FORMER Marlborough fire officer Brian Presley has been recognised for his 23 years' service to the Wiltshire Fire Brigade, only a couple of weeks after receiving a gold award for donating 50 pints of blood to the National Blood Service.
Mr Presley, 49, of Lansdowne Place, Marlborough, stood down as a retained firefighter in September 1999. Although he misses the camaraderie of colleagues at the fire station in The Parade, he is grateful that the night-time call-outs and trauma of attending road accidents are a thing of the past.
He said: "I was on 24-hour alert for 23 years and that's enough for anyone."
He received his certificate from Wiltshire's chief fire officer Neil Wright at a presentation evening at Marlborough Town Football Club.
The blood donor award was made to him at the Abbey Hall in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. He said: "They really made you feel as if you had done something great for the community.
"Donating blood saves lives and I would urge everyone who can to give blood."
Father-of-five Mr Presley has been giving blood for more than 20 years. Thirteen years ago frequent blood transfusions helped save the life of his wife Julie when she fell ill with aplastic anaemia.
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