Epic 300-mile run for air ambulance which saved friend's life

At the end, from left, Adam, Jamie, fellow ex-servicemen Matt Harrison, and Adams nephew Leo.

An ex-soldier has raised thousands of pounds for the air ambulance after the service helped to save the life of a friend from Skegness.

Adam White, 36, has collected the sum for the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance through a 300-mile coast-to-coast run.

Starting in St David’s, Wales, and finishing in Skegness, Adam covered the distance over the course of two weeks – finishing on Saturday.

Adam was inspired to raise funds for the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance after it came to the aid of friend Jamie Broom, 35, from Skegness, last year.

Jamie fell down some stairs and was knocked unconscious. He was airlifted to hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain.

Adam, from Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire, said: “The air ambulance played such a massive part in saving Jamie’s life on that day so I wanted to do something to support my local air ambulance, the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance.”

Ex-soldier Adam, who first met Jamie in 1999 when the two men were serving in the British Army, is fighting his own battle against post-traumatic stress disorder and associated depression and anxiety.

As well as raising funds for the air ambulance, the run was a way of giving him a focus and inspiring others to use exercise to improve their physical and mental health.

Currently, his JustGiving page had collected donations of more than £3,600 (see www.justgiving.com/fundraising/AdamsCoast2Coast). Another £1,400 or so had been donated separately.

Karen Carter, a community fundraiser for the charity, said: “We are extremely grateful that Adam has chosen to undertake this challenge for us.”