AIRBORNE lifesavers are celebrating a New Year gift of more than £144,000.

The donation to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance came from the Yorkshire Building Society group through its special “affinity” accounts.

The accounts offer a way for savers to support the air ambulance, which needs to raise £3.6m a year to keep its two aircraft flying.

The air ambulance's partnership manager Katie Collinson said: “We are delighted to have the support from Yorkshire Building Society and its customers and this donation of over £144,000 is absolutely amazing and will keep us flying for just over two weeks."

Since the introduction of its first affinity accounts the Society has donated more than £550,000 to the service

The society’s corporate responsibility manager Bev Cox said: “We are delighted to be able to help such a vital service as Yorkshire Air Ambulance, which is close to the hearts of so many of our customers.”