THE Yorkshire Air Ambulance says it is facing a £1.2 million fundraising deficit because of the coronavirus.

A spokesperson said that at the beginning of the pandemic in March, it estimated there could potentially be a deficit of around £420,000 from cancelled fundraising events during the summer.

But fundraising activity was still significantly decreased now, mainly because larger gatherings are still prohibited, and the life-saving emergency service had seen a much larger hit to income than predicted.

Now the charity was working on delivering more digital and hybrid fundraising events.

Chairman Peter Sunderland said that thanks to previous foresight to plan for unexpected events, the YAA was currently able to continue carrying out its day to day operations at both its airbases, which last year resulted in nearly 1,150 patients being treated after serious incidents.

"However, the additional £1.2 million income that we had budgeted for this year would have been hugely beneficial for building our reserves to ensure the continued stability of the charity, and plans we have for future advancements and developments," he said.