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  1. Air Ambulance to spend £15m on upgrading helicopters

    The Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) is to spend £15m on upgrading its helicopters.

    Airbus H145 D2 helicopters

    YAA said replacing the existing aircraft (pictured above), which have been in service since 2016, will mean it can provide patients "the best operational and medical service".

    The new five-bladed helicopters (pictured below) are expected to come in to service by the end of Summer 2023.

    A YAA spokesperson said the organisation will be the first in the UK to use the new aircraft.

    5-bladed H145 D3 model

    Peter Sunderland, Chairman of the YAA commented "This has only been made possible through the generosity of individuals, groups, businesses and organisations whose support is so gratefully received."

    The new helicopters, complete with full medical fit out, will cost approximately £15.3m.

    The YAA said the upgrade is being funded through "careful financial planning and reserves" and through the sale of it's current aircraft.

  2. Video content

    Video caption: A man has been jailed for driving over 40mph in Leeds city centre injuring 13 people
  3. Council AGM moved to leisure centre for social distancing

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    A council has been forced to move it's first full meeting since the elections to a nearby leisure centre due to problems with social distancing.

    Ponds Forge, Sheffield

    Sheffield City Council will meet at Ponds Forge on 19 May after the government said local authorities must resume face-to-face meetings.

    The move from the town hall will allow the city's 84 councillors to maintain social distancing.

    On the agenda will be electing a new leader after previous incumbent Labour's Bob Johnson lost his seat, there will be a new coalition in place after the council fell into no overall control and it will be the first meeting since the city voted to overhaul the way the council is run.

    Members of the public can attend but must register in advance.

    Everyone will be required to wear a face covering and the council is also recommending that people undertake a Covid-19 Rapid lateral flow test within two days of the meeting.

  4. Video content

    Video caption: An increase in dog attacks has meant trauma and huge financial losses for farmers.

    Attacks in the south west cost around 185,000 pounds last year. The increase in attacks is thought to be linked with new dog owners exploring the countryside during the pandemic.

  5. Latest mass vaccination centre opens in Northumberland

    Another large vaccination centre has opened in the region.

    It's at Hexham Mart and will be able to vaccinate up to 800 people a day and is open from 08:00 to 20:00.

    Northumberland's director of public heath, Liz Morgan, said: "People living in our rural communities have opted not to go to the Centre for Life in Newcastle, preferring to wait for their GP to contact them because for many people it's a long way for them to travel and not everyone has a car, so being able to provide access like this is a really important step forward."

    Helen Anderson receives her Covid jab

    Among the first people receiving the vaccine was Helen Anderson (pictured above) who's seven months pregnant with her third child, and said it was good to get the jab close to home: "You can fit it into how your life works with school runs and it cuts down on the travel time, so it's much better to be local."

    There are eight other mass vaccination centres in operation across the North East and Cumbria, at Nightingale Centres, football grounds, sports and shopping centres, as well as at Penrith auction mart.

    Inside the Hexham Mart vaccine centre