Awards ceremony honours members of the public who help save lives
An awards ceremony has been held to honour members of the public from across the West Midlands region who have gone beyond the call of duty to help save lives and support the work of West Midlands Ambulance Service’s 4,000 staff.
The event, sponsored by Cardiac Science and Mills & Reeve, at The International Centre in Telford on Tuesday 20th November recognised the efforts of volunteer car drivers, St. John Ambulance, the British Heart Foundation, Community First Responders and other voluntary organisations and businesses. It also honoured members of staff of West Midlands Ambulance Service who gave their assistance to the Olympic Games and the Paralympics.
Addressing the audience, West Midlands Ambulance Service Chief Executive Anthony Marsh said: “Tonight is an opportunity to stand back and reflect on the excellent work that you do and to say ‘thank-you’. Very often we don’t say thank-you enough. I’d like to say how very proud I am of all of you; all of our volunteers, all of our staff regardless of the role you fulfill. Be assured of my continued support.”
The Trust’s Chairman, Sir Graham Meldrum said: Time – it is precious thing. What we are here to celebrate is the people who give up a very special component of their life called time. Today, everybody is under such a great deal of pressure. The amount of time people have got to spend is quite limited and what we are here for today is to celebrate the people who have chosen to give up that element of time to the dedication of humanity, the public they serve in all the different ways we have heard about this evening and the different ways they will continue to serve.”
Presenting some of the awards, John Abram, the High Sheriff of Shropshire said: “One of my objectives as High Sheriff is to support and encourage voluntary work in our communities and, in particular, to thank the people who give so generously of their time and talents in the service of others. This award ceremony not only provides an opportunity to help me to achieve this objective … but also demonstrates the value that West Midlands Ambulance Service places on the support it receives from a variety of voluntary groups.”
Award winners from Shropshire included:
Olympic Award in recognition of their work at the Olympic Games and Paralympics in London:
Jon Ostrowski, Paramedic, based Shrewsbury. Jon attended both the Olympics Games and Paralympics
Community Training and Defibrillator Award: Phil Keyse, Myddle Heartbeat
The Myddle HeartBeat AED scheme is now spreading rapidly across North Shropshire. It has linked with the successful scheme operating in the Clun Valley in the south of the county. A local joint committee meeting of the Parish Councils was asked for £750 for the AED scheme and instead pledged over £5000 for further projects in the North Shropshire area. Myddle alone has approaching 20 volunteers trained and ready to respond to Cardiac Arrest cases in the area.
Community Defibrillator Award: Tim Thomas, Bridgnorth Aluminium
Chris Clayworth, a long serving employee of Bridgnorth Aluminum suffered a Cardiac Arrest at work. His colleagues quickly came to his aid using an AED. Although every effort was made to resuscitate Chris, he sadly died in hospital later that day. All the colleagues who attended to Chris were highly praised by ambulance crews for their repeated efforts in giving Chris the best possible chance of survival. In memory of Chris and the valiant efforts of his colleagues, this award was given to Tim Thomas and colleagues from Bridgnorth Aluminium.
Business Support Award: Andrew Faulkes of Stan’s Supermarket, St Martins, Oswestry.
In the rural areas, the local supermarket often plays a vital part in community life. Stan’s Superstore is no exception – it’s a family run business in St Martins near Oswestry. The Faulkes family have been big supporters of their local CFR scheme for many years. Fundraising efforts in and around the shop have helped the local group develop into one of the most progressive CFR schemes in the region.
Distinguished Service Award: Richard Morris, Community First Responder, Telford & Wrekin CFR Scheme.
Richard Morris is a very active member of Telford and Wrekin scheme. His dedication goes above and beyond normal duty with his assistance and support at all new CFR training courses and his commitment to teaching CPR to school children in the Telford area.
Distinguished Service Award: Edmund Jones, Community First Responder, Clun Valley / Bishops Castle CFR Scheme.
Eddie Jones is well known for his efforts in establishing the Clun Valley AED scheme in South Shropshire. He is now expanding his skills having completed his CFR training in March of this year. As well as dedicating his efforts to raising the profile of South Shropshire and fundraising for scheme vehicles, Eddie has committed over 1000 hours of on-call to his community.
Chief Officer Commendation: Ian Owen and Nicola Edwards, Community First Responders, Bucknell.
In May this year both Ian and Nicola attended a family camping tragedy in Bucknell, South Shropshire. You may recall the tragic events from national news coverage at the time. Ian and Nicola were quickly on scene and assisted to all those involved in the incident. Although the incident resulted in a tragic loss of life, it also involved other patients who have since made a full recovery thanks to the early medical intervention of Ian and Nicola.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Russell Brooks, Community First Responder, Newport.
Russell Brooks was one of the first CFRs in Shropshire. Newport scheme was indeed the first CFR group to go live in the County in May 2001. Since then, Russell has worked incredibly hard over many years to continue Newport CFR’s success, not only committing endless hours of on-call duty but promoting the scheme within Newport and further afield.
