Ambulance staff and volunteers recognised at annual STARS Awards

The achievements of Yorkshire Ambulance Service staff and volunteers were recently celebrated at the Trust’s annual STARS Awards. 

Held in Leeds on 2 October 2026, the event saw over 200 guests coming together to hear about the dedication of colleagues who regularly go above and beyond the call of duty to deliver the best care to patients and support their teams. 

Peter Reading, Chief Executive at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: “The STARS Awards are a great way for us to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our staff and volunteers. Our colleagues do some incredible work to provide care to the people of Yorkshire and this is just a small way that we can recognise their achievements.” 

This year’s event was made possible thanks to the generous support of sponsors including headline sponsor, Leeds-based Vehicle Bodycare Centre, who has been a long-standing and trusted parter of YAS for over 40 years. When ambulance vehicles are damaged, they use their state-of-the-art facilities to repair them and get them back on the road as quickly as possible. 

The event’s reception was sponsored by Stem Architecture Ltd who work with YAS on a range of architectural and design services for major and minor projects at sites across the region. A range of organisations (listed below) also sponsored individual award categories. 

In total, over 230 nominations were received across seven categories with a number of exceptional staff and volunteers shortlisted. In addition, a series of Chief Executive Commendations were presented to staff who had gone the extra mile for our patients and colleagues.  

Our 2026 award winners are: 

Care Together Award – sponsored by Netcompany 
Recognising exceptional patient care, this award is for a colleague or team that delivers or supports kind, respectful, patient-centred and evidence-based care, putting the patient at the heart of everything they do. 

Ross Mallinson, James Tiffany and Harriet Wise who work in our 999 emergency ambulance service were recognised for their compassion, professionalism and exceptional patient-centred care when they were called to a very complex job for a child approaching the end of their life. The care they delivered ensured that the child and family could remain in the comfort of their own home when it mattered most.

Lead Together Award – sponsored by Sewell Facilities Management 
Recognising a colleague or team that displays empowering and supportive leadership at any level. They role model our values, listen to their colleagues and encourage them to grow. They create a collaborative and inclusive working environment where everyone feels empowered. 

Shelby-Lauren Brown, Emergency Operations Centre Operational Service Delivery Manager, won the Lead Together Award for her consistent exceptional leadership, support and commitment to her colleagues. Shelby has created an environment where people feel safe to share ideas, develop their skills and contribute to positive change. 

Grow Together Award – sponsored by NG Décor 
Recognising a colleague or team that prioritises learning and development for others, creating an environment for collaboration and knowledge sharing that provides their colleagues with the skills they need to progress in their role and in their future careers. 

Mark Armstrong is a highly respected paramedic based at Huddersfield Ambulance Station who was nominated by several colleagues. As a mentor, he uses his wealth of knowledge and experience to help expand the skills of newly qualified paramedics and creates a safe space where questions are welcomed, challenges become opportunities to learn, and constructive feedback helps people grow.

Excel Together Award – sponsored by MIS Emergency Systems 
Recognising a colleague or team that strives to do the best for patients, colleagues, staff and partners by continually seeking to learn, develop and deliver better care and services. They might have come up with an innovative approach, introduced a new way of working or championed improvement and empowered others to pioneer new ideas. 

Faisal Yousaf, Mobile Premise Cleaner, won the Excel Together Award. His constant positive attitude and kind, caring and professional demeanour has been highlighted by many of his colleagues who value the support he provides. He regularly goes above and beyond to ensure that all staff have a clean and pleasant environment to work in and take their breaks. 

Everyone Together Award – sponsored by Monks Security Systems 
Recognising a colleague or team that is inclusive and supportive. They value everyone’s contributions and create a safe environment for colleagues to share feedback, ideas and concerns, and celebrate success. They actively listen to, respect and involve others, valuing diversity and taking the time to understand personal and cultural viewpoints. 

The Bradford, Calderdale and Airedale Operational Leadership Team and the Leadership and Organisational Development Team won the Everyone Together Award for coming together to listen to colleagues and turn what they had heard into meaningful change. This included a bespoke development programme that was delivered to over 300 colleagues which has resulted in positive feedback and real impact being seen by a reduction in complaints and an improved workplace culture.

Volunteer of the Year Award – sponsored by BT 
Recognising a volunteer who role models all the YAS values and delivers exceptional patient care or has made a positive impact on service development and improvements. 

Adam Faunt has been a Community First Responder (CFR) in Penistone for the last 12 years and during that time has helped care for hundreds of patients. Adam’s contribution goes far beyond responding to emergencies. He supports and mentors new CFRs and has funds for local community public access defibrillators. His unwavering commitment and positive impact to improving patient outcomes and strengthening local resilience.  

Team of the Year Award – sponsored by Vehicle Bodycare Centre 
Recognising a team that lives the YAS values every day and makes a positive impact on the wider organisation and our patients and partners. They will show commitment to all the YAS Together pillars and be a role model in both operational delivery and team culture. 

The Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees Mentorship team has made mentorship and clinical supervision part of everyday working life. Across the area, there have been over 320 mentorships and 3,452 hours of supervised practice and 155 new development plans to support colleagues in their careers. Regular mentee feedback describes the process as working together rather than supervision and being in a safe environment where they can grow and succeed as clinicians.