Fundraiser in honour of Helen McCrory and Hugo Yaxley

Following the deaths of his much-loved brother Hugo Yaxley and aunt Helen McCrory, Thomas Yaxley, 32, has organised a cycling event on Sunday, June 5 to raise funds in their memory.

He is looking to raise £24,000 for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance with The Ride4Hugo Sportive, which will be held in memory of Hugo, the nephew of Homeland star Damian Lewis and his wife, the late Helen McCrory OBE, known for her roles in Peaky Blinders and the Harry Potter films.

Pictures supplied by Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance

Helen McCrory OBE

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance will be one of four beneficiaries of the cycling event, along with other charities Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, children’s mental health charity Place2Be, and HVH Arts.

Mr Yaxley said: "All these charities hold an incredibly special place in our family’s heart for their links with Hugo and Helen.

"The work they do makes lives better every single day, but this is only possible due to the generosity of the public. We have already raised over £97,000 in their memory, hopefully this event will add to that total and mean these amazing charities can bring their life changing work to even more people."

Hugo Yaxley

In November 2020, Thomas’s brother, Hugo Yaxley, was involved in a serious road traffic collision on the A30 in Wiltshire in which he tragically lost his life. Just five months after, his aunt, Helen McCrory, also died after losing her battle with breast cancer.

Due to the severity of Hugo’s incident, multiple emergency services were deployed to the scene, including the police, fire service, ambulance service, Coastguard, Wiltshire Air Ambulance, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, and Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

Hugo was cared for by Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance who then airlifted him to University Hospital Southampton to receive further treatment, while his partner Minna Leatham, from north Dorset, was cared for by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, who also airlifted her to University Hospital Southampton.

READ MORE: Dorset woman raising cash for air crews that saved her life after car crash

Tragically, Hugo died in hospital later that night as a result of his injuries.

Mr Yaxley added: "Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance will always hold a very special place in our heart. It's due to their amazing work that Hugo was given a fighting chance and more importantly, that our parents got to say goodbye to him."

Emma Jones, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance fundraising manager, said: "We're honoured to be able to host Ride4Hugo at Henstridge Airfield, where our crew and ‘Peggy’, our helicopter, are based.

"Working with three other charities makes this a truly unique event."

For more information and to register, visit the Ride4Hugo website: www.ride4hugo.com