Local businesses got together at Minchinhampton Golf Course to support Great Western Air Ambulance Charity's (GWAAC) first corporate golf day.

Together they raised over £8,500 - enough to fund four potentially lifesaving GWAAC missions in Gloucestershire, Bristol, Bath and beyond.

Twelve teams of four, including a team of GWAAC crew, battled it out on a sunny autumn day on the par-71 Avening course in the Cotswold hills.

All the teams enjoyed the opportunity to play the course, which is often used in regional championships, but it was Team Naylor and Keyline who took home the trophy.

Joe Allen, contractor development manager at Naylor, said: "With Kier being one of Naylor's largest Tier 1 contractor customers, their invitation for us to support one of their charitable partners on the A417 was a welcome opportunity. Naylor supplies the A417 project through Keyline, so it was fitting that both companies joined forces on the golf course.

"It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, made even better by our victory. Many thanks to Great Western Air Ambulance Charity for hosting a great event!"

After the round of golf, the teams heard from former patient Simon Clark, who GWAAC attended after a serious road traffic collision in 2019. Fresh back from completing a trek to Everest Basecamp the week before, Simon shared his story and the teams got a first-hand insight into how their support could help people like Simon.

The teams also had a reminder of the important service GWAAC provides, when they caught a glimpse of the bright blue and green helicopter flying overhead. The crew was called to a high number of people in need of urgent critical care that day.

On average, the crew attends six patients every day. On the charity golf day, they responded to 10 people who needed their specialist skills.

Joe Hughes, corporate partnerships manager for GWAAC, said: "Whilst the crew golf team on the ground would have loved to take home the trophy, everyone was a winner thanks to the teams who turned up to play.

"GWAAC are lucky to have such fantastic support from our region's generous corporate community. A huge thanks to the teams who played and event sponsors Porsche Centre Tewkesbury, Salocin Group and Bishop Flemming."

Ben Briggs, managing partner of Join the Dots, Salocin Group, and winner of the Beat the Pro competition, said: "We're delighted to have supported Great Western Air Ambulance Charity as a bronze sponsor of their first corporate golf day. As a B Corp certified business, at Salocin Group we believe in giving back to the community and we're proud to contribute to such a vital service that provides lifesaving care across our local region."

As GWAAC begins to look towards 2025, now is the time for businesses to register their interest in joining the next golf day, supporting it as charity of the year or sponsoring one of the annual events.