The charity currently provides air ambulance services across the North of England and the Isle of Man, mainly in hours of daylight, while on a night-time, from 8pm to 8am, the team transfer to a rapid response vehicle.

In total, the charity’s critical care teams, which are based in Eaglescliffe in the North East, and Penrith in Cumbria, responded to 1,938 incidents across the region.

This included 1,218 in the North East, 542 in Cumbria, 94 in Northumberland, 33 in Scotland, 25 in North Yorkshire, 14 in the Isle of Man and 12 in Lancashire.

The most common incidents they responded to were cardiac arrests, road traffic collisions, medical incidents, falls and assaults.

As a charity, GNAAS does not receive government funding, and in November they launched an appeal called Operation SOS: Secure Our Service to help fund a new fleet of helicopters.

Their current aircraft, which are Dauphin N3 and Dauphin N3+ helicopters, have responded to thousands of life-saving missions, but due to parts shortages, ever-rising maintenance costs, and extended downtime, it has become increasingly challenging to operate them.

As demand for their service continues to grow, the charity has designed the blueprints for a stronger future, investing in three state-of-the-art helicopters called Airbus H145 D2.

Joe Garcia MBE, chief executive officer at GNAAS, said: “Returning to a three-helicopter fleet means that when one aircraft is undergoing essential maintenance, two more are ready to answer the call. It’s the difference between a patient being reached in their moment of need, or not, and could be the difference between life and death.”

By changing the helicopters they operate, the charity can cut costs while maintaining a more reliable fleet that will secure their service for the next decade and beyond.

The major obstacle the charity faces is that they need to raise £2.5 million for the deposit for the third aircraft and so far they have raised 15% of the required funds.

Mr Garcia added: “The public’s support is the foundation of our service. They have fuelled our missions and equipped our crews. We would not turn to them with such a significant request unless it was absolutely critical. This isn’t for our day-to-day running costs; this is a landmark investment in the future of emergency care for our entire community, and we face a rapidly closing window to make this happen.

“By donating to our appeal, they will be helping us purchase the helicopter that ensures we can reach the next child, parent, or loved one who needs us. It will turn our blueprint into a reality and secure the future of our service.”