A Rutland horse rider will be shaving her head to raise vital fund to help keep the life-saving Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) flying.

Vicky Laing, who has lived in the county for the past eight years, is an avid supporter of the local air ambulance.

She had just been selected to ride for Great Britain in the young riders European Championships - 20 years ago - when she had a serious fall from a horse whilst out eventing.

"I had broken my lower back in a few places, crushed my pelvis, broken my collar bone and had vast internal injuries," she said.

Without the air ambulance crew who attended that day, Vicky would not have made it to the hospital as quickly, or as smoothly, as she did and has since always tried to support them.

"I understand how very important charities such as your local air ambulance are, and without everyone's support, they cannot keep flying and saving lives the way that they do," she added.

Vicky, who will be donating her hair to The Little Princess Trust, is set to brave the shave on 3 September.

Her fundraising page target is set at £1,500 and she needs support from the public to help her achieve her goal.

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"I chose to shave my head because I wanted to make an impact in getting the support needed to raise the vital funds for your local air ambulance as they rely on donations to carry out their daily lifesaving missions.

"I am still riding to a high level, and I would like them to still be there should I or another member of our community ever need pre-hospital critical care," explained Vicky.

The charity which recently reached its 40,000th mission milestone, depends on generous fundraising challenges like this, especially as its set to receive two brand new replacement helicopters early next year.

Community Fundraising Executive for the charity, Vicky Evans adds: "We are absolutely delighted that Vicky has chosen to support your local air ambulance for her incredible challenge.

"We are so grateful for community support such as Vicky's as it really is what keeps us flying and saving lives.

"Each of our daily missions cost £1,700 and we receive no government or national lottery funding to support these.

"We wish her the very best of luck with her head shave and look forward to seeing the final result.

"It's an incredibly brave challenge to undertake and Vicky really is a hero to us for undertaking such a task."

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