A valuable member of the Wales Air Ambulance staff has shared how he will be spending Christmas at work this year in Welshpool.
While many of us will be spending Christmas Day tucking into the turkey and enjoying a festive tipple with family and friends, many of the frontline staff on board Wales Air Ambulance, such as Simon Cartwright, will be spending their day working.
For the Wales Air Ambulance, Christmas is very much a “normal day” at work, but with an extra bit of festive sparkle and camaraderie.
Critical Care Practitioner (CCP), Simon Cartwright, will be spending both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day working at the Wales Air Ambulance’s base in Welshpool.
It will be his first Christmas working for the Wales Air Ambulance, having joined the Charity two years ago, and he said he is looking forward to working with the team. Christmas Day for him will start like any other operational shift but with a bit of festive morale from his colleagues.
OTHER NEWS:
- In pictures: Recognise any familiar faces from Powys life from the 1970s?
- Boyfriend hid in bathroom while police arrested 'hysterical' drunk girlfriend
- Letter: Powys politicians failed ‘to step up to the plate’ after a decade
“Like any other day, we will check the medical kit and equipment to ensure we are ready for the day and prepare the aircraft and rapid response vehicle. The day very much depends on whether we will be dispatched to anyone who needs us across Wales,” said Simon.
“We are planning on making a team Christmas roast dinner and will be eating plenty of mince pies.
“Extra efforts are made at Christmas to increase morale. We have our Christmas tree up and we do a ‘Secret Santa’ on base.
“It’s my first Christmas with the Wales Air Ambulance so I’m looking forward to working with the team. There’s always good camaraderie. We are a small team which thrives on supporting each other.”
The crew will be waiting in the wings to help those in need across Wales and “will do all that they can to turn what might be the worst day of somebody’s life into a better outcome”.
Simon will work a 12-hour day from 8am to 8pm and will be spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day evenings with his girlfriend, her family and also his own family.
“I will hopefully have some Christmas leftovers when I go home on both days - I love a Christmas dinner,” added Simon.
“I have Boxing Day off so will have a good catch up properly with everyone then. For me, the best part of working at Christmas is knowing that we are here to help someone in their time of need.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here