Ballycastle couple raise £7,200 for Air Ambulance NI
A Ballycastle couple have raised £7,200 for Air Ambulance NI thanks to wedding celebration gifts.
Kevin McAuley, from McAuley Multimedia, and Tracey Roberts, an accountant from Manchester, turned their recent celebration into a generous act of giving for the Air Ambulance as Kevin and Tracey celebrated their wedding day on 16 August by raising an incredible £7,200 for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland (AANI).
Surrounded by friends and family in the scenic coastal town of Ballycastle, the couple asked guests to forgo traditional wedding gifts and instead make donations to the life-saving charity. The response was overwhelming.
“A great day was had by everyone,” said the couple. “We were truly blown away by the generosity of all who donated.”
To personally deliver the donation, Kevin and Tracey recently visited the Air Ambulance NI headquarters in Lisburn, where they met with Katrina Hughes, the charity’s local fundraising manager.
While they were unable to meet the medical team—who were dispatched on a mission just as the couple arrived—they had the opportunity to view one of the AANI helicopters and learn more about the organisation’s vital operations.
Katrina Hughes accepted the cheque on behalf of the charity and expressed heartfelt thanks: “On behalf of Air Ambulance Northern Ireland, please accept our sincere thanks for your donation of £7,200. This incredible total will help to save lives across Northern Ireland and support those in urgent need of pre-hospital emergency care.”
Air Ambulance NI operates the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS), in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. Operating seven days a week for 12 hours per day, the service can reach any part of Northern Ireland within 25 minutes. Since launching in 2017, AANI has been tasked over 5,000 times to critically ill or injured patients.
Kevin and Tracey’s generous gesture has made a meaningful impact—and stands as a shining example of how love and community spirit can come together to support a cause that touches lives across the region.