AMBULANCE staff faced a bucket full or ice water instead of their beds after a 12-hour shift in one of the busiet emergency service control rooms in the country.

A total of 24 members of staff from West Midlands Ambulance Service base in Brierley Hill, including four from Worcester, one from Stourport and one from Kidderminster, doused themselves with the water as part of the new charity craze the Ice Bucket Challenge.

The staff, from the Emergency Operations Control Team One, clocked off after their 12-hour shift at 7am this morning to face the icy challenge in their uniform before heading to bed.

Rob Kelly, EOC duty manager at the Millennium Point control room, led the team of 24 out to the car park after work.

Jeremy Brown, EOC general manager, said: “This morning’s ice bucket challenge was a real team effort from the Trust’s control room staff across both sites and they should be really proud of their achievement. Well done.”

Started in the US, the ice bucket challenge has raised £48 million in less than a month for ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), known as motor neurone disease (MND) in the UK. The disease affects the brain and the spinal cord causing motor neurones to degenerate and die, leading to gradual paralysis and eventually death.

In challenge tradition, the soaked staff members nominated more people to take on the icy water to raise awareness and donate to the MND cause.

The only question now is, will the nominated people take on the challenge?

Well done to all the control room staff for completing the challenge and donating to the UK Motor Neurone Disease Association. To donate, text ICED55 and then the amount you want to donate to 70070 or visit mndassociation.org.