Mike Bebb and his children completed a 13.5-mile unicycle ride around Lake Vyrnwy to raise money for Wales Air Ambulance, following the death of his father, Richard 'Gordon' Bebb. The 79-year-old dairy farmer from Arddleen, Powys, suffered a heart attack at home in January and was attended by the air ambulance crew, but sadly died.
Family tribute to a much-loved grandfather
Richard 'Gordon' Bebb had been a dairy farmer since the age of 11 and was married to his wife Josie for 43 years. His son Mike described the loss as 'sudden' and 'very difficult for everyone to come to terms with'. Mike said: 'My dad became very unwell, and I called 999, by the time I got to Arddleen, the Wales Air Ambulance team were with him. They were incredible and did all they could to help my father.'
The Wales Air Ambulance is a consultant-led service that delivers hospital-standard treatments to patients and, if needed, transfers them directly to the most appropriate hospital. It operates through a unique third-sector and public-sector partnership, relying on public donations to raise the £13 million required annually to keep helicopters and rapid response vehicles operational.
Advanced critical care and community impact
The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) provides highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the charity's vehicles. This advanced critical care includes administering anaesthesia, delivering blood transfusions, and conducting minor operations at the scene of an incident. As a pan-Wales service, crews travel across the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care.
Mike said: 'Wales Air Ambulance is such an important resource, for communities like ours in Powys. It costs just over £3.5k, for a combined air and road mission, that is an extraordinary amount of money. I wanted to create a fundraising event, to try and help raise as much money as I could, as a way of saying thank you to the crew who attended my father.'
Unicycle challenge around Lake Vyrnwy
Mike organised the 13.5-mile unicycle challenge around Lake Vyrnwy, which took place recently with his children. When he was eleven, he asked his parents for a unicycle, which he used to do his paper round, holding 'many special memories'. He said: 'It was lovely to have my son and daughter with me, a real support, but also important for them to have something special to remember their grandad too. I knew it was going to be a difficult challenge, emotional at times and to have that bit of motivation, made such a difference. We had amazing t-shirts made for us, which had dad and grandad written on the back.'
Mike hopes to raise £2,000 for Wales Air Ambulance, and his Just Giving page remains open. He said the support has been 'amazing', with close friends and family being generous, and many anonymous people sponsoring him. He added: 'It’s been surreal really, I was on BBC Radio Wales the morning of my event, and spoke live, going out to thousands of people, so that was quite a new experience. But it is all helping towards raising awareness about Wales Air Ambulance.'
Gratitude from Wales Air Ambulance
Hugh Tamlyn, Wales Air Ambulance regional fundraising manager, said: 'We are very grateful to Mike and his family for making us the beneficiary of their special tribute. Gordon sounds like an incredible man, someone who cared deeply about his family and friends, and committed a lifetime to farming. We extend our deepest condolences to the Bebb family. It is very moving that they are helping raise funds and awareness of the work of our service. Diolch yn fawr!'
