Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and his wife have given their official backing to a Cornish charity.

The world famous Michelin-starred chef and TV presenter, supported by his wife Tana and all of the family, has joined forces with the Cornwall Air Ambulance to become ambassadors help promote the lifesaving work it carries out.

Each year the helicopter is tasked to around 800 incidents across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and relies on public donations to fund these missions.

The Ramsay family spend a lot of their time in Cornwall and during recent months have become aware of the importance of the air ambulance to the county and the challenges the charity is facing to deal with the impact of Covid-19 lockdown on its fundraising.

Falmouth Packet:

Gordon and Tanya meet the team at Cornwall Air Ambulance

The family visited the charity airbase in Newquay during August to meet the duty crew and officially launch their roles as ambassadors.

Gordon: “Cornwall has been our family home now for five years and we have always been totally in awe of the lifesaving work we see the Cornwall Air Ambulance do every day.

"We are so immensely proud and honoured to become ambassadors and join the team in helping continue to raise awareness and promote the fantastic service they selflessly carry out for the people of Cornwall.”

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Paula Martin, chief executive for Cornwall Air Ambulance, said: “We are very honoured to welcome Gordon and Tana on board, and so proud that they chose to support Cornwall Air Ambulance now that Cornwall is such a big part of their lives.

"We hope they will be able to help us reach new supporters, spreading the message far and wide to people who love this part of the world, and highlighting the life-saving work our critical care team does every day here in Cornwall."