A Bristol doctor has praised the Great Western Air Ambulance for helping to save a baby's life.

The air ambulance helicopter picked up the poorly nine-month-old from Bath and landed on College Green last Saturday afternoon to reach Bristol Children's Hospital.

The baby, who had a pre-existing heart condition and had stopped breathing, was taken to the hospital in Upper Maudlin Street from College Green by road ambulance.

Police cleared people from the open space outside the Council House to allow the aircraft to land.

Dr Daniel Low, a specialist registrar who was onboard the air ambulance when the patient was picked up, contacted the Post to say good teamwork had helped save the baby's life.

Dr Low, part of a team of 10 doctors who take it in turns to man the air ambulance, said the charity needs donations to ensure more lives can be saved.

He said: "I was the doctor on duty for the air ambulance on Saturday and I want to thank the whole team for saving this baby's life.

"That's the police, our pilot and paramedic, both the land-based paramedic crews, the emergency department, intensive care and cardiac surgery teams.

"My plea to the public is for money. The air ambulance is charity-funded, the doctors work for free, but the service requires money to keep flying and saving lives. Please give generously to enable us to keep helping you."

The GWAA said the baby needed to be taken to the children's hospital rather than the Royal United Hospital in Bath. The flight from Bath to Bristol took just seven minutes.

Last month, College Green was used by the air ambulance when it was called in to pick up a patient in Midsomer Norton who had suffered a heart attack.

The green space is used by the air ambulance because there are no landing facilities at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.

An application has been approved for a landing pad on the roof of the BRI Queen's Building despite concerns raised by Kingsdown residents about the noise nuisance it could cause.

Adrian Ruck, spokesman for the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the BRI and Bristol Children's Hospital, said: "Work on the landing pad should start within two years with full completion expected by early 2011.

"The two touchdowns by the air ambulance on College Green recently demonstrate just how this facility is needed and we are fully committed to installing it on the roof of the BRI."

GWAA flies emergency doctors and specialist paramedics to the most serious incidents so that treatment can be carried out either at the scene, or patients can be stabilised before being moved to the most appropriate hospital for their needs.

The service relies on donations and needs to raise £1.3 million a year.