Heroes award for Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance team

SCAA has responded to more than 1,330 emergencies since its launch in 2013

The pilots and paramedics of Scotland's only charity-funded air ambulance team have been voted Rural Heroes 2017.

Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) team were given the title at the Scottish Rural Awards in Edinburgh.

Judges described the service as "a crucial lifeline that Scotland simply could not do without".

SCAA has responded to more than 1,330 emergencies throughout the Scottish mainland and islands since its launch in 2013.

The competition judges said the Perth Airport-based pool of two pilots and five paramedics was the "unanimous choice" for the Rural Heroes Award.

Their citation said: "They are true heroes of remote communities, providing fast-response life-saving skills when they are most needed."

The judges said the team's "selfless and dedicated service" saw them operating in "difficult, stressful and highly demanding situations."

It added that the SCAA had saved "countless lives in the process."

SCAA Chief Executive David Craig said: "They claim they are just doing their job.

"But when that job involves the level of skill, dedication and physical and mental endurance they display every day of the year to bring their outstanding level of care to those most in need, wherever they are in Scotland, then it's not overstating the case to call them heroes.

"SCAA is extremely proud of our amazing crew who always go the extra mile and this Rural Heroes Award shows that this sentiment is echoed by the people of Scotland."