Great North Air Ambulance boosted by £1.6m lockdown legacies

Service crews are usually called out to about 400 emergencies a year

The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) has been bequeathed more than £1.6m during lockdown.

The charity said it was "awed and grateful" for the legacies received since April, at a time when fundraising had "dried up."

One gift was for a sum of £200,000.

Last year, the air ambulance made about £400,000 from charity bags but this year collections have plummeted amid the coronavirus restrictions and five recycling staff were made redundant.

GNAAS, which operates three helicopters covering the North East, Cumbria and North Yorkshire, was founded in 2002.

A spokesman for the service said: "We are awed by the generosity of people who really want to leave their money to us, these donations make a difference and save lives."

The charity raises about £400,000 a year from charity bags

Crews would typically deal with about 400 emergencies a year but the number of call-outs fell when the national lockdown began in March.

However, call-outs over the summer rose to pre-pandemic levels when restrictions eased despite the service, which relies on £5m in yearly donations, having to operate on a reduced income, the spokesman said.

During the 2019-20 financial year, the service received more than £697,000 in legacies but so far this year the figure has more than doubled to £1.6m.

The spokesman said: "We have, like other charities, been massively impacted by the pandemic, we've not been able to have collectors in supermarkets, for example.

"Our recycling staff have to go out in vans on their own in full PPE so it is a slow process. But we hope to hit the ground running in the spring with our fundraising."