THE Cornwall Air Ambulance appeal to purchase a second lifesaving helicopter has reached the halfway milestone of its £2.85-million target.

The charity based at Trevithick Downs launched the Heli2 Appeal so the crew can attend more missions by air across their 19-hour-a-day service.

The amount raised has now reached over £1.42-million thanks to generous supporters and a busy year of fundraising.

The additional AW169 aircraft will ideally be operational and in service by spring or summer next year.

Steve Garvey, air operations officer, said: “Owning a second state-of-the-art AW169 will boost the resilience, capability and versatility of our service.

“It means that whenever the weather allows, we’ll always have an aircraft ready and available even during periods of planned or unplanned maintenance.

“Ultimately that will mean we can attend more missions by air, get our highly trained clinical crew and their specialist kit to scene as quickly as possible, and ultimately, save even more lives.”

During the Christmas period every donation made to Cornwall Air Ambulance will be doubled and worth twice as much, thanks to some generous donors. All the money raised over the festive period will go directly towards the Heli2 Appeal and helping to bring that second helicopter home.

Tim Bunting, chief executive, said: “On behalf of all the aircrew, staff and volunteers at Cornwall Air Ambulance we want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported the Heli2 Appeal so far.

“People are making a lifesaving difference, by enabling us to be there for those who are critically ill or injured across the county.

“We cannot do this without you, and now really is the time to join the mission and help to bring that second helicopter to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.”

People can support the Heli2 Appeal by watching the new Christmas ‘Sing it Home’ animation at cornwallairambulancetrust.org/christmas/