Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service staff have been honoured for their outstanding service and commitment to the fire service and members of the community were recognised for special commendation awards at the annual Worcestershire Medals and Awards Ceremony, held at The Guildhall, Worcester.
The Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire, Mrs Beatrice Grant DL presented His Majesty The King’s awards in recognition of Long Service and Good Conduct for 20 and 30 years uniformed service and the Chairman of the Fire Authority, Cllr Kit Taylor presented Service awards for 20 and 30 years of service.
The Chief Fire Officer Jonathon Pryce presented the Silver Axe award to Thea Millward, awarded each year to the top On-Call Trainee Recruit.
The High Sheriff of Worcestershire, Mr Charles Moyle JP, presented the High Sheriff’s Award to Evie Burton, awarded each year to the top Fire Cadet from the Service.
Andy Meacham Car Repairs was also recognised and presented with a Chief Fire Officer’s Employer Award in recognition of the exceptional contribution Andy Meacham has made to the safety and wellbeing of his local communities in his On-Call Firefighter role over many years.
Chief Fire Officer, Jonathon Pryce, presented the Chief Fire Officer’s Certificate of Commendation to:
- Will Daglish – in recognition of his life-saving actions on 21 June this year, while off duty.
- Jake Richardson – in recognition of his actions on 23 October 2023 when he came across a road traffic collision while off duty.
- Ade (MBE) and Sue Taylor – in recognition of their ongoing support and commitment to the Service’s Fire Cadets.
- Anthony Wilson – in recognition of his life-saving actions while on holiday in Corfu in June this year.
Chief Fire Officer, Jonathon Pryce, presented the Chief Fire Officer’s Letter of Appreciation to:
- Neil Box, Gary Butler, Andrew Faizey and Wayne Grech of Malvern Green Watch – in recognition of their actions in July 2024, when they assisted the Police in the rescue of a vulnerable person.
- Leigh Tasker-Devere – in recognition of his actions on 01 August when attending a house fire whilst off-duty.
Chairman of the Fire Authority, Councillor Kit Taylor, presented the Chairman’s Certificate of Commendation to:
- Paul Roberts – in recognition of his significant contribution in leading the delivery of the new MSA breathing apparatus project.
- Michelle Howard – for facilitating the introduction of a number of digital solutions across the Service.
- Mark Lidderth – in recognition of the Environment Agency’s longstanding support of HWFRS and its local partners, specifically around the issue of an illegal waste site.
The Chief Fire Officer, Jonathon Pryce, also presented the following awards on behalf of the Fire Fighters Charity: –
- Leigh Tasker-Devere – HWFRS Supporter of the Year Award for 2023-24.
- Rob Kirk, Robin Douglas and Kiera Cale (Fire Cadet representative) on behalf of Wyre Forest fire station – HWFRS Team Fundraiser of the Year Award 2023-24.
Chief Fire Officer Jonathon Pryce said: “It was an honour to once again be able to formally recognise some of the fantastic achievements and commitment of our staff and members of the community.”
He continued: “All of the accolades given were very well-deserved and many recipients have contributed towards keeping the people of Herefordshire and Worcestershire safe.”
ENDS
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