West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service honours staff at awards ceremony

The awards event was held online this year due to Covid-19.

Gavin Twinn from Haywards Heath was presented with a medal for 20 years’ service, as was Neil Holland from East Grinstead.

Ivor Henley from Burgess Hill was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award, having retired in September after an amazing 48 years of service.

The Shining Star Award went to Lucy Stout from Haywards Heath.

The Operational Training Team was named Team of the Year and the The Community/Parham House Award went to The FC20 Project Team.

Debi Booker was awarded the Charity Champion title, with Robin Dobbs winning Volunteer of the Year.

For the first time the fire service also presented two new awards for exceptional service during Covid-19.

Those went to the Workshops Maintenance Team with the individual award to Simon Boyling

Chief Fire Officer Sabrina Cohen-Hatton said: “Due to Covid-19 we have had to hold the ceremony in a different way this year and to hold the event online. Nothing was going to stop us celebrating the achievements of staff – especially during a year in which so many have stepped up to find solutions to problems they could never have foreseen.

“Listening to the citations of each of the award recipients made me incredibly proud to think just how much each of these individuals has given to the service over the course of their many years’ service. I was very humbled to hear about the journeys that many of them have been on within the fire service to reach where they are today, and I was so pleased we were able to share this ceremony as one fire family together.”