Sunday lunch proves a fundraising hit for air ambulance

An annual Sunday lunch at Newark Showground organised by the Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance Countryside Appeal raised more than £33,600.

The event included an auction of pledges conducted by Mr Ian Walter and Mr John Coles, a raffle, and a silent auction.

The appeal secretary, Rebecca Bower, said there were also generous donations from supporters.

“We are thrilled with the fantastic support we received again this year,” she said.

“We have run the Sunday lunch for a number of years and each year we are amazed at the generosity of everyone involved.”

Since being set up about 20 years ago, the appeal has raised more than £½m for the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance.

The money raised will go towards medical equipment for a new helicopter due to be delivered shortly.

The service was set up 23 years ago and since then has covered almost 18,000 lifesaving missions.