Lions president completes personal challenge for air ambulance, cycling 200 miles across Kent, Surrey and Sussex in a week

Susan Saunders has been a Lion for more than 15 years and chose KSS because she wanted to say a personal thank you to a charity her district has supported for many years.

Her venture took her to each of the eight zones in the Lions' District 105SE and included the service organisation's Air Ambulance Open Day with KSS at Rochester Airport, resulting in total donations of around £6,200.

Susan said: “Our district supports the Air Ambulance Kent Surrey and Sussex but in all my years as a Lion, I am not aware that I have done anything personally to fundraise for them. I wanted to mark my presidential year by supporting this very worthwhile charity.

“I had already decided to fundraise for the air ambulance but the open day at Rochester was incredibly inspiring. From the professor who is a practising neurosurgeon but also a helicopter medic to the mother who spoke about how her son's life was saved, and everything in between, I am more determined than ever to support this worthy cause."

Her journey started on September 5 at KSS, where members of South East Lions gathered to celebrate their long-standing partnership with the charity. The open day was an opportunity to see how the Lions' fundraising continues to help save lives.

Team KSS waved Susan off on her ride and said all proceeds would support the Lions’ current fundraising appeal for a fuel transfer pump, which will help the charity to progress plans for all weather flying.

Susan said: “My own club made a donation of £500 to get the ball rolling. I met many Lions from many clubs and had some good, heart-warming conversations. I finished the ride with a sense of belonging to a large, supportive family where everybody had the same shared understanding of what we are about.

“I also came across members of the public who encouraged and supported us. There was the farmer’s wife who, when we paid for our camping for the night, came back five minutes later and said ‘put it in the pot’. There was the cyclist who appeared at a coffee stop dripping with sweat from his hard ride and, seeing my KSSAA cycling top, said ‘I’ve got that top!’. It turned out the air ambulance team had saved his son’s life on the rugby pitch.”

Susan visited Lions in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, finishing in Shoreham at her own club. Her husband Maurice accompanied her in their motorhome, so she had somewhere to sleep each night.

She said: “The fact that I did the ride is not the impressive thing, it is the help I received along the way from my husband, who drove our motorhome from stop to stop, the staff at the Rochester open day, the clubs who supported with donations or came and bought me coffee or dinner, our newest member who cycled the whole of the last day with me, which included a very steep hill, and other members of the public who supported me with donations. “

Visit www.lionsgiving.co.uk/appeal/cycling-for-kssaa for more information and to make a donation.

Helene Poursain, head of individual fundraising at KSS, said: “Our partnership with the South East Lions is something we value enormously, and it was a pleasure to welcome members to Rochester to celebrate everything we have achieved together.

“The commitment shown by Lions clubs across our region continues to make a significant difference to our lifesaving service. We are incredibly grateful to Susan for taking on this remarkable challenge, and to everyone who has already supported her fundraising efforts.

“Community support is vital in helping us provide advanced critical care to patients when they need us most.”