Racehorse trainer Michael Scudamore, who presented the awards at last year’s Ross Gazette awards evening, is the latest high profile star to be appointed as an ambassador to Midlands Air Ambulance charity.

Michael will help raise awareness and draw attention to the lifesaving work of the charity which receives no Government or National Lottery funding and relies solely on the generosity of the general public.

He is famous for training Mike Tindall’s Welsh National winning horse, Monbeg Dude which romped into third place at the Grand National.

Michael, whose yard is based at Bromsash near Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire said: "It is an honour and a great privilege to be able to support the valuable work of the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and to help raise awareness to the wider public and the horse racing community. The equestrian world in its many forms and disciplines are incredibly indebted to the work of the air ambulance, it’s pilots, paramedics and doctors who provide lifesaving emergency medical care.

The Midlands Air Ambulance Charity has a long tradition of supporting the horseracing world and has become a familiar sight at the Cheltenham Festival and racecourse each year. For the last two years the Midlands Air Ambulance aircrew have been based on standby at the racecourse during Festival week.

The charity also has a strong affinity with the wider equestrian community who are predominantly based in rural locations with riders out hacking and working horses on country lanes, farm and woodland. When a rider falls from a horse or there is a collision, the injuries are often very serious both for horse and rider and on occasion life threatening. Often these incidents can be in remote locations inaccessible by land ambulance or would take simply too long by land ambulance.