A cake featuring the Hampshire and Isle of Wight air ambulance has fetched £1,000, which will be donated to the ambulance service.

Made by baker and bee keeper Karen Young, the cake was made for sale in advance of the great Hampshire cake sale, which is in aid of the air ambulance and is taking place on March 24 at St Maurice’s Cover in Winchester between 9am and 4pm.

Karen, from Kilmeston, near Alresford, was rescued by the service in 2009 after having an allergic reaction to a bee sting.

Karen said: “I will always be incredibly grateful to the air ambulance. Being in a situation where your breathing is restricted is really frightening and I shall never forget the day that I was rescued.

“The air ambulance brought the medical professionals and drugs that I needed.”

The first cake sale has been arranged by a group of horse riders. On average, 16 per cent of the incidents attended by the ambulance service’s critical care team are as a result of riding accidents.

Fiona Axel Berg, of the organising committee said: “As horse riders, it is very comforting to know that the critical care team is able to get to the more remote rural areas in our region, should the worst happen.

The organisers are hoping to sell more than 1,000 cakes on the day and are looking for volunteers to both bake and sell. Anyone interested can contact Fiona Axel-Berg on sio@axel-berg.co.uk