CELEBRATIONS Double royal date as Nigel collects medal

A CARDIFF-BASED senior member of the Welsh Ambulance Service had a brush with two different types of Welsh royalty when being awarded the Queen’s Ambulance Service Medal in London.

Nigel Rees, the trust’s head of research and innovation, has spoken of his pride after being presented with his medal by Prince Charles at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

It comes after he was recognised in the New Year’s Honours List 2017 for exemplary service.

As well as the Prince of Wales, Nigel also had a chance encounter with Wales football boss Chris Coleman, who was there on the same day to collect his OBE after guiding Wales on an incredible Euro 2016 journey.

On the celebratory occasion, Nigel said: “To be honest I felt as though I was representing my colleagues more than anything. It was nice to be recognised for helping to develop paramedic practice.Prince Charles was really nice and he said congratulations to me in Welsh. He asked me how long I’d been with the service for, what roles I’ve been in, and about some of the trials we’re doing.

“I told him that research was flourishing and he said it was even better to hear that it’s happening in Wales. It’s a good example of education paying off.”

Nigel – who attended the ceremony with his wife Rebecca, son Lloyd and daughter Ffion – joined the ambulance service in 1989 as a cadet with Powys Ambulance Service before progressing to patient care services and then becoming an emergency medical technician, working at various locations across South Powys. He returned to his home of Ystradgynlais as a paramedic in 1993.

On meeting Wales boss Coleman, Nigel said: “I went over and had a chat with him for about half an hour. He was lovely. He’s lived round the world and he said until you go elsewhere to live you don’t realise how important the NHS is.”

Nigel now works as head of research and innovation at the Trust, based in Cardiff, and is also working towards his PhD.