WALES is set to have the biggest air ambulance operation in the UK after the launch of a fourth helicopter.

The Wales Air Ambulance team celebrated the launch of the EC135 T2e at Caernarfon Airport, and invited me to go on a short flight around the Llyn Peninsula with one of its experienced pilots.

James Grenfell, a former police pilot, took me, and other members of the press, on a 15-minute flight along the coast, taking in aerial views of Trefor, Nant Gwrtheyrn and Pwllheli.

Mr Grenfell, based in Cardiff, who had never seen the Llyn Peninsula before, said: “It only takes around four minutes from the Caernarfon base to get to Pwllheli which is why this service is so valuable to a rural area like the Llyn Peninsula.

By road it would take around 45 minutes.

“Being based in Cardiff this is the first time I have flown around the Llyn Peninsula, and it’s a great experience to actually enjoy it as we are often in a major rush to get to the patient, so we tend to not take in any of the beautiful scenery around us!”

As I climbed on board into the back seat I was amazed to see how much space there was. The front seat next to the pilot is usually taken by the paramedic while in the rear cabin there are two seats, plenty of space for a patient and enough room for a paramedic.

We flew along at a speed of 135mph passing over the scenic coastline and ended up in Pwllheli before turning back and heading across the coastline of Trefor, taking in the scenic views before arriving smoothly back to the airport.

Air ambulance paramedics Tony Stephens and Dr Maddy Rydeard reiterated how important their service is to rural areas of Wales where terrain can often prove difficult for land ambulance crews on the ground.

Dr Rydeard, who works in the A&E department at Ysbyty Gwynedd, said: “I work as part of the air ambulance crew part-time as I work at Ysbyty Gwynedd but it’s a great team to be part of here in Caernarfon. The service is very much supported in this part of north Wales, the charity really appreciates all the support it receives.”

Mr Stephens added: “When we are called out to a job there are two paramedics that fly, along with the pilot. The pilot is not one of the paramedics, but we do need their assistance with lifting a patient into the helicopter at times. They are there to get us to and from the incident as quickly as possible, and they do a great job.

“At the moment, we are unable to fly at night, but we are hoping this will change in the future. At the moment we stop around 6pm during the summer months and a couple of hours earlier during the winter.

“It’s fantastic news we have this new helicopter, as it will help us take on more missions in the country.”

Each mission costs approximately £1,500 and the charity relies entirely on charitable donations to raise more than £6m each year to keep the helicopters flying for Wales. The charity does not receive any funding from the national lottery or the government.

• For more information or to donate visit www.walesairambulance.com.

Read the full story in this week’s Meirionnydd and Arfon/Dwyfor editions of the Cambrian News