A 50-year veteran of the London Ambulance Service (LAS) was “chuffed and over the moon” to switch on the Christmas lights at the Waterloo headquarters this year.
John Boyaram, 68, joined the service in 1971 as a teenager, and has worked in patient transport services, taking people to and from appointments, and in the 999 control room.
John also met his wife Carol at the LAS headquarters and they have two children and four grandchildren.
John said: “I am really chuffed and over the moon to be invited to switch on the lights this year, and recognised again for my long service. I feel incredibly valued by the service and I am honoured to stand alongside my colleagues today for this moment. This is something I will treasure for the rest of my life.
“In the fifty years I have been at the service I have seen lots of changes in the organisation, but what hasn’t changed is that our staff and volunteers are our greatest asset.
“It is wonderful to see the impressive clinical expertise which continues to grow across the service and it is also brilliant to see all the clinical development opportunities, as well as the support services, available to our staff and volunteers.”