Firefighters and staff remembered in new memorial

A new memorial is set to be unveiled to remember Staffordshire firefighters and staff who sadly passed away in service.

The memorial, which is situated at our HQ on Pirehill Lane, Stone, will be unveiled at 2pm on Friday 30 May.

The unveiling will include a short ceremony, live music in the garden and a buffet. The relatives, friends and colleagues of those included on the memorial are invited to the event.

The stone has been funded through a series of fundraising efforts and thanks to an innovative design by William Emery and Sons, the stone can be easily removed and amended.

Lead Trainer Matt Wade led on the project. He said: “The original idea for the project came about after I contacted Chief Fire Officer Rob Barber regarding plaques for two colleagues and friends, Alec Elwell and Al Taylor.

“Then, we discussed creating something to remember all of our colleagues who have sadly died in service, and the idea for the memorial came to fruition.

“We’re keen to spread the word to the relatives and friends of those included on the memorial to invite them to this event in recognition of their loved ones.”

CFO Barber said: “We are so grateful to everyone who has volunteered their time, expertise and fundraising efforts towards the construction of the stone and memorial garden.

“Thanks to the generosity of those who volunteered their time and energy, we exceeded all fundraising targets and installed the memorial at a fraction of the cost of the commercial quotes we originally obtained.

“Additional funds raised will be used to improve the garden, making it a quiet and tranquil place for staff and relatives to remember friends and family.”

Those remembered on the memorial are: David Mason, Stuart Moss, Surrinder Mahal, David Smith, Christopher Poole, Kevin Bowcock, Alan George, Peter Harrison, Richard Graham, James Lambert, Jennifer Jones, Michael Bielawski, Paul Timmins, Robert Clark, Lee Brown, Mark Hancock, Christopher Dowding, Alex Taylor, Gary Bowcock, Peter Andrews, Alec Elwell, James Morris, Dave Hill, Rob Watts and Will Stevens.

Relatives, friends and colleagues of the individuals included on the memorial are welcome to attend the event and are asked to register their attendance in advance using the following form Staff Memorial Unveiling