Source:  Malvern Gazette

A HANDFUL of local volunteers have been honoured for going above the call of duty to help save lives and support the work of the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Community First Responders, fund-raisers, volunteer car drivers and members of the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance were recognised for their efforts as the ambulance service held its Volunteer Awards in Brierly Hill on Thursday (March 11).

Among almost 200 winners were two men from Bromyard who both picked up the ‘Chief Officer’s Commendation’.

Simon Halling has been an extremely dedicated and active Community First Responder since 2006 and assists with ongoing recruitment and fund-raising, as well as training and mentorship of new recruits.

His “commitment to the Trust and the community” was cited as the reason for his latest award, which comes after he was named CFR of the year in 2009.

Keith Lane has been raising funds for the Midlands Air Ambulance for 17 years, and has raised more than £200,000 to date.

He was awarded an MBE in 2002 for his fund-raising efforts, and his award was attributed to his “long term commitment and dedication to the air ambulance.”

Tim Hodges, of Upton upon Severn, has been named CFR of the Year for Worcestershire.

Mr Hodges has been a CFR for three years, and for much of this time was the only CFR in Upton. As well as attending many fund-raisers and events such as the Upton Jazz Festival, Mr Hodges is now trained as an assessor and helps other CFRs to keep their skills up to date.

Two further local recipients of the Chief Officer’s Commendation are Richard Bailey and Ben Allen, of volunteer search and rescue team West Midlands Search and Rescue (WMSAR).

As well as volunteering their time as CFRs the pair dedicate their spare time to training to save lives, and their WMSAR team provided invaluable support to emergency services during the inclement weather conditions around the turn of the year.

As well as responding to 999 calls and helping stranded vehicles, the WMSAR team helped convey ambulance staff to and from the emergency operation centre to keep the service running smoothly.

West Midlands Ambulance Service chairman Sir Graham Meldrum called the achievements of those recognised by the awards “very special”.

“You can never fail to be inspired by the people who give so much,” he said.