WHITEFIELD-based Greater Manchester Ambulance Service received the perfect festive gift of £200,000 to buy lifesaving equipment.
The money was raised through the Children's Hospitals Appeal Trust over the past year thanks to street donations, school fund-raising, and a mass of sponsored events by groups and individuals.
It will enable 48 emergency ambulances to be fitted with ventilation and resuscitation kits called "parapacs" which allow ambulance staff to monitor oxygen levels in children.
Sixty vehicles will also be supplied with hi-tech Tympanic thermometers which give an accurate temperature reading within three seconds.
Greater Manchester Ambulance Service (GMAS) chief executive, John Burnside, said: "I would like to thank both the people of Greater Manchester and the Children's Hospitals Appeal Trust for their generosity and support.
"This hi-tech equipment is a huge boost to the service and is of great benefit to our ambulance staff."
Ambulance staff helped to boost the fund themselves by raising £17,000 from a variety of events, including a "Stars in their Eyes" evening and a 330-mile cycle ride across the Canadian Rockies.
Appeal Trust spokeswoman Suzanne Stolberg said: "We are committed to helping GMAS provide the very best care for babies and children in the region."
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