Lappa Valley Charity Day Raises £6,400 for Cornwall Air Ambulance

1,000 Visitors Turn Out for Charity Day at Lappa Valley

Visitors to a popular Cornish family attraction have helped raise an impressive £6,400 for one of the county’s most well known lifesaving charities.

Around 1,000 people came together at Lappa Valley in St Newlyn East on Saturday 14th March for a special charity day in support of Cornwall Air Ambulance.

For the day, Lappa Valley waived its usual admission fee and invited visitors to make a donation directly to the charity instead. Cornwall Air Ambulance volunteers took over the attraction’s ticket office so that every penny of the admission donations went straight towards supporting the charity’s work.

Visitors spent the day enjoying train rides and family activities across the site. There were also opportunities to meet the Cornwall Air Ambulance team and crew and learn more about the charity’s lifesaving work across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Families Turn Out In Force

The day saw families turning out in large numbers, creating what organisers described as a warm and friendly atmosphere across the attraction.

Ben Harding, Operations Director at Lappa Valley, said:

“It was fantastic to see so many people come together to support Cornwall Air Ambulance. The atmosphere throughout the day was brilliant. Families enjoying everything Lappa Valley has to offer while knowing they were helping a truly vital service.

“We’ve had some wonderful feedback from visitors, and it was clear that everyone wanted to do their bit for such an important charity.”

📷One of CAAT’s Helicopters performs a flyover at East Wheal Rose, Lappa Valley’s main leisure park during the event on Saturday.

Charity Of The Year Partnership

The charity day formed part of Lappa Valley’s partnership with Cornwall Air Ambulance as its Charity of the Year for 2026. The attraction has committed to helping raise awareness and funds for the charity throughout the year.

Keith Southwell, owner of Lappa Valley, said:

“Cornwall Air Ambulance provides an essential service for our community, responding when people need help the most. Supporting them as our Charity of the Year is something we feel strongly about, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who came along and donated so generously.

“To see over £6,000 raised in a single day is a wonderful result and shows the strength of support for this remarkable charity.”

‘A Truly Fantastic Day’

Julia Jeffery, Corporate Partnerships Manager for Cornwall Air Ambulance, thanked everyone who attended the event.

Julia Jeffery said:

“We are so grateful to everyone who came along on Saturday to enjoy what was a truly fantastic day. We were humbled by the amount of people who came along to support us and the wonderful generosity they showed, which will make a huge difference to our lifesaving work.

“We would like to send our heartfelt thanks to Lappa Valley for putting on such an incredible event, their first as part of having us as their charity of the year, and to everyone who helped make the day such a success.”

📷Cornwall Air Ambulance Mascot Aircrew Andy takes a ride with visitors on Lappa Valley’s Lakeside Railway during the event.