruising. My recovery took several months.

Thames Valley Air Ambulance exists to give everybody within our community the best chance of surviving and recovering from an emergency. I live in an area called The Valley of the Racehorse due to the number of race horse training yards. The Air Ambulance are often in the valley helping others who have had horse related accidents. When I hear the Ambulance above I am always say a little thank you to the sky and a good luck to the person they are on their way to.

I would be so grateful if you felt you could support me in my marathon running to be able to give something back to the amazing team at The Thames Valley Air Ambulance.

Having been helped by The TVAA I have seen that they do everything in their power to protect, save and revive lives, with the best critical care at the scene and beyond.

The Thames Valley Air Ambulance are not government or lottery funded, so rely on the generosity of our community – and people like you – to fund them.

Thank you. Antonia xxxx