Sue and Len Goodridge have good reason to be grateful to the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Mrs Goodridge, 59, was flown by the helicopter to hospital after she collapsed and stopped breathing.

After spending ten days in the Royal United Hospital, Bath, Mrs Goodridge is back at home in Bromham and recovering well. The couple say their experience demonstrates the need to retain the Wiltshire Air Ambulance as it is, shared with the police.

Great Western Ambulance Service is negotiating with Wiltshire Police over what length of time to sign up for when the lease on the helicopter expires in December. The police want a five year partnership but GWAS has indicated it wants to sign up for two years.

Mrs Goodridge started feeling unwell with pains in her chest on July 30 just after 8pm and then collapsed.

Mr Goodridge dialled 999 and was given instructions over the phone. This included CPR when Mrs Goodridge stopped breathing. The air ambulance arrived in a field at the front of their house six minutes after the call.

Mrs Goodridge was flown to the RUH and arrived there in about seven minutes.

Tests showed that she had not had a heart attack but suffered a cardiac arrest due to stress, a problem with her prescription medicine and a low level of potassium.

Mr Goodridge, who has a Gazette petition to save Wiltshire Air Ambulance in his shop, Edward & Alan in The Causeway, Chippenham, said: "I think the air ambulance saved Sue's life. It's most important to keep it flying in its current arrangement with Wiltshire Police as it flies at night which is when Sue needed it."

Mrs Goodridge said: "Nobody knows what tomorrow is going to bring and you never know when you will need the air ambulance."