Last week, more than a hundred people from all over the country attended a moving national memorial service to honour the ambulance staff past and present who have sadly died in the past 12 months.
The service, held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, is an Act of Remembrance in tribute to those staff past and present who died in the last 12 months who worked or were working for the ambulance services in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar.
The service was attended by over 150 people including representatives of ambulance services, retirement associations, the Independent Ambulance Association, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), charities, trade unions, and relatives and colleagues of ambulance personnel recognised on the Roll of Honour.
This year’s event saw a more low-key programme following the sad passing of Her Majesty The Queen. The service began with a message from Daren Mochrie, CEO of North West Ambulance Service and Chair of the AACE, followed by a poignant ceremony featuring hymns, prayers and readings; representatives also lit memorial candles to pay tribute to their ambulance colleagues.
Following the ceremony, attendees made their way down to the official Ambulance Memorial Garden where they gathered to lay wreaths and hear the reading of the Roll of Honour which featured the names of the 65 ambulance staff members who passed away in the last year. The names were read out by Jason Killens, CEO of Welsh Ambulance, and Julia Williams from the College of Paramedics. Click here to see the full service programme.
The event has been organised, funded and hosted by TASC The Ambulance Staff Charity, since the charity’s creation in 2015, however the memorial service has been taking place every two years since the memorial garden opened in 2004.
Karl Demian, TASC’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“It is a privilege for TASC to host this national event to pay tribute to those who were or had worked for the ambulance service. Many people have told us how much they appreciated having the memorial service to pay their respects to remember their friends, colleagues and family. I am proud that TASC has once again hosted a fitting tribute for the ambulance staff no longer with us.”
Visit the event photo gallery