Horse rider from Northampton will brave the shave to thank air ambulance after bad fall

A horse rider who was airlifted to hospital after a bad fall years ago is once again thanking the flying medics charity.

Vicky Laing had a serious fall from a young horse while out eventing, 20 years ago when she had just been selected to ride for Great Britain in the young riders European Championships.

Now she is raising money for The Air Ambulance charity that covers Northamptonshire as well as other counties, by braving the shave.

Vicky, who is from Northampton but now lives in Rutland, said: “I had broken my lower back in a few places, crushed my pelvis, broken my collar bone and had vast internal injuries.

“I understand how very important charities such as your local air ambulance are, and without everyone’s support they cannot keep flying and saving lives the way that they do.”

Without the air ambulance crew who attended her that day, Vicky would not have made it to the hospital as quickly, or as smoothly as she did.

Since the fall, Vicky has supported the charity, so will be braving the shave on September 3 in a bid to raise £1,500.

Vicky added: “I chose to shave my head because I wanted to make an impact in getting the support needed to raise the vital funds for your local air ambulance as they rely on donations to carry out their daily life saving missions.

“I am still riding to a high level, and I would like them to still be there should I or another member of the horse riding community ever need pre-hospital emergency care.”

The hair that Vicky chops off will be donated to The Little Princess Trust, a charity that makes real hair wigs for children who lose their hair.

Then the money raised will be donated to The Air Ambulance charity, which is set to receive two new replacement helicopters next year after reaching its 40,000th mission.

Community fundraising executive for the charity, Vicky Evans, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Vicky has chosen to support your local air ambulance for her incredible challenge.

“We are so grateful for community support such as Vicky’s as it really is what keeps us flying and saving lives.

“Each of our daily missions cost £1,700 and we receive no government or national lottery funding to support these.

“We wish her the very best of luck with her head shave and look forward to seeing the final result. It's an incredibly brave challenge to undertake and Vicky really is a hero to us for undertaking such a task.”

To support Vicky, visit her JustGiving page.

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