The Wales Air Ambulance has said a move to close its Welshpool base is an attempt to improve its service in Powys, after some residents began to withdraw donations in protest at the move.

The charity said it has "never taken the support of the public in Powys for granted” and has said it is trying to improve the service after a number of residents and local businesses ended their support.

It comes after the decision this week to close the bases in Welshpool and Caernarfon in 2026 and merge them in a new site in north Wales.

On Friday, one local business said it was replacing the liveries on its lorries in response to the move.

A spokesperson for the Wales Air Ambulance said: “Public donations are the reason that our charity exists and why we’ve been able to attend almost 50,000 missions since 2001.

“Our supporters in Powys are incredibly generous.

“We never take for granted that support as we are just a conduit between somebody who wants to help others and a patient in a life-threatening situation.

“The continuation of this support will allow us to carry on saving lives across the county – even more lives than we do now and particularly overnight.”

Station Couriers in Newtown and Cwm Fedw Country Sports in Penybont Fawr have both announced that they are withdrawing their support for the charity. 

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Some local residents have said on social media that they have ended direct debit contributions to the charity.

But the charity said that while it understands people's feelings in severing ties, the choice to move the bases is based on a belief it will save lives.   

They added: “We completely understand the anxieties and anger.

"From attending and listening to all the commissioner’s public engagement sessions, we know how strongly people feel about the decay or removal of services from rural communities. We can see that people feel this is another example of that.

“We really want people to know, and believe, that we would never do anything to cause them and their loved ones future harm. This development aims to improve the service, not remove it.

“Every development we have made over the past two decades has improved our service and that’s our only aim.

“As we know from our experience over the past 23 years, air ambulance operations are complex. There is no easy way to configure an air ambulance service as these are scarce resources and there are many factors at play. This is why research and constant evaluation is so important.

“We genuinely believe that we have an opportunity to deliver an even better service for Powys, saving more lives.”

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The charity is urging anyone thinking of potentially ending their donations to get in touch.

It added: “If anybody has concerns and is considering whether to continue their support, please do get in touch with us and we would be happy to speak to you. We hope this will allow you to make an informed decision.

“We know that we have a lot of work to do to reassure people after a very long and emotional process.

"Now that the Review is over and we can talk about it, we graciously ask for an opportunity to listen and respond to those concerns so that we can show our absolute dedication to the county and build trust in what we feel is a service improvement.”