Air Ambulance urges people to support new hike

Cornwall Air Ambulance is urging people to sign up for its first Heli Hike event to help raise funds for the charity, which turns 40 next year.

The event takes place in Bude on Saturday 25 April, and participants can chose between two circuits.

A 12-mile route starts and finishes at Bude Castle, with the distance representing the average flight time it takes in minutes for the service to attend an incident. A shorter route of of 3.5 miles starts at Widemouth Bay Beach and ends at the castle.

Former patient Lewie Cole, 17, who fell 35ft off a cliff into a rocky cove in 2023, will take part in the event along with his twin brother Logan, who made the call to 999 at the time.

Head of fundraising at Cornwall Air Ambulance, Karen Hurn, said: "Literally every single step taken is helping to save lives right across our region."

The charity needs £9m a year to keep running and Hurn encouraged people to sign up.

The service, which was the UK's first air ambulance, bought a second £2.85m helicopter last year and there is now a doctor on board nearly all daytime missions.

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