THE Northern Region of Eventing Ireland recently handed over a cheque for £1,500 to Air Ambulance Northern Ireland and it was good to learn this week that the service, which was officially launched on Wednesday, is now fully operational.

Calls for such a service started 12 years ago but were intensified in 2015 following the death at the Skerries 100 motorbike races of Dr John Hinds, one of the travelling medics on the road racing circuit. The service will not only be of immense value to the sporting community but also to those involved in farming and/or living in remote communities.

Among those who attended Wednesday’s launch was Conor McMullan from Castlewellan who had suffered a fractured skull on the family’s farm last month. The 11-year-old was airlifted to hospital in Belfast in just eight minutes by the new team who, at the time, were still in training.

The service, which will operate with a doctor and paramedic on board, will cost £2 million a year to run and will be dependent on public donations. The helicopter will be able to reach any part of Northern Ireland within 25 minutes.