A NEW air ambulance has taken to the skies above Macclesfield.

The helicopter will reach every part of Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside in ten minutes, and get people to hospital within 20 minutes of a 999 call, potentially saving hundreds of lives.

It will be based at Manchester City Airport – formerly Barton Aerodrome.

The chopper has been brought in after huge demand for the first North West Air Ambulance, which is based at Blackpool.

It flew to almost 900 emergencies last year, but was too busy to get to another 720 incidents. It will now concentrate mainly on serving Lancashire and Cumbria.

Lynda Brislin, chief executive of North West Air Ambulance, said: “Our second helicopter allows us to fly double the missions and get to incidents quicker, which means we can serve the community better.

“It also means we can really ramp up our role as part of the front line emergency care team and help us get to more incidents even quicker.

“I would estimate about a third of people we airlift to hospital would not have survived without us.

“Every day our passionate and dedicated people put their lives on the line to save others.

“Our latest addition to the air ambulance family will help us save even more lives.

“We know times are difficult at the moment, but this second helicopter could make all the difference to someone you know.”

The air ambulances rescue people who cannot be reached by road because traffic is blocking access or they are in an isolated rural area. They also transport critically-ill children from hospitals to specialist units.

The helicopters work alongside the NHS, but are funded by charity donations and supporters will have to raise £1.3million a year to keep the new helicopter flying five days a week.

The air ambulance is called out on average four times a day – up to ten times on a summer weekend.

Health experts say that if a patient can receive treatment at the scene of an injury, and get to hospital within an hour, their chances of survival and recovery are dramatically improved.

Bryn Butler, 60, a grandfather from Stockport, was walking along the moorland path in Lyme Park, Disley, when he slipped on icy ground and fell in 2005.

He broke his leg in three places, leaving his foot hanging at 90 degrees.

But the air ambulance crew reached him in 20 minutes and, after putting his leg in an inflatable splint, they transferred him to Wythenshawe Hospital less than 40 minutes after the accident.

He said: “I can’t praise them enough. As soon as the paramedics got to me they were very professional, very reassuring and, above all, very quick.

“I’m a city lad and I never thought I’d need an air ambulance.

“I thought they were for people who got stuck up mountains or in the middle of nowhere, so I always tell people you could need one anywhere and any time.”

To support the air ambulance, go to www.nwaa.net.