Hollywood star Sir Anthony Hopkins was the latest famous face to turn up at the base of the Surrey Air Ambulance.

The Academy Award winner looked over the team's helicopter base at Dunsfold Park and told them they “deserve an Oscar.”

Sir Anthony was shooting scenes on a Boeing 747 at the aerodrome for a feature film called 360, which also stars Jude Law and Rachel Weisz.

The Oscar winner broke off from filming to meet the specialist doctors and Critical Care Paramedics who fly on the helicopter. During his visit he posed for photographs and signed autographs, including Surrey Air Ambulance postcards which will be auctioned off at the charity's Air Aid Ball at Redhill Aerodrome on Saturday, June 25.

The star was told about the advanced medical procedures the medical team can carry out at the scene of an accident or emergency, and said: "I was taken to hospital in an ambulance years ago, although I didn't have a serious injury.

“I appreciated all the help I had and these people who work in this profession deserve Oscars.

“It's terrific to meet the Surrey Air Ambulance crew." 360 is also being filmed in London, Paris, Vienna and Brazil, and has been billed as a multi-stranded and interlinked tale of love and obsession.

The air ambulance service, also covering Kent and Sussex, costs around £3.4 million annually to stay airborne.

Receiving no funding from the National Lottery, the charity relies almost entirely upon donations to support the two helicopters based at Marden and Dunsfold.

People wishing to make a donation should call 01622 833833, or send a cheque, made payable to Surrey Air Ambulance, to Surrey Air Ambulance, Wheelbarrow Park Estate, Pattenden Lane, Marden, Kent, TN12 9QJ.