EASTNOR Castle, near Ledbury, has announced that its Charity of the Year 2019 will be the Midlands Air Ambulance.

The charity will be able to use the castle for a fundraising dinner, the grounds for a family fun day, plus get complimentary tickets, and be allowed to place collection boxes at the visitor entrance. There is an open invitation to be present on any day they are open to visitors.

The team at the castle were keen to support the Air Ambulance after meeting them at their Eastnor SOS Day in June and hearing of the critical work they do throughout six Midlands counties, including Herefordshire.

David Littlewood, General Manager at Eastnor, went to meet some of the Air Ambulance team at their Strensham airbase to see first-hand how donations from local businesses support the service they offer.

He said: “We are in awe of the work that they do and had no idea that the charity receives no government or National Lottery funding and relies solely on donations and fundraising.

"They need to raise in excess of £9 million each year to operate and we hope that we’re not only able to contribute in some way towards this, but that we can also help to raise their profile amongst our visitors. We’ve already met with the team and are excited about working together on a number of events throughout the year.”

Mary Seldon, Fundraising Executive for the charity in Herefordshire, said: “The Air Ambulance undertake around 2,000 air ambulance missions every year.

“We’re so grateful to Eastnor Castle and really excited to partner with such a stunning visitor attraction.”

Details of the events being arranged at Eastnor Castle by the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity are still being finalised but will be announced soon.