Welshpool and Caernarfon Wales Air Ambulance bases saved from closure

Wales Air Ambulance bases that were set to close will now remain operational until at least 2026.

The charity had announced plans to consolidate its bases in Welshpool, Powys, and Caernarfon, Gwynedd, into a new site in Rhuddlan, Denbighshire.

At the time it said the plans would allow the service to response to more than 500 extra emergencies a year.

However, after agreeing a £65m contract with Gama Aviation, the two bases will remain in use for at least three years.

The seven-year contract with Gama will see the company operate and maintain the charity's fleet of four Airbus H145 helicopters.

Wales Air Ambulance boss Dr Sue Barnes said the charity believed it was the "right thing to do".

"There will be some who will point to recent proposals to consider changing base locations and suggest that this was a cost-saving plan," she said.

"Nothing can be further from the truth. These costs will be the same regardless of whether the service operates out of three bases or four."

After the initial announcements an online petition to save the Caernarfon site reached almost 5,000 signatures.

The plans to close the Welshpool base were also met with some criticism and concern, with one previous air ambulance patient labelling the move "completely bonkers".

Rhys Lewis, 32, was left paralysed after being crushed by a tree near Machynlleth in 2014 and said longer wait times could mean the "difference between life and death for a lot of people".

Dr Barnes added that the charity was "rising to the challenge of maintaining our existing fleet, with the passionate and ongoing support from the people of Wales".