The Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance, which was established in 1999, reached the remarkable landmark of having flown its 10,000th mission in June.

The RAF Benson based emergency helicopter passed the magic number of missions when it was called to a three-vehicle traffic accident just north of Aylesbury. A patient was flown to Stoke Mandeville Hospital with multiple injuries. TVAC's chairman of trustees, Colin Lee, MBE, said: "This is a milestone in the trust's history and one that we are intensely proud of. It is a testimony to the people of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, whose generosity has kept us flying all these years. Ten thousand missions represent a huge number of lives saved. That is a very humbling thought."

Whatever the emergency, the air ambulance is a vital service aimed at getting people treatment within the golden hour - when they have the best chance of surviving a serious incident.

The ability to land in difficult places is a key asset, given the many rural places that a conventional ambulance would struggle to reach. The Air Ambulance lands at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, and other hospitals. Collectively, the air ambulances are the busiest voluntary emergency services in the country.

The first air ambulance charity was launched in Cornwall in 1987. Twenty-four helicopters are in service for the 16 air ambulance charities across the UK.

They collectively undertake 19,000 missions annually, and serve 177 accident and emergency departments.

Colin added: "You help us as much as we help you. Our air ambulance costs about £1.7m year to run, and we receive no funding from the Government, NHS or the National Lottery.

"Everything we need to keep running comes from the public in the form of donations, fundraising, legacies and sponsorship."

This month, the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust is taking delivery of a new helicopter and because of increasing fuel and leasing costs, they must work harder to maintain a 365-day service. This is why they need you.

At fundraising events, volunteers place collection boxes in pubs and shops, attend cheque presentations on TVAC's behalf, or help sell the charity's merchandise at events.

A volunteer will be local to the event that they cover. This helps to keep expenses to a minimum. As a volunteer, you will be a valued member.

Tony Allerton, volunteer co-ordinator, said: "Don't worry if you have never undertaken any voluntary work, we'll give you full training.

"It's interesting and rewarding work for responsible people of any age, so if you'd like further information please call me on 01628 822711 or by email at tony@tvacaa.org to arrange a convenient time for an informal chat."