A fundraising event has raised £23,000 for Air Ambulance Kent Surrey.

Nearly 250 horse riding enthusiasts took part in KSS Ride where participants took part in  a four mile or seven mile ride at Kent Showground in August.

Helene Poursain, Director of Fundraising and Events at KSS said: “This was the charity’s first ever equestrian event and it was a great success. 167 riders of all ages took part in the event at Kent Showground and more than 80 riders signed up for our ‘virtual’ ride. Participants enjoyed it so much that we have already had requests to run it again next year – so watch this space!”

 “We are hugely grateful to everyone who took part, to our sponsors, Fidelity International and to The Kent Showground and EJ Mackleden & Son (Bobbing) Ltd for letting us use their land. We also want to say a big thank you to professional event rider, Sophie Jenman, who kindly supported our event.”

 “Due to Covid restrictions, this was our first in-person fundraising event KSS has been able to hold since December 2019 and it was incredible to meet supporters in person after all this time.  KSS is reliant on public generosity to deliver our life-saving service 24/7, ensuring we can be there for the most critically ill patients in our region. We would like to thank everyone for their generous donations in support of KSS Ride.”

It costs £15M each year to operate the air ambulance, 88% of which comes from public donations and fundraising.