HUNDREDS of children turned out to watch The Great North Air Ambulance swoop down from the sky and land on a Kendal primary school's playing field.

The visit was part of a whistle-stop tour of Cumbria by the helicopter, boosting awareness about the launch of the county's very own life-saving air ambulance this summer.

The new helicopter is to be kitted out with the latest medical equipment and staffed with paramedics. It is set to take to the air from its Cumbrian base in the Penrith area on August 8.

Staff and pupils at Heron Hill School were thrilled to see the helicopter land on the school's field. Head teacher Paul Gardner said: "We were chosen to host the helicopter because we raised £420 last term for the Cumbria Air Ambulance with a no uniform day. This is an important local cause because it means that accidents can be treated quickly and within the county. At the moment the ambulance has to come from the North East."

The new air ambulance and base will chop crucial minutes off the usual time it would take the Darlington based helicopter to reach Cumbrian casualties.

Great North Air Ambulance paramedic John Kerr said that although conditions on the helicopter were cramped, the chopper's small size meant that it could land on a piece of ground the size of a tennis court.

He added that 75 per cent of the time the ambulance was called out to attend motor accidents but that the helicopter also worked closely with mountain rescue teams.

Mr Kerr said: "The new helicopter will be totally funded by the public through the Great North Air Ambulance Charity. We are trying to get some support from commercial companies in the Kendal area to help with the cost of running the helicopter."

So far, about £55,000 has been raised towards the £300,000 target for the new helicopter and, although the charity says that it is still short of mark, it has enough to put the new Air Ambulance into operation on a month-by-month basis.

He said: "The new helicopter will be totally funded by the public through the Great North Air Ambulance Charity. We are trying to get some support from commercial companies in the Kendal area to help with the cost of running the helicopter."

For more information about sponsoring the Cumbrian Air Ambulance, please contact The Great North Air Ambulance on 01325 487 263.