“Its the difference between life and death, for the people who require it...”

Luke Vater, a student at Sheffield Hallam University, talks about his sponsorship cycle, to and from Amsterdam for The Sussex Air Ambulance.

At only 18, Luke has already set up a fundraiser, through sponsorship, to cycle from his hometown Forest Row, East Sussex, to Amsterdam and back. A few years back, Luke was involved in a road accident, where he was knocked off his motorbike by a Discovery. “I broke my femur, patella, thumb, and had third degree burns to the side of my foot.” As Luke was in such a bad way, the Air Ambulance was called to take him to hospital, where he had to have metal pins inserted into his leg and spent weeks on heavy painkillers, being under 24 hour supervision by nurses. Once he was able to walk down a flight of stairs unassisted, he was allowed to leave. Luke was bed-ridden for weeks, and then wheel-chair bound for 8 weeks. “During this time, I had a lot of time to think about just how short life is, or how very easily it can be!.. You should make the most of it”.
It was Luke's physiotherapist that suggested cycling would be a good source of exercise and a way to build muscle back up in his leg. Not sure whether she meant the amount he was about to do though! Luke, along with 2 other friends, planned to cycle to Dover, travel by ferry to Dunkerque, then cycle through France, Belgium, and into the Netherlands.
“I raised £1695 through the cycling fundraiser. My target is £2000, which I hope to make. I have already started thinking about another challenge fundraiser”. To get sponsorship, Luke set up a charity website, through 'Justgiving'. This site enables people to donate easily and fuss free. He has uploaded pictures, and more details about the fundraiser on this website.
The Sussex Air Ambulance, along with others, aren't funded by the Government, which means they are solely dependant on donations. On average, it costs around £1500 for them to be called out to a rescue. “The charity is important to me because its a service that saved my life. I felt like I should payback what they spent, as a way of thanking them for their service. The service is the difference between life and death, for the people who require it, and I feel it should be supported”.
As well as raising awareness, Luke has also encouraged and inspired people to dig down deep and support him through his fundraiser. Giving back, is what he has essentially done, and it definitely takes alot of effort to do that. Pretty sure whatever he does next will no doubt be another huge challenge, he definitely should be proud!
Check out Luke's charity website: www.justgiving.com/forestrowtoamsterdam