Colleagues from across Nottinghamshire came together on Tuesday 24 March 2026 to honour staff and volunteers with between 10 and 40 years of service to East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) and the wider NHS.
In total, those recognised this year represent more than 1,000 years of combined service – reflecting the experience, professionalism and care colleagues bring to people across the region every day.
A moment to celebrate and reflect
Addressing colleagues at the event, Ben Holdaway, Director of Operations at EMAS, spoke about the scale of the milestones being marked.
Ben said: “I absolutely love coming along to these events. It’s amazing to spend time recognising what is such a significant achievement. Just looking at the people in the room, there are nearly 500 years of service represented today.
“When you think about the difference that represents for people and communities over that time, it’s immense – and that’s just those who are here. This is something we can all be incredibly proud of.”
Greg Cox, Divisional Director for Nottinghamshire at EMAS, reflected on the shared purpose that runs through long-serving teams.
Greg said: “Every time I come to one of these occasions, it genuinely warms your heart. You’re reminded that we’re all here for the same reason – our patients. And to do that well, we must support and look after each other.
“That support doesn’t stop with those who work at EMAS. It includes partners, friends and families too. We couldn’t do this without that wider network, and their contribution matters just as much.”
Award recipients
While not everyone was able to attend the event, the following colleagues were recognised for reaching a long service milestone:
10 years
- Adam Farndon
- Amy-Marie Tongue
- Barbara Robinson
- Chella Bell
- Daniel Patrick
- Daniel Hurst
- Daniel Wragg
- Darren Walker
- Gareth Simons
- Jack Dickenson
- Jake Marriott
- James Veevers
- James Machin
- Jason Glover
- Joanne Goodwill
- Jonathan Kirk
- Katie Rodgers
- Kylie Raspin
- Martin Hirst
- Matthew Marshall
- Michael Bramley
- Natalie Butler
- Rachel Breheney
- Shannon Holmes
- Simon Rourke
- Thomas Palframan
- Vicki Hopkins
20 years
- Adrian Ford-Simms
- Cheryl Potter
- Danielle Gullett-Smith
- Darren Griffiths
- David Lefevre
- Ian Linley
- Jacqueline Spate
- Jeremy Sabin
- Josie Ball
- Karen James
- Katherine Hughes
- Kerry Peet
- Kevin Cornell
- Kevin Topliss
- Louise Gough
- Marcus Bryan
- Mark Pepper
- Nicola Mullen
- Nicola Stewart
- Paul Hourigan
- Paul Marlow
- Paul Prehn
- Peter Hibbitt
- Rachael Bailey
- Rebecca Ireland
- Simon Littler
- Wayne Szeniawski
30 years
- Bruce Marriott
- Mark Odam
- Mark Smith
40 years
- Gareth Dyer
Retirees
- Andrew Scott
- Brian Pepper
- Graham Sutton
- Mark Haywood
- Martin Judson
- Neil Franklin
Staff stories
As the event came to an end, we had the chance to speak with some of the individuals being recognised for their years of service, hearing first-hand about their experiences, motivations, and what working at EMAS has meant to them.
Jake Marriott
Over the past decade, Jake has been building his career at EMAS, starting as a volunteer Community First Responder before progressing to Emergency Care Assistant and now a fully qualified Paramedic.
What has remained consistent throughout that journey is his commitment to the communities he serves. Alongside his frontline role, Jake continues to volunteer locally, responding to emergencies close to home and helping strengthen connection between the ambulance service and the people it supports.
Jake said: “What’s kept me going is the chance to keep learning and developing, and to work alongside people who really care about what they do.
“I knew pretty early on that EMAS was the place for me – we’ve got a great team, and I was lucky to work regularly with someone who became a close friend. When you’re surrounded by people who are that dedicated and supportive, it makes you want to keep improving too.
“Alongside my role, I still volunteer in my local area. Being able to help people close to home really matters to me, and my family are incredibly supportive and proud of what I do – that makes a huge difference.
“Ultimately, I hope people feel a sense of relief when we arrive. Knowing you’ve helped someone, even in a small way, stays with you.”
Kylie Raspin
For over a decade, Kylie has built a varied and influential career at EMAS, working across frontline care, education and specialist mental health roles.
Driven by curiosity, compassion and a strong belief in patient-centred care, she has continually sought opportunities to learn and contribute in different ways, while keeping the focus firmly on the people she serves.
Kylie said: “Through teaching and mentoring, I’ve always wanted to help people feel more confident in their learning and better prepared for the realities of patient care. That’s something that’s really important to me.
“Education felt like a natural progression, but I also wanted to return to frontline work to keep building experience and stay connected to patients. At the heart of everything we do is the patient, and that never changes.
“We’re often there on one of the worst days of someone’s life, and if we can make that day a little easier through kindness, listening and compassion, that really matters.
“Alongside my operational role, I completed my degree focussing on how we support and assess students, with the aim of improving how future clinicians are prepared for frontline care. I loved exploring how learning and evidence can translate into better care for patients.
“If I can make someone’s day a little easier, then it’s been a good day.”
Mark Odam
With more than 30 years of service, Mark has been at the forefront of change in how the ambulance service supports patients beyond hospital care.
Long before close working with local GP surgeries and community health teams became routine, he was helping to build relationships and find better ways to support people in their own communities.
Mark said: “When I started, we were very much focussed on emergency care. If someone didn’t need to go to hospital, there often wasn’t much else we could do. Over time, that had to change.
“I was involved early on in working more closely with local GPs and community teams, particularly around supporting people who didn’t necessarily need hospital care but did need help. At that point, there weren’t formal pathways – it was about building relationships, having conversations and doing what was right for the patient.
“That way of working changed how I approached care. Instead of seeing things as ‘hospital or nothing’, we started looking at the whole person – what their normal day looked like, what support they had, and who else could help keep them safe.
“A lot of what we were doing then laid the foundations for how things work now. Having those partnerships in place has made a real difference for patients.
“Throughout my career, I’ve tried to maintain my own standards, keep listening to experience and keeping moving forward. That’s something I’ve always believed in.”
Our Nottinghamshire event offered a powerful reminder of the experience, care and commitment colleagues bring to EMAS every day – and of the many different careers that together make up more than 1,000 years of service across the county.