The second Welsh air ambulance will be tried out for three months

More than �250,000 has been raised for the venture since the launch of the appeal in February.

The long-awaited service will be put on a three-month trial during the busy summer period.

It will operate from Dinas Dinlle airport near Caernarfon.

But some campaigners - including relatives of a man killed in a car crash - are arguing the ambulance should be based in a rural location, where road ambulances take longer to reach.

The Welsh Air Ambulance Charity are now appealing to the public for more donations so that the service can be provided beyond the trial period.

Over the past fortnight the new Bolkow 105 DB helicopter has taken part in intensive training runs from Dinas Dinlle.

We have been looking forward to this day for a very long time Paramedic Alwyn Roberts

Paramedics Mel Thomas and Alwyn Roberts have been involved in the training.

"People must realise that the service needs this money to save lives," says Mr Thomas.

"The people of Wales have taken this appeal to their hearts and the money is coming in," he added.

"We have been looking forward to this day for a very long time," says Mr Roberts.

Training

"As we know, people in the south have had their ambulance for two years and it's doing great work.

"Fortunately in the north we have the money to run the service for the next three months.

"After a fortnight of training we are ready to provide this service for the people of north Wales."

However some residents in the village of Llanbedr in Ardudwy feel the service should eventually be based there rather than at Caernarfon.

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

Many feel the base should be at the MoD airfield in Llanbedr

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.

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

They have raised tens of thousands of pounds for the appeal through fundraising events in the local area.

Central location

It is felt that that the air ambulance would be better placed in a more isolated location such as Llanbedr where the narrow, winding roads make it difficult for emergency services to reach the nearest hospital quickly.

"We have an airfield here and Llanbedr is a very central place," said local councillor, Eifion Morgan Jones.

"At the moment they are saying the service will be in Caernarfon but of course we have to continue our campaign to bring it to Llanbedr.

"Caernarfon is fairly close to the hospital in Bangor anyway and time, however marginal, may be a very important factor in an emergency."

This is the second air ambulance service for Wales - the first, which is based in Swansea, was launched in March 2001.

It has already flown more than 1000 life-saving missions, mainly in south and mid Wales.