Campaigners and politicians have expressed their delight that the Wales Air Ambulance base will be staying in Welshpool until at least 2026.

The Charity made the announcement today (February 22) as it announced its new aviation contract. They said the decision had been made “to ensure continuity of service” and to give “airbase landlords some commercial certainty”.

News that the base could close was broken by the County Times last year and whilst this news will see it remain open until 2026, the base could still potentially close after that depending on the results of the upcoming NHS public consultation.

The news has been welcomed by organiser of the campaign to Save the Welshpool Base Dai Williams said: “The campaign to stop the closure of Wales Air Ambulance - Welshpool base is very pleased to hear that the Welshpool and Caernarvon bases are safe until at least 2026. 

"This was announced by Wales Air Ambulance Charity today and is a huge relief to our campaign. 

OTHER NEWS:

“A major battle has been won but the war is far from over so we encourage everyone to continue to campaign for these bases. 

"EMRTS is still going to run a public engagement to give everyone the chance to speak and aims, I believe to start this in early March 2023.”

Montgomeryshire MS Russell George who has been campaigning to keep the base in the Senedd said the news was the result of the actions of the local community.

“Local campaigning on this issue has been overwhelming in favour of the base remaining in Welshpool”, said Mr George.

"People from across Montgomeryshire have worked incredibly hard, rallying to support this vital local provision. I have been incredibly proud of our area’s response.”

“The engagement and communications around this proposal has been abysmal. Welsh Government ministers, the Welsh health service and the charity themselves have all made major failings which have caused worry for people across Mid Wales. Failures have been continue and widespread. I hope that these bodies can seriously improve their efforts so we have clarity and transparency going forward.”

This was echoed by MP for Montgomeryshire Craig Williams who said he would be doing everything “to ensure that Montgomeryshire’s voice is heard.”

 “Our community has really come together with one voice to show how important the Welshpool base is to us,” said Mr Williams.

“Air Ambulance missions will now continue to operate from Welshpool until at least 2026 but this issue is not going away.”

Want to stay up to date with all the latest stories from Powys? Click here to sign up for our morning and daily email newsletters and click on the + for the ‘Morning Briefing’ and the 'Daily Catch-Up'.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said she was delighted with the news but also encouraged the public to take part in the upcoming consultation. 

“As so many have already said the campaign is not over and at this point, I would like to pay tribute to all of those who have campaigned to protect this vital service so far.

“I like many will now be awaiting the details of the long-promised community engagement process which is due to start next month.”

Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for Mid & West Wales also welcomed the news and said: "This is good news for Welshpool and Caernarfon, and a testament to the hard work of campaigners throughout Mid and West Wales.

"Significant questions remain regarding the future of the service, and we must remain vigilant for the long-term security of local bases - however, I very much welcome this positive step forward."