Traditional festive lunch for Ambulance Service staff working Christmas day

WELSH Ambulance Service staff and volunteers working on Christmas day were served a traditional festive lunch again this year thanks to a host of hospitality businesses.

Twenty-four pubs, hotels and restaurants from across Wales have generously agreed to prepare delicious Christmas meals for over 700 members of staff and volunteers as a goodwill gesture for those working on December 25.

Colleagues and volunteers from across more than 80 ambulance stations, clinical contact centres and other environments working a day shift got to enjoy a lunch, some of which had been provided completely free of charge.

It included staff in the emergency medical service, non-emergency patient transport service, make ready depots, operational delivery unit and clinical contact centres, including in NHS 111 Wales and on the Trust’s clinical support desk.

Judith Bryce, Assistant Director of Operations, said: “We’ve been organising Christmas lunches for the last few years now and they’re always gratefully received.

“Once again, we’re enormously grateful to all the pubs, hotels and restaurants who have kindly agreed to support us – it means a huge deal.

“As an ambulance service, we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, which means that not everyone will be able to enjoy a Christmas dinner at home with their loved ones.

“This is a small gesture to thank our people on Christmas day, and I hope it demonstrates on behalf of the organisation and our patients how grateful we are to colleagues for the service they provide.”

The Trust is also sending gift vouchers to stations, offices and clinical contact centres to enable colleagues to purchase festive treats.

This initiative – in partnership with Tesco – has been once again funded via the Trust’s Charitable Funds.