RUMWELL Farm Shop team members are pulling on their walking boots to do a 10-mile fundraiser along the Taunton to Bridgwater Canal for Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance next week (September 8, 2027).
Team members, family, friends and their four-legged companions, will set off on the scenic canal route next Tuesday, September 8, at around 10.30am, to raise money for the life-saving charity.
Sophie Mitchell, Partner at Rumwell Farm Shop, which is on the A38 between Taunton and Wellington, says: “Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance is our Charity of the Year and it provides a vital service across our region, helping people when they need emergency medical care the most. Many local families, especially within our farming community, have been touched in some way by the incredible work the charity carries out and we wanted to do something collectively that’s healthy, active and positive to help support its ongoing work.”
The team hopes the event will not only raise valuable funds but also bring people together for an enjoyable day outdoors.
Sophie adds: “We’re really looking forward to spending the day walking together and raising money for such a worthwhile cause. We’ve invited our team members, their family and friends, and even their dogs, to join us and make it a fun community event.
“We would love it if people could help us fundraise for such a worthy charity that has such a huge impact on so many lives in our area by sponsoring us. Every donation, however big or small, will help support the outstanding work carried out by the charity.”
Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance was tasked with nearly 3,000 missions last year, reaching thousands of patients across the two counties. However, demand for its critical care service continues to grow and operational costs are increasing.
The charity recognises that around 10% more patients require assistance but cannot currently be reached because of aircraft unavailability. It has also identified that between 2am and 7am there is currently no pre-hospital critical care provision in Dorset and Somerset.
Sophie says: “When you learn more about the challenges facing Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance and the increasing demand for its services, it really highlights just how important fundraising like this is. The charity is responding to growing need across our counties and every donation helps it continue providing life-saving care to local people.”
To help meet future demand, Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance has allocated £30 million from its reserves to fund the purchase and fit-out of a second helicopter, the redevelopment of its operational base and several key modernisation projects.
These commitments will help ensure the charity maintains financial security while preparing for the possibility of future 24-hour operations, recognising the additional costs that such an expansion would involve.
Sophie continues: “Knowing that donations are helping support future developments, including a second helicopter and potentially expanding critical care provision in the future, should hopefully give even more reason for people to get behind our fundraiser.”
To make donating as simple as possible, QR codes are displayed throughout Rumwell Farm Shop, on its website and social media channels, enabling customers and visitors to quickly contribute.
Sophie concludes: “We’ve tried to make sponsoring us as easy as possible and are very grateful for every donation we receive. The generosity of our customers and the community around us means so much and will help us make a real difference to this fantastic charity. The sum raised will be added to all our other fundraising efforts in 2026 including our quarterly quizzes, this year we also have an additional special Christmas quiz, our Charity Day in April and a donation from every sale of sherbet lemons and lemon doughnuts – as yellow is the colour of the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance helicopter.”
Anyone wishing to support the Rumwell Farm Shop team can donate using the QR codes available in-store or via www.justgiving.com/page/rumwellfarmshop.
For more information, please call Rumwell Farm Shop on 01823 461599 or visit www.rumwellfarmshop.com.
