East Anglian Air Ambulance begins flying round the clock
Watch a report by ITV News Anglia's Rob Setchell
The East Anglian Air Ambulance has started flying round the clock for the very first time.
Until the end of June 2021 there had been no helicopter emergency medical service in the region overnight.
The charity, which has been operating from temporary accommodation for over a year, launched its mission to deliver 24 hour air service back in 2019.
Becoming a 24/7 service for East Anglia has been a long-term ambition of the charity, with the initial research for expanding to a 24/7 operation taking place four years ago.
Since then, East Anglian Air Ambulance has taken gradual steps towards achieving this ambition, which importantly included raising an extra million pounds a year to fund the additional operating hours, increasing its car cover to 24/7, building a new operational base and now 24/7 flying.
In April, crew members for the East Anglian Air Ambulance moved into their newly built headquarters at Norwich Airport.
The seven million pound base means the charity can now start flying 24/7.