AN Exmoor man has left a £15,000 legacy for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA), a charity for which his widow has worked as a volunteer for 15 years.

Jeremy Connell, who lived in Exford and died in February last year, also made a substantial bequest in his will for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Mr Connell had been a long-time air ambulance supporter and his widow Anna volunteered with the charity by servicing and banking a large number of collection box sites in Exmoor villages and making sure those who helped were thanked.

Knowing how much pleasure Anna gained through volunteering, Mr Connell joined her in 2017 after his retirement.

The couple helped raise more than £30,000 and increased awareness of the charity’s work in remote areas of Somerset.

Mrs Connell and her husband’s brothers Simon and Bob, and sister-in-law Deborah, visited the DSAA team at their Henstridge airbase, near Yeovil, to remember Mr Connell and the legacy he left.

Mrs Connell said: “DSAA was so very close to our hearts.

“Jeremy and I felt proud to be able to do what we could to support them.

“While servicing the collection boxes, we built up a great rapport with most of the shops and pubs.

“It got to a stage where even if we were not wearing uniform, people recognised us.

“I have so many happy memories and we were so pleased to be able to count all that money over the years.

“Jeremy loved driving and used to come out with me while he was still working.

“We would come home and he would continue his work, while I counted the money and then he would check it.

“There was an awful lot of pennies in the boxes and many of those little five pences, too.

“Jeremy would count those up and stack them high, before they fell over, every time.

“It was a great team effort.”

Mrs Connell said she retired as a volunteer after her husband’s death because it had been so special to carry out the role together.

She said: “However, I still hold my annual village plant sale and a Christmas fayre in aid of DSAA and have done so for many years.

“I have just finished putting 600 tiny plants in the greenhouse, waiting for them to grow to sell at this year’s plant sale in May.”

DSAA communications manager Tracy Bartram said: “Thank you never seems enough when we receive legacy gifts such as this from Jeremy.

“The bequest will help our life-saving crew continue their work and be there for patients when they need us the most.

“Jeremy was a wonderful man and we are extremely grateful for this special gift.

“Anna remains close to our hearts and her ongoing support is both wonderful and kind.”

The air ambulance is 95 per cent funded by charitable giving such as Mr Connell’s bequest and last year attended more than 2,400 incidents, with each mission costing about £3,500.