Burnham-On-Sea paramedic and international volunteer Nich Woolf has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the New Year’s Honours announced today.
Nich hit the headlines this year when he became stranded in one of the world’s remotest – but COVID-free-communities, where he was working as an emergency medicine volunteer.
He is a long-serving member and trustee of Somerset-based Festival Medical Services, which run the Medical Services at the Glastonbury and Reading music festivals and raise money for medical causes in the UK and around the world.
Nich originally travelled from his Burnham-On-Sea home to the Pacific nation of Vanuatu in February to work with emergency ambulance crews and should have been back by April, but the country closed its borders to preserve its virus-free status.
He eventually made it home in mid-October – after enlisting the help of the British High Commissioner to renew his expired passport and secure him a precious seat on a cargo plane leaving the main island of Santo.
During his time on Santo Nich helped the local people recover from category-five tropical cyclone Harold whose 190 miles per hour winds bore down on the country in March destroying villages and homes in its wake.
The country’s 80 islands – three-hours flying time from Australia – are prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, but Nich, aged 67, who retired last year from the Welsh Ambulance Service, is no stranger to challenging working conditions.
He has previously made four trips to Afghanistan to provide essential training for hospital staff in emergency medicine and the use of life-saving equipment. And last year he volunteered as a paramedic in Haiti – one of the most dangerous societies on earth.
Nich told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “I have always believed in using my skills to help other people keep safe and have fun – as at Glastonbury Festival – or to help them improve their own skills and ability to keep their local population safe and well.”
“I have been fortunate to have been able to travel widely and have learnt as much from meeting people from other countries and cultures as ever they have learnt from me.”
“I am very pleased to receive this totally unexpected recognition for my contribution.”
“What I’d like to see most as we go into 2021 is the same as everyone else – the back of COVID-19 – so we could start planning for Glastonbury and Reading and all the other live events that FMS supports – and start bringing in funds again for the world-wide medical charities and projects we champion. That would make me happier still.”
Festival Medical Services was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service earlier this year, as we reported here.
Festival Medical Services celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019 and had raised more than £1m for small-scale medical projects around the world before this year’s lockdown halted its work and fund-raising.
