Truckfest raises £50,000 for Air Ambulance

he Causeway Coast Truckfest has raised over £50k for charity Air Ambulance NI. Committee members presented Air Ambulance NI with a cheque, fundraised through this years extremely successful Truckfest event. Pictured (l-r) are AANI representatives Ian Crowe, Michelle McDaid, Kerry Anderson and Glenn ORorke

The Blair’s Holiday Parks Causeway Coast Truckfest 2019 has raised an amazing £50,182 for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland, an amount that will fund the service for 10 days.

Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, the event took place on August 17-18 and included live music, family fun events, a truck light show, a late-night food and trade village made up of over 50 traders and a truck convoy of over 700 trucks, all in aid of the show’s official charity.

The event has grown significantly in the past few years from a one to two-day event. This year’s event was made possible by the efforts of more than 100 volunteers, including Truckfest marshal volunteers and Air Ambulance NI collection volunteers.

All donations made by attendees were in aid of Air Ambulance NI which provides the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for Northern Ireland, together with partners at the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). The service brings urgent medical assistance to anywhere in the province, operating seven days a week for 12 hours per day. It can get to anywhere in Northern Ireland in approximately twenty-five minutes.

Pictured (l-r) Mark Canning, Linda Canning, Zoe Davis, Joey Witherow, Chris Arthur, Michelle McDaid, Ian Crowe, Kerry Anderson, Tim Witherow, Glenn ORorke, Sandy Arthur and Derek Thorpe.

Pictured (l-r) is Mark Canning, Linda Canning, Zoe Davis, Joey Witherow, Chris Arthur, Michelle McDaid, Ian Crowe, Kerry Anderson, Tim Witherow, Glenn ORorke, Sandy Arthur and Derek Thorpe.

The Causeway Coast Truckfest has raised over £50k for charity Air Ambulance NI. Committee members presented Air Ambulance NI with a cheque, fundraised through this years extremely successful Truckfest event.

Pictured (l-r) is Mark Canning, Linda Canning, Zoe Davis, Joey Witherow, Chris Arthur, Michelle McDaid, Ian Crowe, Kerry Anderson, Tim Witherow, Glenn ORorke, Sandy Arthur and Derek Thorpe. — Pictured (l-r) Mark Canning, Linda Canning, Zoe Davis, Joey Witherow, Chris Arthur, Michelle McDaid, Ian Crowe, Kerry Anderson, Tim Witherow, Glenn ORorke, Sandy Arthur and Derek Thorpe. Pictured (l-r) is Mark Canning, Linda Canning, Zoe Davis, Joey Witherow, Chris Arthur, Michelle McDaid, Ian Crowe, Kerry Anderson, Tim Witherow, Glenn ORorke, Sandy Arthur and Derek Thorpe. The Causeway Coast Truckfest has raised over £50k for charity Air Ambulance NI. Committee members presented Air Ambulance NI with a cheque, fundraised through this years extremely successful Truckfest event. Pictured (l-r) is Mark Canning, Linda Canning, Zoe Davis, Joey Witherow, Chris Arthur, Michelle McDaid, Ian Crowe, Kerry Anderson, Tim Witherow, Glenn ORorke, Sandy Arthur and Derek Thorpe.

Kerry Anderson, Head of Fundraising, Air Ambulance NI, added: “We are so grateful to everyone involved in the Causeway Coast Truckfest for their amazing work this year and the fantastic donation they have made. We depend on public donations to keep our vital service operational and this huge amount raised by Truckfest will go a long way in ensuring we can continue to provide emergency medical care to those in desperate need.

“We would like to thank the committee members, show sponsors, truck drivers, the Truckfest volunteers and our own volunteers for making this event such a success.”

The Truckfest has supported Air Ambulance NI as its charity of choice for the past three years, raising over £120,000 for the service since 2017. The funds raised from the event has helped to fund the 116 taskings Air Ambulance NI has had to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council in the past two years.

A Truckfest Committee member commented: “2019 has been another hugely successful year for Truckfest. We’re so pleased with how it’s gone and the amount we’ve raised for Air Ambulance NI. Despite having to battle the weather, we had a fantastic turnout and everyone who attended had a great time. We’d like to thank everyone who attended, all the truck drivers and traders and our sponsors who helped to make our event what it was and worked to raise money for such a worthwhile cause.”

To donate or learn more about Air Ambulance NI, go to Air Ambulance Northern Ireland’s Facebook page, visit www.airambulanceni.org or call 028 9262 2677.