IT is the service that saves hundreds of lives each year, and now it wants to teach schoolchildren what to do in an emergency.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) and estate agents Knight Frank have teamed up for the ‘Be a 999 Hero’ campaign.

The aim is to teach young children what to do in an emergency with lesson plans and information packs containing puzzles, facts about the helicopter and daily work of the air ambulance crew.

The campaign will launch on Monday, November 10, at All Saints Primary School, in Winchester.

Campaign manager Rachel Pearson said: “Our initial talks with Hampshire Primary Schools have been very encouraging and there has been a great deal of interest in the initiative, which also has the full support of South Central Ambulance Service.

“Children have responded well to the information packs which are fun, but informative.”

Knight Frank recently joined HIOWAA as a gold level corporate sponsor. Partner Andrew Rome said: “We wanted to make a financial commitment to the air ambulance, but also to add further value to our new partnership. That’s when we started talking to HIOWAA about a schools initiative.”

Any schools that want to take part in ‘Be a 999 Hero’ should call 02380 333377.