Great Ponton couple hosts charity birthday event in North Witham to support Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance service

A couple looking to repay an air ambulance service for helping their friend are foregoing presents and hosting a charity birthday bash to raise funds.

Gordon and Jean Taylor of Great Ponton are hosting a joint birthday party on Saturday (August 24) to raise funds for the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance service.

The event will take place at North Witham Village Hall from 7pm, and the village has been invited to help Gordon celebrate his 80th and Jean celebrate her 81st.

The party will feature a raffle, collection boxes, and a performance by local cabaret singer Sharna.

The couple, who have lived in the area for over 40 years, were inspired to organise the event after their friend, Steve Connor, was airlifted to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham following a motorcycle accident near Buckminster.

Mr Connor has thankfully fully recovered.

"We thought, with our birthdays coming up, it would be a great opportunity to give back to the air ambulance that helped our friend in his time of need," explained Gordon.

“We don’t want any presents, any cards—nothing.”

The couple have even issued an invitation to Lady Sarah McCorquodale, the patron of the air ambulance; they won’t be attending but they will be making a donation.