Dale Benton

A local motorbike enthusiast will ride over 900 miles across Europe in a bid to raise £4,000 in aid of the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust.

Charlotte Lester is riding her motorbike from RAF Waddington through five different countries, before finishing in Berlin over the weekend of June 8-9.

The charity ride looks to help fund that saved her partner’s life after a motorbike accident last year.

The air ambulance saved the life of her partner Tony Hoare, a fellow motorcycle enthusiast, after he suffered an accident during a race.

“I had never really considered it would be something that might have such a profound effect on my own life. That’s part of the reason I’m doing this: not just to raise money, but to raise awareness of how vital a charity this is for everyone,” she said.

Charlotte, along with Tony — who will ride the first part of the journey with her — is hoping to repay the air ambulance for all their hard work.

Charlie Lester

“I can never repay the gift of saving my partner’s life. But maybe I can raise money so that someone else, someone as ignorant as I was of the importance of this charity, can watch through their tears as the air ambulance saves the life of someone they love.”

Emma Young, Fundraiser for Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance, is delighted at Charlotte’s hard work.

She said: “We are delighted that Charlie is undertaking this amazing challenge in aid of the Air Ambulance. She has already raised an absolutely amazing amount.

“It costs around £4,670 per day to keep the ambucopter flying and saving lives. We can only continue to fund this vital service because of the kindness and dedication of people like Charlie. We wish her a happy and safe ride.”

To find out more about Charlotte’s ride or to donate, visit her Just Giving page. She raised more than £1,300 by Friday morning.

Around 200 staff members from businesses in Lincoln, including Siemens, cycled over 100 miles on June 6 in a bid to raise money for the SSAFA and the Royal British Legion.

The Castle to Coast to Castle ride saw cyclists travel Thursday morning from Lincoln to Chapel Point in Chapel St Leonards and back again.

Andy Bennet from Siemens Lincoln, who had 20 members of staff taking part, said: “We are delighted to take part in the Castle to Coast Challenge to raise money for these two good causes. The cycle will be a lot of fun and thoroughly worthwhile.”

Some of the staff rode the challenge on one of the new Siemens electronic bikes. The electronic bikes are just one of many initiatives Siemens are involved with in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint and their environmental impact.

Other local businesses taking part are Gelder Group, Lincoln BIG, Lindum Group, Banks Long & Co, Ringrose Law and Wright Vigar.

All the money raised throughout the challenge will be donated to both the Royal British Legion and the SSAFA, who offer support for people who serve and have served in our British Forces along with their families.