Luke Allen’s Tribute

Losing a loved one is extremely hard to come to terms with. The grief that unfolds afterwards can be difficult to process and everyone copes with it in their own way.

Holly Allen tragically lost her brother Luke three years ago and has since gone on to raise over £21,000 for Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC). She has inspired so many people with her support and determination after losing someone special to her.

Holly tells us more about her brother Luke:

Luke Allen

The community that came together to fundraise in Luke’s memory, showed us just how special Luke was to everyone. We’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Holly, her family and friends over the last three years and it’s clear to see that Luke made a big impact on many people’s lives.

Whilst they have had to deal with the grief of losing someone special in their lives, they have also been selflessly helping others within our community. Since losing Luke, they have gone on to raise enough money to fund ten missions – giving us the opportunity to be there for ten more people in need of our service.

Holly continues:

‘’As well as fundraising through Facebook with birthdays and Christmas cards, we have also held a few fundraising events. My favourite was the charity ball on the first anniversary of Luke’s death. This was a black tie event. We charged £50 per ticket, this helped cover costs and a portion went to charity. We held a raffle and an auction and by the end of the evening we had raised over £5,000! Everyone had lots of fun; there was a three course dinner, a speech about Luke, and lots of drinking and dancing by the end!

 Lots of local businesses have supported our fundraising by donating raffle prizes and auction prizes. We really couldn’t have raised half as much without them, and are grateful for their support!’’

Each event and step taken to raise money in Luke’s memory has moved every single person within the charity. The hard work, time and dedication to raising funds for GWAAC has been inspiring and incredible to see.

The reality for our crew, our charity staff and the loved ones of our patients is that we can’t always save a life. However we hope that there’s some comfort in knowing that all that could possibly be done, was done.

We are so proud of Holly and all that she has achieved. It’s been an honour and privilege to get to know Luke’s family and friends and we are extremely grateful for the kindness they have shown towards GWAAC.

Holly said:

‘’GWAAC is very close to my heart for all of their efforts to try and save my brother Luke. The work they do is beyond amazing, saving lives on a daily basis. Not only that, but the team keep in contact with patients and/or their families, which is lovely and brings comfort to those who need it.

 Luke was always the life and soul of the party and he would do anything to help anyone in need. To this day, the loss of Luke is still just as devastating as the day he passed, but its lovely to keep his memory alive with the people who love him the most, and to give back to a charity that tried its best to save him.’’

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