A Leek Fire Officer has been nominated for a prestigious award.
Fire officer John Berrisford has served Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service for 33 years – and now he’s received the Royal seal of approval for his good conduct, loyalty and devotion to duty.
John, who is currently the Business Support Lead, based at Leek Fire Station, has received his 30-year service clasp, an honour which recognises firefighters and control staff for dedication to their careers in the fire and rescue service and the communities in which they serve.
Since 2022 the long service clasps have been approved by the Monarch and given the Royal Warrant. The clasp and rosette are added to the Fire Service Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, which John was awarded in 2012.
Much of John’s current work involves supporting and mentoring start-up businesses and he is also on the Board of Directors of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce where he is a business mentor.
He was named IIRSM Mentor of the Year in 2020 and received a Top 10 Enterprise Nation Advisors award from Experian in 2018, which led to John being named as the top advisor in his professional category. John is currently an enterprise advisor at Endon High School and a member of both the Dove Service and Caverswall Village Hall community group.
He said: “I am thrilled to receive the service medal and Royal Warrant. Our Fire and rescue is much more than preventing and putting out fires. We are an integral part of the community, and it has been a privilege to impart some of my knowledge to help and hopefully inspire schoolchildren, start-up businesses and established businesses to achieve their potential.”
John has now been nominated as a Uniformed Hero in the Your Heroes Awards.
Sara Williams, CEO of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, said: “John is a fantastic community champion and gives so much of his time to helping others. He is a tremendous asset to the Chambers whether mentoring business owners, delivering first aid training or imparting his wisdom on our board.”
John added: “Serving the community is my job and I’m so proud to be able to do that, but being nominated for a Your Heroes Award is amazing.
“There are so many people out there doing great things for others and for someone to recognise the work I do is fantastic. I’m humbled but at the same time thrilled to be recognised. Thank you.”
