Courage and tenacity among police and firefighters have been rewarded at an awards ceremony near York.
North Yorkshire police and fire services met to honour exceptional public service at an annual awards event.
The evening saw fifteen different categories of winners announced, with Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe, Chief Constable Lisa Winward, and Chief Fire Officer Jonathan Dyson hosting the evening.
Commissioner Metcalfe said: "The awards are designed to recognise and celebrate exceptional service to the public and provide inspiration for people inside and outside of the services who want to do their part as well.
"My congratulations go to everyone. I am very proud of all the wonderful work being done by both the winners and nominees."
Chief Constable Lisa Winward was hosting the evening for the last time, ahead of her forthcoming retirement.
Ms Winward said: "The evening encompassed all that I have seen over my career with the force, the absolute devotion to duty, the commitment and the drive of all our officers, staff and volunteers to do their very best for the people of North Yorkshire.
"I am immensely proud of their achievements."
Among the long list of winners were:
PC Gemma Churchward
Winning the unsung hero of the year award, PC Churchward was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis nearly a decade ago. She took up running and has participated in multiple long-distance running events, raising many thousands of pounds for charity along the way.
Gemma has recently been diagnosed with cancer, and although surgery did limit her running and charity efforts, in between chemo sessions, she's been running and walking as much as she can.
A police spokesperson said: "Aside from post-operative recovery, Gemma consistently works to an incredibly high standard. She embodies the tenacity, courage, and dedication to duty that only a true unsung hero can have."
Mike Bielby
Winning the volunteer of the year award, Mike Bielby has offered his services to North Yorkshire Police for 27 years. In his time, he's assisted with the rural watch, community speed watch, micro-volunteering, neighbourhood support, and more.
North Yorkshire Police said: "Every force needs a Mike Bielby, we are just lucky he has chosen North Yorkshire Police to be his second home for the past 27 years."
Sergeant John Pepper of Richmond Response Team won the coveted Public Choice Award, voted for by members of the public.
John is an acting sergeant on our response team based in Richmond and was nominated several times by his team to go forward to the public vote.
In their nominations, his team described him as: “An exceptional role model, his professional competence and leadership is something to admire and learn from.
"Sergeant Pepper's breadth of policing knowledge and his ability not to flail under pressure is a testament to his character.
He embodies North Yorkshire Police’s ethics and values in everything he does."
Special Constable Ezequiel Gomez Balaguer (Ez) has been awarded the Glenn Goodman Memorial Trophy, awarded each year in memory of Special Constable Glenn Goodman who was murdered while on duty in 1992.
In the past 12 months he has attended almost 100 operational duties including 39 concerns for safety, 22 domestic violence incidents, 10 missing person enquiries and 22 suspicious activity reports.
He also plays a active role in promoting the Special Constabulary, fronting recruitment campaigns, attending awareness sessions for prospective new officers and mentoring Special Constabulary student officers.
Special Constables are voluntary police officers who give up their own time to keep their communities safe. They have the same powers and uniform as regular police officers. Their history can be traced back 100s of years.
Elizabeth Parry won the Student Police Officer of the Year Award. She is described as an outstanding officer who completes work way beyond her level of service and is kind and considerate in everything she does.
A trio from Skipton's Craven response team won the bravery award. In August 2022 Police Constables Dave Burgess, Joanne Ollerenshaw and a third colleague found an extremely violent and aggressive man holding a knife and despite discharging a Taser twice, it failed to stop him.
The man continued his violent onslaught towards the officers, but the officers continued to keep the public safe from harm.
Speaking on the night, PC Burgess said: "This incident was very close to becoming one with a different outcome. I am truly thankful that all three of us are here to tell the tale."
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