Members of Welsh Motoring Writers visited Welshpool Mid-Wales Airport to present a cheque for £500 to Wales Air Ambulance on Saturday (23 February).
 
Wales Air Ambulance is now the largest organisation of its type in the UK, and its helicopters can be with a patient anywhere in Wales within 20 minutes. They are not only capable of flying patients to hospital, but with life-saving equipment on board, its pilots are able to bring A&E directly to the patient. 

Critical care consultants and practitioners have some of the most pioneering equipment and skills in the world, including blood products and techniques developed in the Armed Forces. It means that patients receive advanced care before they even reach the hospital.
 
When the weather is too poor for helicopters to fly, the team has a number of rapid response vehicles to attend the scene of an accident with this vital equipment.
 
The charity doesn’t receive government funding and needs to raise £6.5 million a year to operate, with each mission costing an average of £1,500.
 
Simon added: “Wales Air Ambulance provides an invaluable service, often at the scene of road traffic accidents, so we are keen to offer support through our donation.”

​Welsh Motoring Writers ushered in committee changes at its annual business meeting on Saturday (23 February), with chairman Huw Thomas retiring at the end of his fifth term.
 
The role will be filled by Simon Harris, while current treasurer Liam Bird is confirmed for a further two years in the post.
 
Huw will become the group’s vice-chairman to assist with a smooth transition, while other committee posts will be finalised in the next few weeks, although Colin Barnett has taken over from Ian Johnson as membership secretary, and Rachel Boagey has replaced Simon Harris as website editor.

Wales will have its own car awards in 2019 in a new partnership with the Welsh Automotive Forum.

The awards will be presented at the WAF Annual Dinner, a black tie event attended by around 400 members representing the automotive industry in Wales.

Introducing the Car Awards Wales initiative at the 2018 annual dinner of WAF, CEO Tim Williams said: “Jointly with WMW we have a special announcement to make. More details in the New Year but our aim is to create a select and limited number of awards, each of equal value, grounded in the Welsh Automotive sector.
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“They will also take account of innovation here in the areas of powertrain and propulsion technology. We plan to make the first Car Awards Wales presentations at our next Annual Dinner a year from now.”
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A journalism student has won a £1,000 prize, a driving experience at Silverstone, and work experience at some of the UK’s top automotive publications.

Jake Horton was one of six MA students who opted to take the automotive module at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism. All six were eligible to compete for Welsh Motoring Writers’ John Arfon Edwards Memorial Prize in 2018.

Assignments submitted looked at the future of car use, including autonomous vehicles, car sharing schemes and alternative fuels, and Jake’s work focused on self-driving car trials in the US.
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Welsh Motoring Writers continued support for Blood Bikes Wales with a £500 donation in June. The donation follows a £500 donation made a year ago.

Blood Bikes Wales has 300 members and operates more than 20 motorcycles. Members are motorbike enthusiasts who deliver blood and other vitally required items overnight or at weekends for NHS Wales when NHS transport is unavailable or committed elsewhere.

Blood Biles Wales members do this entirely free of charge and the organisation is a charity dependent on public fundraising.

The presentation took place at Cruz Cymru 2018 – an annual gathering of both custom and performance cars, fire service, police, other emergency services and road safety organisations. Venue was the Royal Welsh Agricultural Showground at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells.
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Two organisations that have made significant contributions to the economy in Wales were presented with Welsh Motoring Writers’ two top accolades on Saturday night.

The Tom Pryce Memorial Trophy recognises the achievements of Anglesey Circuit-Trac Môn as it celebrates its 25th Anniversary and also 10th Anniversary of the £4m reconfiguration featuring, most appropriately, the Tom Pryce Straight.
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The Terry Davies Automotive Award (formerly Automotive Achievement Award) goes to General Dynamics Land Systems-UK for its world class armoured fighting vehicles and latest AJAX reconnaissance fleet for the British Army creating major employment opportunities at its Merthyr Tydfil base.

A journalism student has won a £1,000 prize, a driving experience at Silverstone, and work experience at some of the UK’s top automotive publications for a feature produced on her course.
 
Beth Hughes, of Flintshire, elected to take the automotive journalism module at Cardiff University, and was one of four students at the School of Journalism eligible to compete for Welsh Motoring Writers’ John Arfon Edwards Memorial Prize in 2017.
 
Their assignments looked at the future of diesel fuel, and Beth’s work examined the impact on the independent garage of increasing take-up of vehicles with electric power.

​Welsh Motoring Writers has launched a new brand identity for 2017, created by our patron and Land Rover design studio director Richard Woolley.
 
Richard, who has designed the covers of our handbooks for many years, as well as the unique trophies for the Automotive Achievement Award since inception in 2010, offered to come up with a single design that would replace the varied artwork that had been used inside the handbook, on stationery and our website.
 
WMW chairman Huw Thomas said: “Richard had mentioned more than once that we would benefit from a consistent, single brand identity to communicate exactly who we are and what we do.

WMW is pleased to follow up an earlier donation to Air Ambulance Wales this year with, more recently, a donation to Blood Bikes Wales.

Blood Bikes Wales's 300-plus volunteer members are motorcycle enthusiasts who deliver blood, documents, analyses or other vitally required items overnight or at weekends when NHS Wales transport is unavailable or committed elsewhere. As with Air Ambulance Wales, Blood Bikes Wales is a charity dependent on financial support from public fundraising.

WMW Chairman Huw Thomas said: “Like the Air Ambulance, Blood Bikes offer a service of particular value to a country like Wales. They fill crucial gaps in the Gwasanaeth Iechyd Cenedlaethol (National Health Service) transport system - entirely free of charge. We at WMW readily offer our support”