A group of Cornish volunteer emergency doctors has been awarded a grant that will allow them to improve their vehicles and recruit a new member.

The British Association for Immediate Care Schemes (BASICS) has been awarded a £250,000 grant by The County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal.

It will use the money to equip new vehicles to make them suitable for responding to emergencies and allow a new doctor to join the team.

Some of the money will also go towards upgrading current vehicles with improvements to sirens, lights, dash cameras and winter tyres.

The group, which is a branch of a national charity, sends volunteer doctors to assist ambulance paramedics at incidents across Cornwall.

When presenting the cheque, Robert Bertram, chief executive of the HELP Appeal announced that the charity has pledged to donate £250,000 a year to groups across the country.

He said: "BASICS volunteers are lifesavers – it’s as simple as that. Not only do they have demanding and extremely challenging jobs helping patients every day, but they also give up their free time to help save lives by supporting the UK ambulance service 365 days of the year.

"Whether patients are seriously injured in a traffic accident or a terrorist attack, this new funding will help these amazing volunteers arrive at the scene as quickly and as safely as possible to help save lives.”

Tony Kemp, chairman of BASICS, said: “BASICS is extremely grateful to the HELP Appeal for this funding. All of our schemes rely on donated funds and in many cases our volunteers are digging deeply into their own pockets to provide essential lifesaving care.

"The £250,000 has this year has benefited the provision of advanced life-saving care through the purchase of dedicated emergency vehicles, vehicle equipment and maintenance.”

Dr Daniel Bawden of BASICS Cornwall added: “A massive thank you to the HELP Appeal who have funded blue light equipment for two BASICS Cornwall volunteer doctors. This means we will be able to save more lives across Cornwall safely and efficiently whenever needed.”

The HELP Appeal was created ten years ago by the County Air Ambulance Trust. It is the only charity in the country dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads. The HELP Appeal relies solely on charitable donations and does not receive any government funding or money from the National Lottery. For more information on the charity visit www.helpappeal.org.uk or call 0800 3898 999.