Last Wednesday, Cornwall Air Ambulance landed their Eurocopter EC135 at their new base, made feasible by an investment of £949,760 from ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Convergence.

The air ambulance crew, led by Captain Peter McLelland and joined by paramedics Neil Lentern and Scott Marshall, flew in at 12.30pm. They were met by the team behind the construction project and staff from Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust, the charity that keeps the helicopter flying.

THe base is located on Trevithick Downs, on the southern boundary of Newquay Airport, includes a 492 square metre hangar for the EC135 and 335 square metres of high quality office space.  With the charity’s headquarters and office staff previously based at Roche, the new accommodation brings the charity and operations team together on the map for the first time.

Cornwall Council awarded planning permission for the new home for the helicopter in November 2010, and the near £1 million grant was confirmed in March last year.

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com