Staff at the Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance Service charity shop, in Swadlincote, are appealing for donations ahead of the summer holiday season, and the store is on the hunt for toys, DVDs, books, bags, shoes and more.

The Air Ambulance Service operates the national Children’s Air Ambulance and the local air ambulance services for Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland.

On average, it costs around £1,800 to send out an air ambulance. With a response time of 13 minutes, the service attends around six missions a day.

Now, volunteers at the charity store, which is situated in High Street, are appealing for donations of any kind. Although any contributions are welcome, staff are specifically asking for anything which won’t go on a coat hanger.

The team are also looking for anyone interested in work experience during the summer months. With the school holidays approaching, many youngsters will have plenty of spare time and volunteering at the shop will to boost their CV and get some practical working skills under their belt.

Manager at the store Joanne Groves said: “We just thought it would be good to appeal to any teenagers for work experience with the summer holidays coming up.

“Whoever applies can come and meet the team and enjoy working with us. It’s a lovely atmosphere here, the hours are completely flexible and it’s a great way to build up your CV.”

Anyone with donations is urged to take the collections to the Air Ambulance Service in 5 High Street, in Swadlincote.

Those interested in work experience can contact Joanne on Jaygroves149@icloud.com .