FOUR residents from Marden Court care home in Calne were able to see the Wiltshire Air Ambulance in action when they were given a tour of the headquarters.

The residents, accompanied by their carers, toured the charity's headquarters in Devizes at the end of last month and talked to the staff before handing them a cheque for £1,480 which was raised from a day of activities during National Air Ambulance Week.

Vicky Tigwell, who has been a carer at Marden Court for nine years, said: "We had never done something this big before and we gave it our all. We set ourselves a £500 target initially to see what we could do and we invited all the residents' family and members of the public and on the day we had great raffle prizes, a bake-off and some of our residents even put their feet in custard!"

One resident Don had a personal reason for raising money for Wiltshire Air Ambulance as staff saved his son's life after a motorbike accident a few years ago. Mrs Tigwell said he was delighted to be able to see the crew in action at headquarters on the day.

Kenresa Stratford, fundraising co-ordinator at Wiltshire Air Ambulance, said: "We’re so grateful to the residents and staff at Marden Court who raised vital funds for us during National Air Ambulance Week. They put a lot of effort into their fundraising and above all enjoyed themselves.

"Their enthusiasm was fantastic and we enjoyed showing them round the helicopter when they visited our airbase in Devizes. Thanks to their efforts the money they raised will help keep our helicopter flying and saving lives."