East of England Ambulance Service commends volunteers

Cambridgeshire people who give up their time to help others gathered at the Salvation Hall in Bourges Boulevard in Peterborough on Tuesday, June 8.

They were invited along to receive certificates marking their service and dedication to volunteering with their trust. The guests who were receiving certificates on the evening were all community first responders. The event which marked national Volunteer Week also provided an opportunity for volunteers to meet socially over light refreshments. Phil Barlow, non executive director for the trust attended the event to present the certificates to the unsung heroes. Also present on behalf of the Trust were Norfolk's partnership manager Andrew Barlow and Mark Wade, head of rostering services.

Phil welcomed all of the guests to the informal ceremony and spoke about the role of volunteering and its contribution to the success of the ambulance service, he said: "We are very grateful to our volunteers, and to their families. They don't do it for themselves, they do it for the patients of the east of England, and on behalf of those patients I thank them for their contribution. He continued: "These are challenging times for the NHS and it's going to get tougher, so it's heartening to know we've still got a group of wonderful people who give up their time so willingly and freely to help others."

The following volunteers attended the evening to collect their awards:

• Jeremy Blakeborough - Haverhill

• Tony & Heather Day Doddington/Wimblington/Benneck

• Craig Gardner - Whittlesea

• Fran Williams & Dale Hesp - Hemmingsford

• Jacqueline Whipp - Soham

• Rob Moir - St.Neots