THE final remaining airworthy Avro Vulcan bomber has 24 hours before it will be grounded forever.

The Vulcan To the Sky Trust, which looks after the plane said it has seen a surge in donations, with up to £30,000 being handed over every day.

But unless the charity can hit its £400,000 target in the next 24 hours, the Vulcan, which is based at RAF Brize Norton, near Carterton, may never fly again.

The trust says it needs £400,000 to keep the plane serviced and air-worthy so it can be flown at air displays.

Last night campaign spokesman Collin Marshall called on people to dig deep and keep the “truly iconic machine” fit for action at air shows, He said: “We have received an incredible amount of donations and we are now close to our target, but we will need a big final push.

“I would urge anyone reading this to pick up the phone and help preserve a vital part of British heritage.”

In September, the plane, code number XH558, took off from RAF Brize Norton to visit an airshow at Coventry Airport. It flew on to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, where it is getting a winter service.

The bomber, which as part of the RAF’s V-bomber force provided Britain’s nuclear deterrent until Polaris missile-firing submarines took its place in the late 1960s, has been a big attraction at airshows and other events around the country for the past two summers.

It was the last Vulcan to leave RAF service and flew for 33 years from 1986 to 1993.

But if the funding target is missed it could be grounded permanently or sold abroad to a private collection.

Mr Marshall said: “The Vulcan represents so much.

“It’s British engineering at its very best and it also stands for the sacrifice made by all those people who operated it during the Cold War and Falklands conflict.

“We have lost so much heritage over the past few years.

“It’s important to preserve such a part of our history.”

The Vulcan was the first successful large delta-wing aircraft, inspiring the design for Concorde.

Bombing raids by Vulcans on Port Stanley airfield forced Argentina’s fighter jets off the Falkland Islands in 1982, leading to the British victory in the conflict.

After years of fundraising and planning, a £3.5m two-year restoration project began in 2005, before XH558 took to the air again in October 2007.

For more details, or to donate to the appeal, see vulcantothesky.org or call 08455 046558.