A team of talented quilters from Anglesey are helping to keep the Wales Air Ambulance flying.
The group who meet at Beaumaris Leisure Centre raised more than £400 by raffling a special quilt they made.
Meanwhile, their tutor, Alison Chapman, is in the running for a top award.
She has been nominated for one of the prestigious Inspire Awards for her work with Coleg Harlech WEA.
Alison runs a total of seven weekly quilting classes for Coleg Harlech, six of them on Anglesey and the other one in Bangor.
She said: “Some of the students here have been with me for about 10 years so I keep having to find new things for them to do.
“The Air Ambulance quilt was project we did in partnership with a local artist, Jayne Huskisson, who’s now become a patch-worker herself.
“She makes these lovely landscape pictures of Anglesey and we thought it would be a real challenge for the ladies to think about how they could transfer her designs into fabric.
“It resulted in a big quilt with nine designs of Anglesey – it was about four foot square.
“The Air Ambulance do a tremendous amount of good work here and we could all need it at some stage.”
The money was accepted on behalf of the Wales Air Ambulance by Eifion Jones, perhaps better known as Jonsi from his days as a Radio Cymru presenter.
Eifion said: “The fruits of their labour are going to help keep the Air Ambulance flying
“We have three ambulances and we need to raise £6 million every year.
“Every time the air ambulance goes out it costs £1,500 and we get no Government grants or Lottery money so it’s all through public donations – the people of Wales basically keep it alive and keep it up in the sky.
“People like these talented quilters are terrific because they ensure that we can carry on saving lives.”
Among the members of the quilting class who has a personal reason for supporting the Air Ambulance is Glynwen Williams, from Marianglas.
She explained: “My niece’s daughter, Begw, who will be four in the summer, has needed the Air Ambulance twice
“She’s one of these TOF (Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula) children where the oesophagus wasn’t joined up properly at the top or the bottom.
“It’s so important when children and young people are so ill to get them to the hospital quickly.
“Making this particular quilt meant a lot to me, the Air Ambulance does a brilliant job as far as I’m concerned.”
The fund-raising effort has also delighted Sara Jones, Coleg Harlech’s Learning Manager for Mȏn and Bangor, who also nominated Alison for the award.
The Inspire Awards are organised by NIACE (The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education) England and Wales and are presented to recognise outstanding contribution to adult learning.
Sara said: “Alison’s students have the greatest of respect for her, there’ always positive feedback from her courses with many stating that she is an excellent tutor, friendly and approachable.
“She’s been an instrumental part of the team, continuously developing the provision that keep learners interested, motivated and learning new skills.
“She warmly welcomes learners of various abilities for an all-inclusive learning experience, embracing complete beginners to those with more advanced knowledge, all in one course.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Trefor Fȏn Owen, the Principal of Coleg Harlech.
He said: “This nomination is richly deserved because Alison continues to make a huge contribution after more than a decade of unbroken service.”
