Individuals Working on Christmas Day in the West Midlands

While numerous individuals enjoy festive meals and family time, a significant number in the West Midlands will be engaged in work or volunteer activities outside their homes. For a multitude of professions, including paramedics, carers, taxi drivers, firefighters, police officers, and mental health support workers, Christmas Day remains an active workday. Among those on duty are Grace Wilde, a paramedic in Sandwell; Richard Merker, a firefighter in Birmingham; and Rebecca Ellsmore from Herefordshire, who plans to prepare meals for her local community. Mr Merker stated, “It’s a lot of pressure on families and requires a bit of organisation, but they also accept that when you take that job, that’s you.” He holds the position of watch commander at West Midlands Fire Service, stationed at Woodgate Valley fire station in Birmingham, and has served in this role for nearly 18 years. He commented, “If you’re working a job in the emergency services, you have to accept every now and again that you will be working at Christmas.” He noted that it typically constitutes a busy day, yet operations proceed as usual. Personnel on duty are still required to perform routine tasks, such as critical safety inspections of fire engines. He explained, “If we have an incident in the West Midlands Fire Service, you have to be changed, ready, and wheels moving in under 59 seconds.” He added, “When the bell goes, you’re there.” He indicated that Christmas Day sees increased activity because more individuals are at home. He elaborated, “Accidents within the home will naturally increase… more people are probably cooking… people are enjoying a drink.” Mr Merker further mentioned his consistent desire for a profession where he felt he was contributing positively. He articulated, “You just have a real passion for going to someone on what is potentially the worst day of their life, and making the situation better, and that’s the sort of thing that drives you.” Rebecca Ellsmore and her husband, Lee, residents of Kington, initiated the practice of preparing Christmas dinners for their community in 2020. For the current year, they are organizing two Christmas lunches, which will take place at Leominster Social Club and the Lion Cafe in Kington. Attendees have the option to dine on-site, collect a meal for takeaway, or arrange for food delivery. Ms Ellsmore commented, “It’s all possible because of a really good group of volunteers, and all my family chip in as well.” Each location requires 10 to 12 volunteers, and the couple aims to provide approximately 150 meals across both venues this year. She elaborated, “It’s helping those that would be alone, those that can’t cook, those who won’t cook. “We feed people in the community who can’t get out, we also deliver meals to the hospital, the police station, the fire station, just because we want to share the Christmas love.” She concluded, “We just want to make sure everybody that could possibly need our company, or our food, gets the opportunity to have it.” Grace Wilde serves as a paramedic and clinical team mentor for West Midlands Ambulance Service, operating from the Sandwell Hub in Oldbury. Regarding Christmas Day, she remarked, “I feel like there is definitely a nice little buzz in the air.” She added, “You do join the job knowing that you’re going to be working unsociable hours and big days like Christmas Day.” She noted that the closure of referral services, such as GP practices, significantly reduces the volume of calls. “We don’t like to say the q-word, but it’s a little bit quieter on Christmas,” she stated. She further explained, “People only call as an absolute necessity.” However, she acknowledged, “But you will have people that are alone on Christmas and struggling at Christmas.” Ms Wilde is scheduled to work alongside her partner, who is also employed by the same service. She commented, “It’s 12 hours that I get to spend with him, so it’ll be a little bit more fun.” For updates, follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external sites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.