For Heifer Grateful - Farmer Donates £4k to Air Ambulance Following Horrific Quad Accident

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: Columba O'Hare; Category: FARMING; Published: 06 May 2025

The Strain family pictured visiting the Air Ambulance Northern Ireland airbase in Lisburn. From left are: Kathryn, Shea, Dara and Kieran.

Thanks to the support of South Armagh Farming Enterprises and donations from Mackin Feeds, Joseph Walls Ltd, Corriure Dairy Farm and Newry Veterinary Clinic, a Glasker farmer was able to raise over £4,000 for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland in Gratitude for their life saving care.

Air Ambulance NI Volunteer Robert Phoenix pictured with Robert Reavey from South Armagh Farming Enterprises and Aaron Strain.

Kieran Strain and his family from Glasker, outside Banbridge raised an incredible £4,020 in aid of the charity through the donation and auction of a heifer, kindly organised with the support from South Armagh Farming Enterprises in December 2024.

Kieran chose to support Air Ambulance NI following his own experience with the service after sustaining serious injuries in a quad bike incident on his family farm on 12 September 2024. The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) team responded swiftly, providing critical care at the scene.

Kieran said: "When I was lying in hospital, I said to my son Aaron that I knew I wanted to do something to give back to the air ambulance for their help. Only with the support from South Armagh Farming Enterprises, and kind donations from Mackin Feeds, Joseph Walls Ltd, Corriure Dairy Farm and Newry Veterinary Clinic, were we able to raise such an amazing amount of money for the charity."

Air Ambulance NI, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, responds to the most serious accidents and incidents across the region. Tasked on average fourteen times each week, at least one of these callouts typically involves a farming incident. The charity plays a vital role in delivering emergency care across Northern Ireland, particularly in rural communities. Relying entirely on public donations to remain operational, Air Ambulance NI needs £6,850 every day to sustain its life-saving service, making donations like these absolutely vital.

Amy Henshaw, Area Fundraising Manager for Air Ambulance NI, said: "We are incredibly grateful to Kieran, his family, and the local businesses for their generosity and for choosing to give back in such a meaningful way. These incredible funds will help keep our helicopter flying, reaching at least one other patient and delivering life-saving care when it’s needed most."

To find out more about Air Ambulance NI or how to get involved in supporting the service, please visit www.airambulanceni.org