Athlone air ambulance thank GAA for use of pitches for landing

The GAA is being thanked by the air ambulance service based in Athlone for making their pitches available as landing sites for helicopters.

The landing and take-off of the helicopters are the most dangerous times during the operation of the life saving service and pilot Captain Jason McDermott says it's a huge advantage to be able to use the sports pitches.

The air corps officer, who's a native of Roscommon says the service never uses a landing area lightly, whether it be a farm where animals need to be taken into account, or a sports pitch.

Captain McDermott says that from a safety point of view, sports pitches are very much his preferred option for a number of reasons and they are very glad to be able to use them...