FIREFIGHTERS from across the county have been honoured for their long and distinguished service at an awards ceremony.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service held their second awards night of the year after splitting the event into two, held at two different locations.

The first was held at Worcester’s Guildhall last month for those living in Worcestershire. Herefordshire residents attended Hereford Town Hall on Friday.

This was to help cut down the travelling time for recipients and their families.

At the Herefordshire event Long Service Good Conduct Medals for 20 years’ service were awarded to three firefighters, two crew managers, one station manager and one group manager.

These included firefighter Jim Cochran of Malvern, station manager Mark Strutt of Worcester and group manager Mick Cadman of service headquarters at Worcester.

Long service awards for 30 years’ service were also presented to one firefighter and two watch managers.

These included watch manager Yvonne Eaton from fire control at Worcester and watch manager Mick Rowlands of Kidderminster.

Chief officer Mark Yates presented Jacqueline O’Mahony, houses of multiple occupation and enforcement officer with Herefordshire Council, with the chief officer’s letter of appreciation for her outstanding work with the service and other organisations in relation to protecting the most vulnerable members of Herefordshire communities from fire.

CFO Yates said: “The awards ceremony has been held annually to celebrate the exceptional talents and commitment of our staff and firefighters, and this is a tradition I am keen to continue.

“It is a chance for a wide range of people to receive official recognition for their efforts and with so many personnel reaching long service milestones this year, we decided to hold separate ceremonies in Herefordshire and Worcestershire to avoid having to rush through the evening to get each award presented.”

As at the Worcestershire awards ceremony, he congratulated everyone who received an award, and said: “I’d like to thank all recipients for their continued enthusiasm and professionalism in their respective roles, and also their families, whose support makes such a difference but often goes unrecognised.”

Also present at the Herefordshire awards were the mayor of Hereford Anna Toon, chairman of Herefordshire Council John Stone and High Sheriff of Herefordshire and Worcestershire Elizabeth Hunter.

CFO Yates thanked them for supporting the event, and also expressed his thanks to Lady Susan Darnley and Brigadier Peter Jones for their part in presenting the awards.