A CHARITY campaigner has thanked those who helped him to collect thousands of stamps to raise funds for an air ambulance.

Peter Longstaff has collected 12kg of stamps in a year in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance and plans to continue his fundraising efforts with the support of local businesses, friends and family members.

Great-grandfather Mr Longstaff, a resident at Care UK's Ventress Hall care home, in Trinity Road, Darlington, was invited to meet the crew of the GNAAS as thanks for his fundraising work.

The 69-year-old, who served in the Royal Navy for 28 years, has been raising money for charities for more than 20 years by collecting UK and foreign stamps.

The stamps are bought by specialist dealers who sort them into UK and foreign examples before they are bought by collectors from around the world.

Foreign stamps generate more income for the charity and Mr Longstaff has asked people to send him stamps they get from friends and family on their summer holidays to boost his efforts.

He said: “I’ve been doing this for 20 years for different charities depending on where I lived and when I moved to Darlington last year I looked for a charity that would take stamps and found the Great North Air Ambulance.

“I’ve been helped by lots of companies in the town and, after a story was put in The Northern Echo, people were dropping them off at Ventress Hall or posting them to me.”

Mandy Drake, from GNAAS, said: “We’d like to thank Peter for his ongoing support and encourage anyone who has stamps or postcards to donate them to the cause.

“The air ambulance flies more than one thousand missions every year, and it could not continue with support such as Peter’s.”