A new era beckons for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance as an independent charity has been established to run it.

After years of lobbying, the Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) has relinquished its sole trusteeship of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal.

Under charity law, a new charity had to be created and this is the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust.

Eight trustees have been appointed and the new charity has been registered with the Charity Commission.

Richard Youens, one of those who campaigned for an independent charity, will be the chairman of the new charitable trust.

Mr Youens, 68, a retired loss adjuster from Rushall, said: “It’s important the air ambulance charity is independent because we, the people of Wiltshire, have control over its destiny and its funds.”

The air ambulance is a joint helicopter with Wiltshire Police. The police force pays 65 per cent of the operating cost, while the air ambulance charity pays the remainder.

The joint helicopter contract expires in December 2014 and after that it is likely the police will have its own helicopter, shared with neighbouring forces.

That means the charity’s fundraising will have to increase from £750,000 a year to more than £2 million to cover the helicopter’s costs.

Mr Youens said: “We need to be aware that there is a distinct possibility we may be on our own after 2014, which is the last thing we want. We must prepare for the worst and increase our fundraising so if we do find ourselves on our own we still have the means to carry on.”

The £1.2 million in the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal’s account has been frozen and set aside for GWAS to pay the ambulance service’s part of the contract with the joint helicopter.

Air ambulance expert David Philpott, of Ashford, Kent, was asked by GWAS to establish the appeal as an independent charity. He has now been invited by the trustees to be a paid advisor to lead the new charity.

Mr Youens said: “We are extremely lucky to have David on our team. He has considerable experience running air ambulance services in different parts of the country. He is familiar with the clinical, legal and aviation regulations which govern air ambulance charities.”

Donations can now be made payable to Wiltshire Air Ambulance and sent to the Air Support Unit, Police Headquarters, London Road, Devizes.