Emergency services honoured on 999 day

Sunderland will fly the flag to commemorate Emergency Services Day today.

At 9 am, on the ninth day of the ninth month, the 999-Emergency Services Day flag will be raised above the Civic Centre, as public buildings across the country fly the flag to show their appreciation for emergency service workers.

People are also invited to join in a two-minute silence honouring all those who have lost their lives in service.

It comes after the pandemic has seen months of heightened awareness of the important role emergency services workers play and the risks they face in carrying out their jobs.

This is the third consecutive year of this annual commemoration launched by the charity National Emergency Services Memorial in 2017.

The charity aims to raise public awareness of the work and sacrifice of all those involved, and to raise money to build a permanent, national monument honouring more than 7,000 people who have died trying to help others, which is now in progress.

Emergency Services Day is also designed to promote the work of the emergency services, share community safety messages and encourage more people to volunteer in roles ranging from special constables and retained firefighters, to RNLI/ Coastguard crew and NHS community responders. The Mayor of Sunderland, Cllr David Snowdon, said: "This year it feels more important than ever that we show our appreciation for our NHS and emergency services workers.”