TASC, The Ambulance Staff Charity, is hosting the bi-annual service to pay tribute to the members of the ambulance community who died while working for the ambulance services of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and other UK dependencies including Gibraltar. The memorial service is being held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire on 16th September 2021. If you are interested in attending the event, please email memorial@theasc.org.uk. The actual attendance for the event will be confirmed in late August depending on the current government Coronavirus guidance.
The memorial service was due to take place in 2020, however, the event was postponed due to the pandemic. To mark the occasion, TASC instead created a memorial video featuring tributes from loved ones and speeches from Daren Mochrie, Chair of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) and CEO of North West Ambulance Service, and Anthony Marsh, National Strategic Adviser of Ambulance Services and CEO of West Midlands Ambulance Service:
The last full National Ambulance Memorial Service took place in 2018 and saw over 130 people from all over the country attend to honour the fallen ambulance staff including representatives of ambulance services, retirement associations, the Independent Ambulance Association, AACE and Unison.
Diane Scott, TASC’s Chair and a former Deputy CEO of West Midlands Ambulance Service, said:
“It is now more important than ever that we remember and pay tribute to those who lost their lives while serving the general public, as sadly we have lost a number of our ambulance community due to the Coronavirus.”
Karl Demian, TASC’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“In the past, many people have told us how much they appreciated having something like the memorial service to pay their respects and that they felt privileged to attend. I am proud that TASC can, once again, host the National Ambulance Memorial event and we are working hard to ensure it takes place as safely as possible and in line with all current guidance.”
As well as the memorial service, TASC holds a Roll of Honour which will be read out during the memorial service. The Roll of Honour is currently hosted on TASC’s website where colleagues, friends and loved ones can post tributes and photos of ambulance staff members who have passed away. TASC’s Roll of Honour is available to view here.