LONDON’S Air Ambulance, the charity that sends an advanced trauma team to critically injured people in London, treated 1,806 patients last year – 67 of them in Ealing.

The charity has released its mission statistics in a bid to raise awareness and reach out for vital funding towards a second helicopter and to extend its daylight flying hours.

Graham Hodgkin, chief executive of London’s Air Ambulance, said: “In Ealing, there is a population of 339,300. If all those people were able to donate just £5, we would be £1,696,500 closer to getting the second helicopter in the air.”

Virendra Sharma, MP for Ealing Southall, said: “Having treated more than 50 people in Southall, who might otherwise have been unreachable, the Air Ambulance has changed hundreds of lives.

“With the extra £4.4m it is trying to raise, hundreds more lives could be saved, impacting on thousands of people across the city.

“From this summer a second helicopter could give universal coverage, under the right conditions, and maybe save your life. London Air Ambulance deserves all the support it can get, and is a credit to the men and women who work to support it and on-board.”

The charity is urging the 10 million people who live, work and holiday in the capital to donate, whether £5 or £500, at yourhelicopter.london or Text HELICOPTER to 70800 to donate £5 now.

Last year, it was awarded £1m from the LIBOR fund by the Chancellor and a further £600,000 has come from companies, charitable trusts and individual donors. It hopes to have its second helicopter operational by this summer.