TV star Griff Rhys Jones has praised the East of England Ambulance Service for its help in looking after his mother during the pandemic.
Mr Rhys Jones, who has lived in Suffolk for a number of years, praised the work of the service for helping his 96-year-old mother Gwyneth, who lives in a care home, who had recently required hospital stays following accidents.
"I just want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everybody involved in the East of England Ambulance Service," said Mr Rhys Jones.
"My mum is 96, she is in a care home and she has had a couple of accidents recently and so she has needed to go into hospital in the middle of what is a national crisis.
"Without any hold up, without any problems, the service has been there to support her.
"That is an extraordinary achievement in such difficult times.
"I feel myself that I have to say well done. I have to say what an extraordinary service you provide and that is to all the crews and all the people in the control room and the support staff.
"A big, big thank you."
Mr Rhys Jones' thanks were part of a larger week-long campaign to show appreciation for the work the ambulance trust have done over the past year.
Other famous faces including Stephen Fry and TV presenter Jake Humphreys, who lives over the border in Norfolk, have also given their thanks.
Dr Tom Davis, interim chief executive at EEAST, said: “The past 12 months have been challenging for everyone – not least our hardworking NHS staff. That is why we are dedicating this week to saying thank you to our staff and volunteers for the commitment they show to our patients every single day.
“The week will give managers the chance to recognise and acknowledge the efforts of their teams and thank them for the continued commitment.
"We will also be using the event to remind our staff of our Trust’s values of care, teamwork, quality, respect and honesty, which are at the heart of everything we do.
“We hope that the week will be a real celebration for our staff and volunteers which will give them a much-needed boost during what has been the most challenging period in any of our careers.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here