Fenland-based explorer Justin Miles is on a mission to help Magpas Air Ambulance buy a new helicopter
He's climbed mountains, trekked the Arctic circle, explored the Amazon jungle but now Fenland-based professional explorer Justin Miles is on a mission of a different kind.
The 45-year-old is raising funds towards the Magpas Air Ambulance charity's 'Further, Faster,Greater' Appeal, which aims to raise £1.5million for a new helicopter.
This week Justin and his friend Christian Bunke aka 'Swede' took to their paddleboards for a two day challenge to paddle from Cambridge to King's Lynn.
They set off on the Cam in Cambridge on Thursday morning with a break for lunch at Ely and an overnight stay at Denver before completing the challenge on the River Ouse at Saddlebow in King's Lynn on Friday lunchtime.
In a video explaining his support for the charity Justin tells how he could have benefited from a service like Magpas when he suffered traumatic head injuries in a car crash when he was 26.
He was so seriously injured he had to learn to walk and talk all over again and doctors warned he would probably only be capable of a part-time job where he worked sitting down.
It was while in hospital he determined to live his dream and become a professional explorer. Since then he has written children's books on the topic and has become a renowned public motivational speaker.
He said:"I support a number of charities, and Magpas is one of them. Magpas Air Ambulance really do save lives night and day. The East Anglian based organisation uses a helicopter and fast response vehicles to transport doctors and medical and equipment directly to patients, providing immediate hospital level care.
"The time that saves, those precious, crucial, minutes can mean the difference between life and death.
"I have seen first hand the help Magpas has given other people. Who knows if Magpas had been around years ago when I had my car crash and subsequent brain injuries I may have recovered faster.
"A couple of years ago I was trekking the Arctic circle exploring a new route to the North Pole, supporting Magpas, when I needed their help. So from 2,600 miles away on the Arctic ice I was able to speak to a Magpas doctor in the UK and with his advice I was able to get off the ice safely.
"I really am passionate about supporting Magpas and their appeal. The new helicopter will not only be able to go faster, which means they can get to incidents more quickly, it will be larger so can carry more equipment and more medical staff. It will also have a greater range which means it can transport patients from the scene of an incident to the hospital which specialises in their condition or injury."
Justin's paddling side-kick for the fundraising challenge, Christian, is the founder of basck.com, an intellectual property consultancy based in Cambridge and he is a keen paddleboarder and supporter of Magpas Air Ambulance.
Justin's Youtube video not explains his support for Magpas but also asks for further fundraising ideas adding there is not much he is not up to trying - except possibly challenges linked to spiders.
Go to https://youtu.be/dfQgg1E9CpY to watch the video or to make a donation visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=basck&pageUrl=3&isTeam=true
