In its three-and-a-half month watch over the county and surrounding area the aircraft has been called out to more than 300 accidents.

Town mayor Mark Woodcock has chosen the ambulance as his charity of the year after having a brief encounter with it last year.

He said: "I was in a serious car accident a year ago and fortunately everyone got out alright with minor injuries.

"The air ambulance was called because the cars were both in such a bad state."

The town council raised £340 on Saturday, but the the appearance by the air ambulance, which also covers Leicestershire and Derbyshire was cut short when it had to fly to an emergency.

But before flying off to an accident on the M1 ambulance crews had a chance to meet the public and tell them about the service.

Money raised on Saturday will go into the mayor's fund before being presented to the charity at the end of the year.

Cllr Woodcock said: "I chose the air ambulance as my charity because I wanted something that will benefit everyone. If you need the air ambulance it will come to you regardless of who you are.

"The ambulance costs £1.5 million a year to run and is funded entirely by people raising money through charity events."

Barbara Parish, regional fundraising manager for the air ambulance, said: "It's going very well and lots of people are supporting us. We always need more volunteers and regular supporters, though."

The supporters are starting a lottery to raise vital funds. It costs £4.34 a month to take part and people can sign up by visiting www.dlraa.co.uk

The next charity event is the mayor's ball in November and Cllr Woodcock hopes to add a significant sum to his fund.

He said: "I hope people will continue to support us over the year-it's a very important charity."