An air ambulance already operates in south Wales

Caernarfon airport is to be used to test the effectiveness of the site as a possible permanent base in north Wales.

An appeal to fund a second helicopter got under way in February 2003 and the Welsh Air Ambulance charity is still working towards raising the �250,000 needed to set up the service.

So far, �98,000 has been raised.

The charity set up to provide the second air ambulance aims to operate the service for three months to measure its success when holiday traffic is at its height.

It really brings a lump to my throat that all this has happened in such a short time Sandra Wilkes, air ambulance fundraiser

But other options for a permanent base are still under consideration.

The impetus for the second air service came from residents in the Ardudwy area of Gwynedd who are 50 miles away from the nearest main hospital.

The Ardudwy group was set up by the mother and fianc�e of a 26-year-old man killed in a car crash near Harlech in Gwynedd last year.

Kieron Wilkes died at the site of the accident, which was 50 miles away from Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

His fianc�e Nia Evans was taken to hospital with severe spinal injuries by police helicopter.

They have now raised �40,000 for the appeal and are still pressing ahead with more fundraising events in the Ardudwy area.

Achievement

Kieron's mother, Sandra, says she can't believe things have happened so quickly.

"It really brings a lump to my throat that all this has happened in such a short time.

"I didn't think we could achieve it so soon."

The group decided to form their own charity after the tragic accident, but joined forces with the Wales Air Ambulance after a meeting in Swansea.

However, Ms Wilkes says she would prefer the permanent base to be in Llanbedr.

"If it was in Llanbedr then the helicopter would be flying towards Ysbyty Gwynedd all the time.

"If it's in Caernarfon, it will have to fly out from the Ysbyty Gwynedd area and then back again," she said.

Organisers are relaunching the appeal to boost the coffers over the next few months.

Support

The Wales Air Ambulance charity's general manager, Angela Hughes, said: "It has been an encouraging start with our fundraising efforts and we still have to generate more support to achieve our target of �250,000.

"We are grateful to the Ardudwy community for their hard work.

"Support such as this is fundamental to our success and we would love to hear from anyone willing to help in other areas."

The first Wales Air Ambulance, which is based in Swansea, was launched in March 2001.

It has already flown more than 800 missions, mainly in south and mid Wales, and has helped more than 400 seriously ill or injured people.