The Essex & Herts Air Ambulance’s Year of Celebrations, marking 20 years of saving lives, has been given a boost thanks to a generous Hertfordshire couple.

Simon Bird and fiancée Emma Barham will tie the knot on June 16, 2018, and have asked friends and family to donate to Essex & Herts Air Ambulance and The Alzheimer’s Society in place of gifts.

Simon, 28, who has run two half marathons to raise funds for the Air Ambulance, explains: “Both my parents already volunteer for Essex & Herts Air Ambulance and I have supported them for many years. As a civil engineer, I have seen some horrific accidents on the roads and seen the Air Ambulance at some of the more critical incidents. Emma is a nurse and has seen patients who have been flown in, so we both have a good understanding of the work they do.