THREE members of a life-saving medical service have been honoured by the Queen.

The Wyre Forest Flying Doctors team are to receive the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award.

The new award was announced by the Queen in her Golden Jubilee speech on April 30. It aims to recognise outstanding achievement by groups who volunteer their time to enhance and improve the quality of life for individuals and groups in the community.

Flying doctors Barrie Davies, Dick Herbert and David Malcolmson rushed out to more than 3,000 accidents in the district since 1981 before the service folded in June 2001.

Public donations of more than £100,000 kept the voluntary service up to speed with highly specialised equipment.

However, demand for the doctors' cars, with their distinctive flashing green lights, dropped to an all-time low before the service folded last year.

Dr Davies said: "We are thrilled to receive this award. We had a rough suspicion it was on the cards."

Advances in paramedic training and activity accounted for a fall in demand for the service.