Theatre Severn hosted a long service and good conduct awards ceremony last night (Monday 2 October) for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) staff.
Honoured on the night were 42 recipients of the Long Service and Good Conduct, presented to employees in recognition of 20, 30 or 40 years of exemplary service.
Before presenting the medals Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire, Mrs Anna Turner JP, said:
“Tonight is all about you, thanking you and celebrating what you have done. Thanking you for your dedication and achievement which is just incredible. My thanks to you for going over and above what is required of you”
Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire, Mrs Anna Turner JP, presents Simon Griffiths with his 40 Year Long Service Award
Miniature medals for family members of serving firefighters were presented by Councillor David Minnery, Chair of Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority.
Councillor David Minnery with Rachel George and Crew Manager Ian George
This was the first Medal Ceremony Simon Hardiman had attended as Chief Fire Officer after taking up the role in January 2023, and he opened the evening by saying:
“It’s a real pleasure to be stood in front of you tonight as Chief Fire Officer. This is an opportunity to celebrate together because as a Service we are good at being critical of ourselves, but it’s important we take the time to celebrate our achievements as well.
I’m so proud to be in an organisation with such good people.”
Chief Fire Officer Simon Hardiman
The High Sheriff’s Good Citizen Award is given to an individual or group that has made a substantial contribution to society. This year, Katy Lowe from Fire Control was honoured for her work developing and running the Service’s retired network which enriches the lives of the members as well as maintaining links to the Service to which they dedicated their careers.
High Sheriff of Shropshire, Mrs Mandy Thorn MBE DL, with Fire Control Officer Katy Lowe
Group Manager Alec Thomas and Watch Manager Rob Simcox were recipients of the Telent Charity Shield following incredible efforts to raise money for the Firefighters Charity and MacMillan Cancer Support by cycling 1000 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
Together, with Russ Brown from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, they raised an incredible £5000.
The Dave Bishton Challenge Shield goes to the fire station or department that has raised the most money for The Firefighters Charity. The award went to Ludlow Fire Station this year for their incredible fundraising efforts.
Interested in joining one of our on-call fire stations like Ludlow? SFRS are always recruiting on-call firefighters around the County. If you would like to know more about this challenging, exciting and rewarding role, visit: shropshirefire.gov.uk/on-call
