Wiltshire businesses dug deep at the recent Business Awards to raise £2,000 for the county’s air ambulance.

More than 300 people attended the awards ceremony, which took place at The Venue, Center Parcs, Longleat last week. The 2014 awards, organised by Newsquest, celebrate business success across the county.

Wiltshire Air Ambulance was the beneficiary of the evening’s raffle which raised £1,600. This was then rounded up to £2,000 by James Phipps, CEO, of Swindon based Excalibur Communications.

The charity’s Chief Executive, David Philpott, who spoke at the awards evening, said: “I would like to thank everyone who helped to raise this incredible amount. It was fantastic to be able to share in and celebrate the achievements of the Wiltshire business community.

“Wiltshire Air Ambulance is also celebrating its own major success this year, following the recent signing of a 10-year contract for a new helicopter, a Bell 429, which will come into service at the end of the year.

“This will be the first Bell 429 to operate as an air ambulance in the UK. It has a top speed of 150 knots and a range of 400 miles making rapid response to any incident within the county achievable within minutes.

“As we do not receive any government funding, this kind of support from Wiltshire’s business community is vital in helping us to continue to provide a life-saving service for everyone who lives, works and travels across Wiltshire and neighbouring areas, both now and well into the future.”