The Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, which covers north Shropshire, is investing in a new and improved helicopter, which will enter service in January.

Work is currently under way on the new, larger H145 Airbus helicopter which earlier this month travelled to the UK to be fitted with medical equipment.

Hanna Sebright, chief executive for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, admitted they are pleased that progress of the new state-of-the-art helicopter is on schedule.

“We made the decision to invest in the larger, £7 million helicopter to further develop our clinical and operational service, to allow us to continue to offer exceptional patient care,” she said.

“We are in a position to purchase the new airframe thanks to on-going support from our loyal fundraisers within the communities we serve, and a £1 million grant from the banking fines.

“The investment will improve the organisation’s long-term resilience and sustainability by further reducing overall operating costs.”

With its higher fuel capacity and greater top speed, the new air ambulance will provide a great number of benefits to patient care within the Midlands, including north Shropshire.

The larger interior means additional crew can be flown to major incident scenes, and will also enable improved medical equipment to be carried on board to treat more complex emergencies.

The new helicopter will become operational in January and will be based at RAF Cosford in Shropshire.

n For more information about Midlands Air Ambulance Charity head to www.midlandsairambulance.com or call the team on 0800 8 40 20 40.