WORCESTERSHIRE’S fire service is looking to recruit volunteers who can help support its efforts to promote a broad range of safety initiatives in local communities.

Community Volunteers are ordinary people from all walks of life who want to make a difference within their local community, helping to reduce the risk to those most at risk.

Keri Moreman’s extraordinary dedication saw him named the High Sheriff of Herefordshire’s Community Volunteer of the Year at the Service’s annual awards in 2018.

Keri, who lives in Evesham and is 73, gave 544 hours as a volunteer last year and has racked up 1,370 hours in total since signing up in 2015.

But Keri’s history as a firefighter goes back much further.

He first joined the Auxiliary Fire Service in 1963 where he stayed for two years. He was a retained firefighter at Worcester, then moved on to work in Fire Control before becoming a full-time firefighter in 1973.

He retired from the Service in 1999 but that was far from the end of his working life.

“I was only 53 and I thought ‘I’ve got to do something’ so I got a job working for Railtrack as a signalman at Norton Junction,” he said. “I did that until 2010.

“Then, in 2015, I saw the advert for being a fire service volunteer and thought that I had the right background, so I applied, had an interview and was taken on.

“I’m so glad that I did – it’s been very rewarding.”

Keri’s role as a volunteer involves him in a wide variety of activities.

“I give fire safety talks, I attend fire station open days, fetes and lots of other public events,” he said.

“I get cut of cars as practice for wholetime and on-call firefighters, although I’m leaving that to the younger ones a bit more now."

To volunteer, call 0800 032 1155 or email volunteer@hwfire.org.uk