MORE than 450 people took to the countryside near Bewdley on a series of organised walks to raise funds for the Midlands Air Ambulance.

The 16th annual Rock Pound the Bounds event, which took place in May, raised £7,200 for the charity.

Alastair Timmis, from Kidderminster, who took part in the walk, was airlifted by the charity in September 2013 from Rock while playing football.

He said: "During the football match, I jumped up to head the ball and clashed heads with a player from the opposite team.

"I was knocked unconscious, falling awkwardly on my ankle. When I woke up on the ground, there was blood everywhere from an injury to my chin, and more sadly, my foot was facing the wrong way."

Alastair was airlifted to hospital where it was determined due to the loss of blood, he had been just 30 minutes away from losing his leg.

He added: "It was pretty incredible really - thanks to their swift actions, they saved my leg."

Thanks to a team of organisers, including Henk Buzink and Sue Humphries of Rock Pathfinders, the Rock Pound the Bounds event was a great success as people took on either the 26, 18, 13, nine or six-mile routes.

The £7,200 raised for the charity, will fund two lifesaving air ambulance missions and cover the cost of essential emergency response equipment.

Michelle McCracken, Worcestershire fundraising manager for the charity, said: "Rock Pound the Bounds is always a much-anticipated event in our fundraising calender and each year it grows it popularity.

"Almost 20 per cent more people took part this year than in 2015 and they helped to raise the significant total for our charity, which will help to fund future air ambulance missions."