MAYOR Jane Burton told a crowd that gathered for the opening of the new Wiltshire Air Ambulance Shop in Devizes that the helicopter would always occupy a special spot in the hearts of townspeople.

She said the air ambulance, which is based at police headquarters in Devizes, was a regular sight above the town and it would be missed when it moves to a new home at Semington.

But she was confident that the people of the town would support the shop and the work of the air ambulance.

The shop in Maryport Street was officially opened by Mrs Burton and antiques expert Paul Martin, the presenter of BBC TV's Flog It! show, and took £845.20 during its first day plus £195 in raffle ticket sales.

Mr Martin, who lives in Seend, said: “It was a real honour to open the new Wiltshire Air Ambulance shop in Devizes. It’s a flagship shop in the heart of Devizes.

"The shop is fantastic, it looks like a retail shop, and there is something for everybody. I will be shopping here regularly. The volunteers working in the shop have done a fabulous job and without them the shop wouldn’t work.

“In a rural community like Wiltshire the air ambulance is vital – it saves lives. We have all been touched by it.

"I would encourage everyone to visit the shop and support this lifesaving charity.”

Claire Kelly, head of people, retail and supporter engagement at Wiltshire Air Ambulance, said: “We’ve had an amazing response from the public to our new shop in Devizes and we’d like to thank them for donating items for us to sell and, of course, buying from the shop.

"The money raised by the shop will help to keep our crew and helicopter flying and saving lives.

“We’ve got a great team of volunteers working in the shop, but we urgently need to recruit more. We are looking for volunteers to help prepare items to be sold and serve customers. There is no minimum time commitment, so if you are interested please contact us.”

Wiltshire Air Ambulance is working on plans to build a new home to bring its aircrew and charity team onto one site in a central location. It has been granted outline planning permission for its preferred site on land at Outmarsh Farm, Semington, near Melksham, and has submitted detailed plans for the site to Wiltshire Council.

The Devizes shop is open Monday to Saturday, 9.30am to 5pm. It is the second shop that the charity runs, its other shop being in Maristow Street, Westbury.

If you are interested in volunteering in the shop please email hello@wiltshireairambulance.co.uk or call the charity team on 01380 739453.