THE Wiltshire Air Ambulance have thanked those who supported its 2016 Grand Christmas Draw, having raised a total of £57,210.

Just over £45,000 was raised from raffle tickets, along with additional donations of £5,921 towards the charity’s day-to-day operations.

There was also an option for players to make additional donations for the Airbase Appeal, to complete the funding for the new airbase at Semington, Melksham, which amounted to £6,118.

The top prize of £3,000 was won by Robert South of Laverstock, Salisbury.

Rebecca de la Bedoyere, senior fundraising manager at Wiltshire Air Ambulance, said: “We would like to thank everyone who took part in our Christmas Draw and congratulate the lucky winners.

“We are also very grateful to members of the public who not only bought tickets but sent in additional donations towards both our essential running costs and our Airbase Appeal.

“The amount of donations we received surpassed all previous raffles.

“We are incredibly fortunate to receive such generous support from the people of Wiltshire. The annual draw is a vital source of income for us and every ticket sold helps ensure we can keep our lifesaving aircraft and crew flying.”

It costs £3.25m a year to keep the air ambulance flying, which works out at £8,904 per day.