Wokingham

Local volunteers who come into their own in an emergency have received recognition in the second round of bursary awards from Wokingham District Council’s community resilience team.

At a special presentation on Tuesday September 26, representatives from SEBEV Search and Rescue (formerly South East Berkshire Emergency Volunteers) and WRVS received the second Adrian Harris Bursary, funding a place at the Emergency Planning College in Easingwold.

Adrian Harris was emergency planning officer at Wokingham council from February 2001 until April 2005 when he sadly died after a five-year battle with cancer. The community resilience team at the council decided to form the bursary fund in his name, in line with the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 which sets up a working partnership between local authorities and the various voluntary agencies involved in a major incident or emergency.

Wokingham council receives a grant from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, designed to encourage mutual support between local authorities and voluntary agencies for the benefit of the community. The bursary aims to meet that challenge, allowing the recipients to attend training courses at the Cabinet Office’s Emergency Planning College in Easingwold, Yorkshire, equipping them with the knowledge they need as responders to an emergency.

Council chairman Wokingham Cllr Angus Ross, who presented each of the recipients with their bursary certificates, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed meeting these people who offer such valuable voluntary support and assistance in emergency situations.

“This bursary is a very worthwhile way to remember a colleague and I know that the recipients will benefit greatly from attending the college at Easingwold.”

Recipients of the bursary were Carole Rose of the WRVS and Neil Tamsitt of SEBEV Search and Rescue. Carole will be attending ‘Managing the Care of People in an Emergency’ and Neil will be attending ‘Business Continuity Management’.

Any member of a voluntary agency in the Wokingham district is welcome to apply for the next round of bursaries from April 2007. Details are available from assistant community resilience officer Deb Brown on (0118) 974 6473.

Wokingham District Council