Volunteers rewarded by West Midlands Ambulance Service
On Friday 18 November, St John Ambulance
volunteers from across the West Midlands attended the West
Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) Volunteer Awards
ceremony at West Midlands Safari Park.
The annual ceremony recognises the
work that volunteers undertake for WMAS not only in front
line emergency work like that of St John Ambulance, but through
other areas such as fundraising for the air ambulance, Community
First Responders, volunteer drivers and back room support.
Outstanding contributions recognised
Many St John Ambulance West Midlands
volunteers were awarded special commendations by Anthony
Marsh, Chief Executive for WMAS, for their work in
supporting the ambulance service.
- County Ambulance Officer Liz
Parkes was commended for her commitment to teaching and
improving quality
- Herefordshire Sector of St
John Ambulance West Midlands were recognised for their resilience
and emergency planning
- The Out of Hours Silver Team
saw their commitment and resilience commended
- Volunteers Rob Bytheway, Emma Bishop and Sam
Wilcox were all commended for assisting WMAS in exceptional
circumstances.
There was a special surprise for one of our
volunteers, Maureen Watkin, (Wolverhampton Sector
Co-ordinator) was awarded the Chief Officers Special
Commendation, for outstanding commitment to St John and
for her leadership in Wolverhampton
At the end of the ceremony, the overall
winners of the volunteer awards were announced. The judging panel
look to select both an individual and a team that has gone that
‘extra mile’ over the last year – these awards are selected from
all of the entrants (some 80 plus awards were given out over the
course of the event).
Volunteer Team of the Year
For the outstanding work and exemplary actions
above and beyond the call of duty by its volunteers, the award of
Volunteer Team of the Year was awarded to
St John Ambulance West Midlands for the work
carried out during the Pope's visit to Birmingham
in 2010.
Our volunteers work tirelessly throughout the
year, providing first aid at events 365 days a year, as well as
supporting the ambulance service and training others in life saving
first aid.
As our volunteers continue to make the
difference between a life lost and a life saved day in,
day out, it is fantastic to see that this hard work is recognised
and valued by the ambulance service, and all of our volunteers will
be looking forward to continuing their efforts in 2012.