Ascona Group, the UK’s seventh largest independent fuel retailer, has been recognised with a Wales Air Ambulance badge of honour after donating more than £450,000 towards a £1 million fundraising pledge for the charity.
The Pembrokeshire-headquartered forecourt operator’s logo has been painted on the tail of one of the charity’s helicopters, after the business raised the money through customer giving, colleague fundraising and corporate support.
A significant proportion of the fundraising has come through Ascona’s partnership with Pennies, which enables customers to donate 30p when paying for fuel and other items by card or digital wallet. At the company’s 19 sites in Wales, every customer donation is matched by Ascona, with the initiative already generating more than £300,000.
Wales Air Ambulance is the country’s consultant-led air ambulance service, delivering advanced critical care by helicopter and rapid response vehicle. It relies entirely on public donations to raise £13 million every year.
Ascona Group founder and chief executive Darren Briggs, who became Wales Air Ambulance’s first Business Ambassador in 2025, has a personal reason for supporting the charity. It once helped one of the business’s longest-serving employees following a serious incident.
Continuing in the company’s efforts to raise £1m, Darren, who is a qualified helicopter pilot, will join fellow supporters in November on a 100-kilometre trek across the Sahara Desert in Morocco, organised by the charity.
He says that he believes that a company’s commercial success should create opportunities for the communities they serve. “That philosophy has shaped Ascona Group from the very beginning and I’m incredibly proud that our colleagues, customers and business partners have embraced it so wholeheartedly,” he says.
“What began as a corporate sponsorship has evolved into a genuine relationship that’s become part of who we are as a business. When we pledged to raise £1 million, we wanted to build something meaningful with the charity rather than simply write a cheque. To have our logo carried on one of the helicopters is a tremendous honour.”
Phae Jones, director of income generation at Wales Air Ambulance, adds: “We don’t place a company’s logo on one of our helicopters lightly. It is a visible symbol which recognises Ascona Group’s enduring support for our lifesaving work across Wales.”
