The Welsh Air Ambulance Charity needs to raise £750,000 a year to fund the emergency service.

There is support for an air ambulance from everyone I have spoken to Sandra Wilkes, appeal supporter

If £250,000 can be raised by July, a second air ambulance could come into operation in time for the busy summer season.

The first Wales Air Ambulance, which is based at Swansea's Fairwood Airport, was launched on 1 March 2001.

It has already flown more than 800 missions, mainly in south and mid Wales, and has helped more than 400 seriously ill or injured people.

The new project has won the backing of the mother and fiancée of a 26-year-old man killed in a car crash near Harlech in Gwynedd last year.

Kieron Wilkes died at the site of the accident, which was 50 miles away from Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

His fiancée Nia Evans was taken to the hospital with severe spinal injuries by police helicopter.

Since the tragedy, Kieron's mum Sandra and his home community of Llanaber have raised £22,500 to get the appeal under way.

Mrs Wilkes said she now hoped many other people throughout north Wales would join the fundraising drive.

"The nearest hospital to us is Bangor, which is an hour away by road in the winter and two hours in the summer when the amount of traffic multiplies tenfold," she said.

"There is support for an air ambulance from everyone I have spoken to," she added.

There's no doubt that we do need a second air ambulance to complete the picture for the whole of Wales Julie Hinchliffe, appeals manager

The charity has appointed Julie Hinchliffe to head the north Wales appeal.

She joins from the Shooting Star Appeal at Wrexham's Maelor Hospital, where she led the project to raise £2.5m to build and equip a specialist cancer treatment unit and women's clinic.

"I've had plenty of experience of just how generous and enthusiastic people can be when they feel that something is really needed in their area," she said.

"There's no doubt that we do need a second air ambulance to complete the picture for the whole of Wales.

"I'm sure that the appeal will go from strength to strength once we get going," she added.

Better service

Chief ambulance officer for the Welsh Ambulance NHS Trust John Bottell said a second helicopter would provide an even better life-saving service for Wales.

"It has always been our aim to have two air ambulances responding to emergency calls across the country," he said.

"We know there is huge support from the public and we will do our best to ensure the new service will be as successful as the current Wales air ambulance," he added.

The new appeal office is based at Mold Ambulance Station.