GREAT Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) has successfully obtained £1 million in funding after a long campaign supported by Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.

GWAAC was one of 11 air ambulance charities, including Wiltshire Air Ambulance, each awarded equal grants from a £10.8 million pot made available by HM Treasury from the Libor Fines Fund.

The grants were announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP on November 23 as part of his autumn statement.

In 2012, the Libor scandal saw a series of fraudulent actions connected to the Libor, or London Interbank Offered Rate, with the HM Treasury agreeing to donate the fines collected to military and emergency services charities and projects.

GWAAC, which is based in Bristol and covers the whole of the South West, provides critical emergency care for around two million people, and plans to put the money towards buying a new aircraft.

In 2015 alone, GWAAC responded to 1,655 missions and a modern aircraft could see an annual saving of £500,000 which can then be reinvested to further improve the service.

Following the announcement of the funding award, Mr Clifton-Brown said: “Regardless of who you are or what you do, we may all at some point require emergency treatment.

“Air ambulances are critical in helping to quickly and effectively transport patients to hospitals in order to offer them the best chance of saving their life.

“Few would question the important and vital work that GWAAC carry out and with the £1 million from the Libor Fines Fund, I look forward to seeing the service continue to grow and benefit the South West.”

Clive Dickin, Association of Air Ambulances national director, said: “We are delighted with the Chancellor’s announcement and thank him for giving 11 air ambulance charities significant support.

“These sums of money will absolutely enhance life-saving pre-hospital emergency care across the UK.”

In the 2014 budget, then-Chancellor George Osborne announced the Libor fund would be open to the emergency services, with GWAAC receiving £1 million in December of that year, using the money to replace its aging Bolkow 105 helicopter with the Eurocopter 135.

Mr Osborne had also further announced VAT refunds to all air ambulance charities worth £25 million over five years.

A GWACC spokesman said the latest funds will 'start the fundraising' for a more modern aircraft to replace the Eurocopter over the next couple of years.

"The Eurocopter 135 has served us very well so far but over the next couple of years it will start to become outdated and we will need to think about getting a new one," he said. 

"I would like to thank all the MPs in the South West for their support in our campaign," he added.