Organisers of The Mid Wales Rally Charity Forum have handed over cheques to Cancer Research and Wales Air Ambulance totalling £5,500 from money raised at the annual event.
The charity forum has been raising funds for charities since 2004 and so far the organisers have donated £99,000 to various organisations.
The forum started when Phil Mills won the World Rally Championship in 2003. He decided that he would use his new title as World Champion to raise money for the Wales Air Ambulance.
Phil enlisted the help of John Whittal Williams, Howard Watkins, Howard Davies and Nigel Williams, to organise the first forum. The intention was to raise a few thousand then finish.
Many of the world’s top rally drivers have been to the forum, including Petter Solberg, Ari Vatanen, Dave Richards, Miko Hirvonen, Kris Meeke and Malcolm Wilson, to name a few.
The organisers have changed very little, John Whittal Williams is no longer involved, but Efion Jones and James Watkins have joined the team.
The latest beneficiaries of funds are Cancer Research £3,500 and Wales Air Ambulance, £2,000
Cancer Research was chosen following the death of one of the forums biggest supporters, Dave Stokes. He had always provided some form of prize for the auction and turned up to all the forums.
Wales Air Ambulance was one of the original charities which was chosen. Over the past years over £50,000 has been donated to them by the forum.
There have been times when the air ambulance has been called to help a rally crew who have crashed, and all involved have felt it is a worthwhile cause.
Captions: Left to right Howard Watkins and Phil Mills hand over a cheque for £3,500 to Guy Weaver, former co-driver of the late Dave Stokes, who was receiving the money on behalf of Cancer Research UK.
Caption: James Watkins and Phil Mills hand over a cheque for £2,000 to the Wales Air Ambulance team at Welshpool.