A COUPLE who were both airlifted to hospital after suffering serious injuries in a car crash near Machynlleth last May have used their wedding day to raise money for Wales Air Ambulance.

Eschewing regular wedding gifts, Joe and Jess Mann of Chester opted to gather donations to celebrate their big day in Mold this month to thank the “incredible heroes” who took them to safety.

Jess, 26, and 28-year-old Joe’s car was in a collision with another car while travelling through Machynlleth on 28 May on their way to join Joe’s family for a holiday in Pembrokeshire.

Jess was driving and the pair had to be airlifted to Royal Stoke University Hospital.

Jess had suffered a broken leg which required a five-hour operation to fix, while Joe suffered internal bleeding and needed an emergency operation to have part of his bowel removed.

Jess said: “I was conscious the whole time. Joe got out of the car but didn’t realise he had internal bleeding. I couldn’t move. I looked down and saw my leg was broken.

“Amazingly, the Wales Air Ambulance arrived in 16 minutes and were incredible. They made me feel safe straight away.”

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