Helicopter cover to be permanent

Almost one in five air ambulance call-outs are in mid Wales

A trial to provide emergency air cover in mid and south-east Wales is to be made permanent.

Wales Air Ambulance (WAA) said its third helicopter, based in Welshpool, Powys, would become a fixture on 1 January.

The trial started in June and was supposed to run only until September, but support from local people has helped fund numerous extensions.

WAA's two other helicopters are based in Caernarfon and Swansea.

The new service in Welshpool means the helicopters will be a maximum of 18 minutes away from an incident in Wales, said WAA.

Mid Wales relies heavily on air support as large parts of the region are remote and isolated and difficult for road ambulances to access.

It is very rewarding to be able to announce this excellent news WAA general manager Angela Hughes

WAA Charitable Trust's general manager Angela Hughes said: "It is very rewarding to be able to announce this excellent news for the people of mid Wales.

"The difficult part is going to be sustaining the voluntary income in the way it has been generously given in the past six months.

"There is no doubt that without the public support this crucial service for the area would not be at all possible. The whole community should be justifiably proud of their own achievement here."

WAA said its helicopter in Welshpool had responded to more than 200 missions since the summer, while Swansea and Caernarfon had flown more than 6,000 since their inception five years ago.