AN Addingham man has been named volunteer of the year by Yorkshire Ambulance Service in recognition of his commitment and dedication as a community first responder.

Alan Davies received the award at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service We Care Awards 2014 in York, which celebrate those who have gone the extra mile for patients and colleagues.

Three new awards were created this year including Volunteer of the Year which recognises a committed and dedicated volunteer who has been instrumental in making a significant impact to patient care.

Guests were told that Mr Davies had been a Community First Responder (CFR) for almost 10 years. He was a founder member of the Addingham CFR scheme committing hundreds of hours to being on call each year to assist patients in the community prior to the arrival of the ambulance.

And the citation added: "In addition to this Alan is also the coordinator of that scheme which means that he dedicates even more of his own time to organising and supporting other volunteers. This includes mentoring new volunteers and giving them the confidence to respond on their own.

"Alan has been instrumental in setting up the Heartstart scheme in Addingham which has delivered Basic Life Support training to hundreds of people in the local area. Alan is extremely proactive in fundraising for AEDs (automated external defibrillators) in community and there are now five Public Access AEDs in the small community of Addingham.

"The CFR scheme also trains youngsters in the local school so that every child leaves with knowledge of Basic Life Support.

"Alan embodies the ethos of volunteering and we are proud to say that he is part of Yorkshire Ambulance Service.”