HEREFORDSHIRE'S fire service heroes were celebrated at a special awards ceremony where their bravery and commitment was recognised in front of family, peers and civil dignitaries.

Medals were presented by the Dowager Countess of Darnley, the Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire; Daniel Hone DL, the High Sheriff of Herefordshire; Roger Phillips, Chair of the Fire Authority, and Chief Fire Officer Nathan Travis at Hereford Town Hall on November 16.

Nathan Travis said: "Without the exceptional talents and commitment of our staff, there wouldn’t be the high quality fire and rescue service we have in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

“The ceremony honours long and meritorious service, as well as the demonstration of exemplary commitment to training and roles in the Service.

“HWFRS also acknowledges the often unrecognised, but invaluable, support our staff receive from their families and loved ones.”

The 'Silver Axe' award for best on-call firefighter went to Darryn Edwards from Eardisley, who combines his role with his job at Herefordshire Meats.

Darryn said: "“I feel very honoured to receive the award and am really grateful for all the support the Eardisley crew and my family have given me during my training.”

His employer, Sean Greves-Jones, said: “Our congratulations go Darryn. The on-call firefighters play a vital role in the safety of our communities in Herefordshire. As an employer I am happy to enable Darryn to be a part of this important service, and accommodate within the business his commitment to training and attending incidents – it’s all for the good of our village and the county.”

The 'Long Service and Good Conduct' medal was awarded to Watch Commander Andrew Bradley from Kingsland, Firefighter Mark East from Ewyas Harold, Watch Commander Abigail James from Hereford, Firefighter Martin Morgan from Ross on Wye and Firefighter Robert Vickress from Leintwardine.

All five were given the award on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen for completing twenty years of service.

Watch Commander James said: “21 years ago, I followed my dad into the Fire and Rescue Service and am proud to be at the same rank and milestone that he was when he finished. I never imagined I’d serve for more than 20 years, first in a support role, then as an on-call firefighter, and now as a unit Watch Commander.”

Firefighter Andrew Cross from Kingsland and Firefighter Chris Ellsum from Hereford took home the Thirty Years' Service Award.

The High Sheriff of Herefordshire presented the Community Volunteer of the Year Award to Keri Moreman who has given 1,289 voluntary hours to the Fire and Rescue Service since 2015.

The HWFRS Community Risk Team and West Mercia Police Harm Hub won Chief Fire Officer’s Certificate of Commendation for performing beyond normal expectations when dealing with 1,000 incidents involving vulnerable people across the county.

The team at Hereford Fire Station were crowned winners of Fundraiser of the Year Award for raising more than £1,000 at a single open day for the Fire Fighters Charity.