VOLUNTEERS, patients and staff welcomed Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall who officially opened the new Wiltshire Air Ambulance Air Base in Semington this week as she thanked crews for their life saving work.

The Duchess, who has been a patron for the charity since 2009, was shown around the building and greeted former patients, fundraisers and builders who worked on the multi-million pound airbase.

Wearing a light pink full length coat and black suede boots, the Duchess entered the immersive Simulation Suite where paramedic Paul Rocky explained how they use realistic scenarios to provide the best possible quality of training.

She was then led to the hall where she unveiled the plaque and made a speech about the great work of the air ambulance crews.

She said: “I really wanted to say how wonderful this project is and what amazing life saving work the air ambulance do.

“My grand-daughter in Yorkshire was treated by the air ambulance, lucky she was okay and it just shows the importance of the fantastic crews.”

Andy and Dawn Cubin, parents of fourteen-year-old Hannah Cubin who died from a heart condition last year have raised over £73,000 for the air ambulance.

Mrs Cubin said: “Our fundraising is an ongoing thing and we will continue to raise for the air ambulance who came out to help Hannah.”

Mr Cubin said: “In the early days of our grief our fundraising was something positive to focus on for us.

“Now we want to keep it going in Hannah’s memory. Camilla was very interested to hear what we had raised.”

Peter Vooght from Semington who was diagnosed by the WAA paramedics with sleep apnoea said how he chatted with The Duchess about the condition.

Mr Vooght said: “I was unconscious for two and a half days and diagnosed with sleep apnoea and the paramedics who helped me were amazing.

“Camilla asked me about my condition and she said she has a couple of friends who were similarly diagnosed, so she knows a lot about it. It was nice that she could relate to my story."

Fifteen-year-old Max Chant from Chippenham was attended to after he was in a car accident in 2014.

He said: “I was in an accident four years ago and suffered a broken back.

“I walked 25 miles of the White Horse Challenge the following year and raised £13,000.

“I owe everything to the air ambulance, I would not be walking if it wasn’t for them.”