The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is appealing for volunteers to support them this summer to help recover the funds lost during the pandemic.

Last year the charity responded to 1,620 incidents, which was its busiest on record, and this number is expected to increase in 2022.

It will cost £6.7m this year to sustain the air ambulance service, which has maintained an uninterrupted service throughout the pandemic, despite losing on average £100,000 a month.

To help bridge the gap in funds, the charity is appealing for volunteers to lend a hand in a variety of roles during the summer.

Sophie Bendelow, regional fundraising lead for GNAAS, said: “This is the first time in two years we haven’t had restrictions imposed due to the pandemic so we’re really looking forward to being out in the community with no limitations.

“Like many charities we have suffered a fundraising loss, so we’re looking for people who can spare some time to help out at events and carry out bucket collections to raise essential funds for our charity.”

Volunteer applicants need to be 17 or over and full training is provided.

There are also opportunities to become a regular volunteer with roles including delivering talks and servicing collection boxes.

Ms Bendelow added: “Whether you can spare a full day or just a handful of hours, every minute of that donated time helps towards supporting our live-saving service.”

To find out more and apply visit: https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk/support-us/volunteer/one-off-events/