Wales Air Ambulance's first all-female crew takes flight

Wales Air Ambulance service's first all-female crew has taken to the skies in a "milestone moment".

Critical care practitioner Tracy Phipps said it was an "opportunity to inspire a generation of females".

She was joined by Dr Jennifer Dinsdale, pilot Jennifer Stevenson and trainee Dr Maire Gallagher.

A Wales Air Ambulance photo was liked more than 4,000 times on Twitter. It said it hoped "a picture like this will become the norm in the near future".

Ms Phipps, of the Caernarfon crew, said: "As we arrived in the morning and recognised that the rota had brought together an all-female team, it became clear that this was a milestone moment.

"It prompted an interesting conversation about our experiences as women in our professions and whether this presented a chance to highlight the opportunities open to women, regardless of job role or industry."

She added the crew had been "overwhelmed by positive comments" and reading how the picture had inspired people had "given us a huge sense of pride".

Ms Phipps said they "were aware of issues such as positive discrimination and wanted to convey that we were in our roles based on merit rather than gender".

But she added they felt it was "an ideal occasion" to motivate other women.

The charity, which was launched in 2001 and has bases in Caernarfon, Welshpool, Llanelli and Cardiff, said it was the UK's largest air ambulance operation and can be anywhere in Wales within 20 minutes.