A LIFE-SAVING air ambulance charity is set to feature on national TV as Celebrity MasterChef comes to their air base.

The Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT) is preparing to celebrate Air Ambulance Week 2022 from September 5 to September 11.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the work air ambulance charities to do but also coincides with the hotly anticipated semi-final of Celebrity Masterchef 2022.

The show will take place at EHAAT’s North Weald airbase and airs on Tuesday, September 6 at 9pm.

The semi-finalists will be battling for a place in the final week, and they will be cooking for pilots, medics and support staff who work for the trust.

Each EHAAT Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) team consists of a Pilot, a Co-Pilot, a Pre-Hospital Care Doctor and a Critical Care Paramedic.

These air ambulance crews, which are also based in Earls Colne, can be rushed to the scene of an incident with support equipment to deliver life-saving care.

Once stabilised, the patient will be taken by air or land to the most appropriate hospital.

In 2021, EHAAT attended 2,545 missions; 1,317 missions were delivered by air ambulance and 1,228 missions were delivered by Rapid Response Vehicles (RRVs).

These comprised of 991 medical emergencies, 485 road traffic collisions, 419 accidental injuries and 650 other trauma incidents.

Emma Barker, Head of Income Generation at EHAAT said: “Our committed, highly skilled, critical care team remain dedicated and ready to help when someone is having the worst day of their life.

“Each mission costs on average around £2,200, but as we receive limited direct funding from the Government and none from the National Lottery, we rely heavily on the generosity and goodwill of the local communities of Essex and Hertfordshire.

“We can’t fly without you, and we are very grateful to our sponsor, Specialist Aviation Services (SAS), who is supporting us during Air Ambulance Week.

“But now more than ever, we need support from the people and businesses of this region.

“There are lots of ways to get involved during Air Ambulance Week, just click here to find out more.”