THE North-East's life saving air ambulance charity was given a helping hand yesterday by The Northern Echo.

Old and broken mobile phones, bags of ink and toner cartridges and other recyclable materials from the paper's head office in Darlington were handed over to the Great North Air Ambulance (GNAA).

The charity, which relies entirely on donations, will sell the goods to be recycled and raise money for its two rescue helicopters.

"We accept any recyclable goods, even clothes, because it can all bring in extra money for us to keep the helicopters in the air and saving lives," said Paula Harrison, GNAA's fundraising officer.

"It costs £1.5m per year to have the helicopters, based at Teesside International Airport and Blyth, and so we really appreciate all the help we can get."

Geoff Elvish, systems manager at The Northern Echo, and delivery driver Thomas Gerard, handed across the goods to the GNAA's head office on Grange Road, Darlington.

"We have collected redundant stock, such as used cartridges and broken phones, to give to the GNAA, knowing they can benefit from them," said Mr Elvish.

"We are happy to help where we can with the charity's fundraising in order to keep it going."

The charity is looking for volunteers to raise thousands of pounds in the coming six months. For more information about helping the GNAA, call (01325) 487263.