TC, the black and white female adopted air base cat, has made it her mission to support the work of the service by always standing by to see the air ambulance in and out.

The air base cat in Caernafon, Wales, sees the three strong crews out and back in again on all their potentially life saving flights.

Helimed 61 responds to around 60 calls each month, making it one of the busiest in the UK. It provides vital life saving support to the Welsh Ambulance Service’s road crews when they attend incidents and to hospitals throughout the region for transferring seriously ill patients.

Helimed’s crews are all Welsh Ambulance Service paramedics. Although the crews shift between air and road duties, the one constant team member since 2003 has been TC, who recognises the emergency call that signals a crew is about to get airborne.

Welsh Air Ambulance Paramedic, Irfon Davies said: “TC has become something of a mascot really. It’s uncanny how she knows when to leave the building when a call comes in and she’s always here waiting when we get back. As we’re coming back in sometimes we see her coming across the field ready to meet us.”

Wales Air Ambulance relies on charity donations and has launched an appeal for a pound campaign, which is looking for pledges of £1 each from everyone living in Wales.

The service needs to upgrade to a new generation of helicopters, which will improve performance, under the Civil Aviation legislation by 2009.

To find out more about the Wales Air Ambulance and how to donate, click here