Cornwall Air Ambulance has appointed former patient and passionate fundraiser Steven Webb as an ambassador for the charity.

Truronian Steven, who was recently elected to Cornwall Councillor and is the city’s former mayor, was left tetraplegic following a swimming pool accident in 1991. Cornwall Air Ambulance airlifted him from Truro’s then City Hospital to a specialist spinal unit in Salisbury for emergency surgery, shaving hours off the journey time and helping to save his life.

Steven has been a keen supporter of the charity ever since. Last September, he embarked upon a fundraising challenge: The Cornwall 500, travelling 500 miles on an accessible route around the Cornish coastline in his electric wheelchair, raising over £10,000 towards the #Heli2 Appeal to bring a second lifesaving helicopter to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

“The charity means everything to me,” he said. “I probably would not have survived without it. I’m here today and in my 50s not only because of Cornwall Air Ambulance, but because people donated and raised funds; a person put £10 in that bucket, enabling me to be here enjoying life.

“I don’t know of another charity that covers the whole of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, for every demographic. Whether you’re a six-month-old baby or in your 90s, Cornwall Air Ambulance is available to you. Wherever you are, you know you’re safe.”

Steven joins a team of Cornwall Air Ambulance Ambassadors including Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan, Paul and Emma Ainsworth, and Gordon and Tana Ramsay.

“It’s quite overwhelming and I’m deeply grateful to be part of a charity that does so much for so many people,” he said. “I’m proud to be part of a team that means so much to me, and to others. To be able to get the word out and help them save more lives is an absolute privilege.”