MORE than £25,000 has been donated to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. 

The funds, which came to a total of £26,787, will help provide the ambulance service with new runway lights, helipad lighting, and a new windsock for its home at Henstridge Airfield.

The money was donated to the service by the Help Appeal, a charity dedicated to funding lifesaving hospital and air ambulance base helipads. 

The new lights will provide a major improvement in reliability and performance compared to the previous system, which in turn will make flying at night safer and more efficient for pilots. 

They will also help the life-saving service as they look to increase their availability in poor weather with a GPS-based approach to Henstridge. 

Charles Hackett, CEO of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance said: "A reliable, aviation lights system is of course critical for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance to be able to effectively and efficiently run night operations and so be available to patients when they need us the most.

"Our thanks to the HELP Appeal for their support, which will enable us to continue bringing pre-hospital, critical care to patients across our region”.

The lighting of helipad and runways is a regulatory requirement by the Civil Aviation Authority for when flying night missions, signifying the importance of these improvements to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance which currently operates 19 hours every day (07.00 am - 02.00 am). 

Simon Jones, Aviation Technical Advisor for the HELP Appeal said: "It was a great opportunity to visit the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance airbase, meet the team and see how the HELP Appeal’s funding will be put to good use. 

"Emergencies happen at any time of the day or night, so funding state-of-the-art lighting, along with an illuminated windsock, will ensure quicker and safer take-offs and landings for the air ambulance crew, enabling them to reach a critically ill patient as soon as possible. Saving time really does save lives."