Money raised in memory of player

Friends and family of Aled Evans raised nearly £28,000 in his memory

Nearly £28,000 has been raised for the Wales Air Ambulance in memory of a rugby player.

Aled Evans, 29, from Dolgellau died in April, three weeks after falling from the roof of a farm building.

Team-mates at Aberystwyth Rugby Club - where Aled played flanker for seven years - raised £20,000 in one day.

Club member Emlyn Jones said: "Our fundraising day was an opportunity to show Aled's family and the Dolgellau community how much Aled meant to us."

"Apart from his talents as a rugby player, above all he will be remembered for his kind nature, humour and generosity. He will be greatly missed."

His rugby team-mates raised £20,000 through a variety of activities, including a rugby 7's tournament and a charity auction.

Another £250 was donated by Dolgellau Rugby Club, where Mr Evans was also a member. Friends at the Llangefni office of the Farmers' Union of Wales raised £1,220 on a sponsored go-karting event and £5,700 was collected in donations at his funeral.

The cheques were presented to the Wales Air Ambulance during an event at Dolgellau Rugby Club.

Rhodri Davies, fundraising manger for Wales Air Ambulance, said: "Seeing all the different communities coming together is real proof of the generosity of the people of Wales, and the kindness and efforts of all concerned are testament to Aled's character and personality."

Mr Evans was transported by air ambulance to hospital in Bangor following his fall before being transferred to the Walton Centre for neurology and neurosurgery in Liverpool.

Family and friends had kept a vigil at his bedside.

The donations will go towards the £4m annual cost of operating Wales' three air ambulances - in north, mid and south Wales - which do not receive any government funding and rely entirely on donations.

The service has carried out around 9,000 operations since it was launched on St David's Day 2001.

A helicopter can now reach anywhere in Wales within 20 minutes.