Air Ambulance Northern Ireland requires £3 million a year to keep its helicopters flying, equivalent to £8,200 per day, and the service is funded entirely by public donations.

The Mayor of Lisburn and Castlereagh, Brian Higginson, is due to take part in a fundraising skydive on 12 September as part of his mayoral charity support for the service. Nearly 20 other people will join him.

Higginson said that when he pledged to do anything possible during his mayoral year to raise money for the charity, he was asked if that included jumping from a plane at 15,000 feet. He said it was hard to refuse and that he was willing to take the leap if it helped the charity reach its funding goal and raised awareness of its work.

Kerry Anderson, head of fundraising at Air Ambulance Northern Ireland, said the charity was pleased that the mayor was taking part. She asked people in the Lisburn and Castlereagh area to support the skydive through donations. Donations can be made through the charity's online payment page, with more details at airambulanceni.org.

Elsewhere, the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Dawn Huggins, has recognised the fundraising efforts of Paul Ross. Ross has raised more than £100,000 for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland after his 21-year-old daughter Lydia died in a road traffic collision two years ago.

Ross's Sky Blue Ribbon fundraising appeal was named Fundraising Volunteer Group of the Year at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Northern Ireland Awards. The award recognises volunteer groups whose dedication and commitment made a meaningful difference to the charities they support.

Huggins said the Ross family's experience involved both loss and determination. She said Ross channelled his grief into raising funds for a service that makes a difference across the community. Huggins added that the award was a fitting recognition of Lydia's memory and of everyone who supported the appeal.