EFFORTS to save the Portland Coastguard helicopter have snowballed into a county-wide campaign since the Echo first outlined its plight in April.

Politicians, councillors, coastguard workers, traders, sailors, boat owners, swimmers and divers have all expressed fears that lives could be lost if the 'copter Whisky Bravo was to be transferred to Lee-On-Solent in Hampshire.

People who owe their lives to the chopper and its crew have also stepped forward to urge the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) not to scrap the service.

Since the Save Our Lifesavers campaign was launched two weeks ago, almost 5,000 Echo readers filled out special coupons calling for the helicopter to be retained at Osprey Quay.

Yesterday, Echo reporter Martin Lea handed 4,747 forms to David Jamieson, the transport minister responsible for the MCA, who is in charge of deciding the helicopter's future.

Here we take a look back at the Echo's campaign to keep Whisky Bravo at Portland.

Day 1: (Wednesday, July 10) The Echo launched the Save Our Lifesavers campaign and published special coupons which readers were asked to sign and return in support of the helicopter staying in full-time operation at Osprey Quay.

Day 2: Dorset County Council's cabinet threw its weight behind the campaign.

Members vowed to oppose plans to move the lifesaving service and said they would enlist the support of MPs and other local councils, including Devon County Council.

Day 3: Defiant campaigners refused to compromise on leaked MCA plans to transfer the helicopter to Lee-on-Solent but send it back to Portland every day during the summer.

Dive shop owner Janine Gould and mum Maria Wakeley announced plans to stage a rally and demonstration in Weymouth.

Day 4: The Echo published a special colour poster for the Save Our Lifesavers campaign which hundreds of readers displayed in windows of cars, offices, shops and homes.

Day 5: Readers' coupons continued to pour into Echo offices at Weymouth, Dorchester and Bridport.

Day 6: Representatives of the Royal Dorset Yacht Club, Weymouth Sailing Club and the Royal Yachting Association all added their support to the campaign.

Amateur and professional sailors from South Dorset said how reassured they felt going to sea knowing the helicopter was there in case of emergency.

Day 7: Portland's standby helicopter, Hotel Mike, exploded and burst into flames in a freak accident after being scrambled to search for a missing sailor in Poole Harbour. All four crewmen escaped unscathed. Campaigners said it demonstrated how the crew risked their lives every day and vowed to continue their fight.

Day 8: Grandfather Stanley Dewell, 77, told how he was plucked from the sea as his boat burst into flames in Weymouth Bay. The pensioner praised the rescue crew who saved his life and pledged his support to the Save Our Lifesavers campaign.

Day 9: Campaigners warned that South Dorset's Labour MP Jim Knight could lose his hard-won seat if the Government ignored the wishes of local people.

Councillors from Wey-mouth and Portland announced a notice of motion insisting the borough council unite with district and town councils across Dorset to fight for the helicopter.

And Weymouth came to a standstill as more than 1,500 people joined a mass rally on land and sea to show their support for the helicopter.

Day 10: The Echo chronicled how the protestors marched from the Jubilee Clock to the harbour and were met by more than 100 boats which blockaded the harbour entrance as Whisky Bravo put in an impromptu appearance.

Day 11: The MCA defended proposals to move the coastguard helicopter 50 miles away from Portland.

A spokesman said that the chances of flooding at Osprey Quay had rocketed and the cost of a new hangar and facilities had risen to more than £4 million.

Day 12: Whisky Bravo made two dramatic sea rescues in Charmouth and Weymouth as thousands of coupons piled up at Echo offices across the county.

Day 13: Almost 5,000 coupons were counted and reporter Martin Lea was dispatched to Westminster to hand them over to transport minister David Jamieson.