The Midlands Air Ambulance has seen the amount of money it makes from donations drop by 10 per cent as a result of the recession.

The charity, which flies the iconic red helicopters to emergencies across Staffordshire and the Black Country, was also forced to use some of its reserves last year after the amount of cash it raised fell short of its £6 million annual fundraising target.

Bosses at the life-saving organisation have stressed it is doing better than most charities and is on target to raise what it needs this year.

One of the worst areas to be hit has been the legacies donated to the charity from people’s estates after they have died.

These donations make up roughly 40 per cent of the air ambulance income but the fall in property values and the time it is taking for properties to sell has hit the charity hard.

On top of this the air ambulance has also seen the value of its static tin and bucket collections drop by around 10 per cent, equivalent to between £75,000 and £100,000.

Charity director Hanna Seabright  said: “As with every other charity it is a difficult year and we would be arrogant to suggest everything was running beautifully. Our static tin collections are down around 10 per cent and I don’t think they will pick up until the situation in the economy picks up. People are rightly thinking about their families first.”

The organisation has launched lottery, which could provide the charity with around £2 million over the next four years. It has also launched a corporate sponsorship drive as well to bring in much needed funds.

It costs around £1.8 million to lease the vital helicopters each year and each aircraft costs £25 per minute to keep in the air.