First Responder Team Receive Community Award

The Five Villages First Responder team have received an award from Misterton Parish Council in recognition of the work they do within the local community.

The Community Responders have been presented with the Citizen of the Year award for the help they have given to people in Misterton and surrounding communities over the past 10 years. The award was presented to them by Pauline Tagg, the Chairman of East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), at the recent Misterton Annual Parish Meeting.

Group Coordinator, Martyn Johnson, said: "It was a big surprise for the team to win this award; we did not even know that a nomination had been made. So thank you to those who did nominate and vote for Five Villages First Responders for this fantastic award. The team of Community Responders put in hundreds of hours of their time each year on a voluntary basis to be on call, and to attend training and events, therefore it is very nice for Misterton Parish Council to recognise this and present the team as Citizens of the Year. Thank you very much, from all of the team."

The responders work in partnership with EMAS and are dispatched by them to certain 999 calls within the local area, where the on duty Community First Responder can arrive and give care until the arrival of the ambulance. They have attended over 1,800 call outs in total since 2004.

Speaking after the awards Mary Spier, EMAS North Division Community Response Manager said: "I am so proud of the Misterton Community Responders for winning this award and it is well deserved. The group are completely committed to delivering care to their community and the surrounding area and have done so for the last 10 years."