On Friday 5th September Mrs Olivia Winterton DL represented the Lord-Lieutenant at the Emergency Services Day (999 Day) Flag Raising Ceremony by kind invitation of the Chair of Somerset Council and the Mayor of Taunton.
Chief Inspector Rebecca Wells-Cole spoke on behalf of the Emergency services, both statutory and voluntary, some of whom were in attendance. The Senior Force Chaplain of Avon & Somerset Police, Fr Stephen Walters led the ceremony and read the Emergency Services Prayer of Thanksgiving after a two-minute silence in remembrance of emergency service personnel who have died or been injured in the course of their duties.
This annual event hosted by Somerset Council provides the opportunity to recognise the vital role our emergency service personnel play in keeping us safe, often giving freely of their time and energy in service to others.
Afterwards there was time to talk to some of those attending the ceremony from St John’s Ambulance, the RNLI, Somerset Accident Voluntary Emergency Services (SAVES), as well as two mounted Police Officers on impeccably turned-out horses who had travelled down from the Police Horse Stables at Wilfred Fuller VC Operational Training Centre in Clevedon.
The work of these remarkable men and women – professionals and volunteers alike – reminds us of the strength of community, and of the quiet bravery that so often goes unseen.
In a statement today, the Lord–Lieutenant, Mr Mohammed Saddiq, said:
“We should never take for granted the selfless duty and the bravery of our emergency services. Every single day they answer calls they cannot predict yet always respond to.
Frequently they put their lives on the line to protect ours. Somerset owes much to these men and women. So today (September 9th) on Emergency Services Day let us all just pause for a while to honour the quiet bravery of our emergency services.
Let us not only thank them but also resolve to support them because their service keeps us all safe every day.”
