AN emergency medical technician and retained firefighter is taking time out of his busy schedule to raise money for a great cause.

Tim Miles, 41, from Bootle, will run a half marathon to raise funds for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).

Mr Miles is targeting to raise £500 before September, where he will take part in the Great North Run.

He said: “The work the GNAAS charity do across Cumbria and beyond is outstanding.

“Without its service a lot of people would have been lost over the years.

“Although my target is £500, I hope to raise as much as possible.”

Mr Miles understands the need for volunteer services across Cumbria.

“As well as training to become a paramedic, I’m also a retained fire fighter covering areas such as Millom, Barrow and the South Lakes,” he added.

“Being a long way from specialist hospitals could mean the difference between life and death without the help of the added skills and reduction in travelling time from the GNAAS.

“Being a retained firefighter, I know firsthand the importance of donations for these sorts of public services, which in most cases are heavily relied upon.”

When he is not taking care of his wife and two children, the family-man runner is always lending a helping hand to the surrounding Bootle area as a run leader for the Millom Striders Running Club.

GNAAS crews respond to around 1,000 call outs each year, across North Yorkshire, the North-East, Cumbria and Scottish borders.

For each call-out, there is usually a specialist trauma doctors and paramedics onboard the aircraft, who bring accident and emergency expertise to the scene.

Whether its in a city centre or a remote mountain, GNAAS medics respond to wherever they are needed in the shortest space of time.