MORE than 20 firefighters and one fire cadet from Wiltshire and Swindon have been honoured by the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

This year's awards ceremony was held virtually because of the continued challenges of the Covid pandemic.

Long service and good conduct medals are usually presented on behalf of The Queen by the Lord-Lieutenants of Dorset and Wiltshire.

Chief Fire Officer Ben Ansell said: “Our annual awards ceremony is our chance to recognise the extraordinary work being done in all parts of our organisation, and to feel real pride in how we help and support individuals, businesses, partner agencies and the wider communities across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Dorset, Swindon and Wiltshire.

“It is also my chance to say thank you to the families, friends and employers who have supported our staff and the work of our Service. It is often this support that has enabled the quite outstanding achievements to take place, so it was really good to see that so many family members were able to join us online.”

Award recipients included eight firefighters in Swindon and 12 in Wiltshire, while Kieran Tilling, of Swindon fire cadets, received a Young Achiever Award.

Mr Ansell also presented a long service certificate for over 40 years’ service to Watch Manager Pete Crow (Chippenham on-call).

Long Service and Good Conduct medals in Wiltshire went to: Firefighter Benjamin Avery (Mere on-call), Crew Manager Nicholas Barnard (Ludgershall on-call), Firefighter Edwin Button (Chippenham on-call), Firefighter Paul Cobb (Trowbridge), Odran Healy (retired Firefighter, Corsham on-call), Crew Manager Stuart Hillier (Pewsey on-call), Crew Manager Darren Masini (Calne on-call, also Watch Manager, Swindon), Watch Manager Mark Phillips (Salisbury), Crew Manager Mark Singleton (Salisbury on-call), Firefighter Graham Tucker (Trowbridge), Paul Webb (retired Firefighter, Trowbridge), Firefighter Steven Weston (Warminster on-call).

Long Service and Good Conduct medals in Swindon area went to: Watch Manager Paul Hanlon, and to firefighters Matthew Blay, Samuel Brown, Gareth Francis, Warren Matthews, Andrew Smith (all Swindon) and Gregory Dyer (Stratton on-call).

Making a Difference Awards were presented to Nicola Parker (Youth Intervention Coordinator, Swindon) for her outstanding work and commitment to engaging with members of our communities with learning disabilities and special educational needs; to Watch Manager Mark Hillier (Pewsey fire station) for his outstanding work and commitment to organising the Laptops for Kids initiative; and to the ICT and Information Governance teams for their outstanding work during the coronavirus pandemic.

Certificates and commendation letters were presented to staff for their support and hard work during the pandemic response.

Chief Fire Officer’s Commendations will be presented in the coming months.

Distinguished guests at the online ceremony on September 9 included the Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset, Mr Angus Campbell; the Deputy Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Mr David Scott; the High Sheriff of Wiltshire, Sir Charles Hobhouse, and the High Sheriff of Dorset, Michael Dooley.

Members of Parliament; members of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority; and representatives of partner agencies including the British Army, Wiltshire Police, and all four local authorities, also attended.

Full details of medal and awards recipients for this year can be found at www.dwfire.org.uk/awards-ceremony-2021