A BOLTON building society has helped raise £800,000 for the North West Air Ambulance (NWAA).

Payments generated by supporters, who save in special NWAA accounts with Furness Building Society, have raised the money after this year’s payment was £135,000.

The easy-access charity savings account with the Furness works on the basis of “You Save-We Give”.

The building society makes an annual payment from its funds — not the savers’ money — based on one per cent of the total average deposits in all of the North West Air Ambulance charity savings accounts.

Jenny Haskey, head of fundraising for NWAA, said: “The savings account with the Furness is a vital source of funding for us, but the best news for supporters is it doesn’t cost them a penny.”

The NWAA has three helicopters flying seven days a week, 365 days a year from bases at Royal Preston Hospital and University Hospital of South Manchester, Wythenshawe.

They cover 5,500 square miles and a population of about eight million people.

They overcome life-threatening issues of distance and traffic queues to ensure that trauma patients are transported in the critical moments after an incident to a specialist hospital.

Furness Building Society has a branch in Knowsley Street, Bolton town centre.

For more information on the North West Air Ambulance charity savings account with the Furness visit the website furnessbs.co.uk/nwaa.