Last August bank holiday, our father Myles suffered a brain hemorrhage while out sailing in his dinghy on the Solent. The hero that he is, he managed to sail back to the Isle of Wight, pull the boat out of the water before getting home and asking us to call an ambulance. The quick decision at St Mary's hospital to transfer him to the specialised Neurology department at Southampton Hospital saved his life. This decision was only made possible by the access to the HAIOW Air Ambulance who could transfer him across the Solent in minutes.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance brings an advanced critical care team to people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight when they need it most. Highly skilled crews of Doctors, Paramedics and Pilots can be at the scene of an incident within minutes. It currently costs in excess of £9,000 a day to maintain the life saving service, and it is only thanks to the generosity of the communities they serve that they are able keep the Air Ambulance flying and saving lives.

We plan on swimming the Solent, the distance the Air Ambulance transferred our father, to raise money and awareness for this purely charity based, life saving team and their equipment. A small thank you for saving our father's life. We hope we raise enough money to contribute to another life saved.