FUND-RAISERS have been thanked by the County Air Ambulance for helping to make 2004 a success.

The year saw a series of alterations in the service, including expansion to cover seven days a week, rather than five, and six permanent crew being hired.

The charity, which covers 11 counties across the Midlands including Herefordshire and Worcestershire, costs £2.4m a year to run and relies solely on public fund-raising.

"Yet again, 2004 was an extremely busy year for us and operation of the service would not have been possible without the dedication of our volunteers and the public's donations," said fund-raising manager Paul Weir.