MORE THAN £30,000 raised in a campaign to bring an injured Thornbury teenager home from Greece have been donated to an air ambulance charity today.

Lewis Evans, 18, was left in a critical condition back in October after being thrown into a tree from a quadbike while on holiday in Zante, puncturing both his lungs, shattering his shoulder and rupturing his spleen.

Despite being transported to the mainland for treatment after the hospital in Zante initially refused treatment, Lewis’ family needed to raise £30,000 for a medical flight back to Britain.

An incredible surge of fundraising from Thornbury and the wider community raised more than £50,000 to bring him home, including more than £10,000 being raised by Tesco in Thornbury, where both Lewis and his mum Heidi work, and stores across the South West, as well as a £10,000 donation from the Post Office, Lewis’ insurer.

On Lewis’ first day back at work today, a cheque for £30,986.30, the funds that remained after the flight home, were presented to representatives from Great Western Air Ambulance and Capital Air Ambulance.

Speaking to the Gazette, Lewis said: “While I hope what happened to me will never happen to anyone again, knowing this money is going to people who can help someone else is a great feeling, even if it is just one person that gets helped it is enough.

“I really want to thank the people from the air ambulance charity for all their work in getting me home. They were fantastic with me flight home was actually the most comfortable I had been in two weeks!”

Lewis’ mother Heidi, who also works in Tesco, added: “We really want to say a big thankyou to all the people who helped us behind the scenes, both here and out in Greece. Without them Martin and I wouldn’t have our son home. This donation is as much from them as it is from us.”

Accepting the cheque on behalf of Great Western Air Ambulance were Emma Carter, Andy Crow and the charity’s critical care doctor Tim Godfrey, who were joined by Dominic Rose and Carl Era from Capital Air Ambulance.

“We are so incredibly grateful for the donation,” said Miss Carter.

“It is so wonderful to see something good coming out of something bad and it is great to see Lewis up and well.

“A cheque like this comes along so rarely and will be enough to cover us for a full week. On average we fly out to help four people a day so this money could help us save the lives of almost 30 people.”

Mr Era, the Capital Air Ambulance pilot who flew Lewis home, told the Gazette he had “never seen anyone so relieved to see us as Heidi and Martin were.”

He said: “It was obvious from the minute we walked through the door what they had been through and how scared they were for Lewis.

“It is amazing to see Lewis not only up and about, but in work today. I was convinced I would see him in a wheelchair.”