The air ambulance costs �100,000 a month to run

The Kent Air Ambulance Trust needs about �100,000 each month to run the service which transfers patients to hospitals.

The charity depends solely on donations to keep the helicopter up in the air.

Those playing the lottery will pay directly by standing orders from their bank accounts.

'Unique number'

The trust hopes the lottery will be an easy and efficient way for people to make donations to the cause.

Trust chief executive, David Philpott, said: "If somebody registers they get a number and that unique number stays with them.

"They will go into a draw every week which will cost �1.

"The beauty of it is because it is only a pound a week and we take the money out of their accounts by standing order so nobody really knows they are paying."

Mr Philpott said the lottery would enable the trust to have a better idea about how much money was coming into the charity and then plan for the future.

People will be notified by the trust if their number comes up or they can check the results on the charity's website.