AMBULANCE heroes who have gone the extra mile will be celebrated at an annual awards night.

The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has unveiled its shortlist for its Beyond the Call of Duty awards, which recognise the outstanding contribution of its 2,500-strong workforce.

This year, the awards, at Newcastle Racecourse on October 21, are sponsored by Ward Hadaway and a record breaking 294 nominations were received.

The judging panel has now decided on its shortlist for the 12 categories, which are: outstanding support services, outstanding mentor, student of the year, volunteer of the year, unsung hero of the year, volunteer of the year, unsung hero, contact centre award, public nomination, senior manager, patient transport service, and emergency care.

Yvonne Ormston, chief executive of NEAS, said: “Working for an emergency service regularly means putting others first at the expense of personal and family lives both on the front line and in a supporting role.

“Our Beyond the Call of Duty Awards give us the chance to reward just a handful of those who provide amazing care, skill and dedication to patients every day.

“We’ve been overwhelmed at the number of nominations received this year – quite simply the highest number we’ve ever seen. It’s been fantastic to hear all the inspirational stories of those nominated and it was extremely difficult task to reach our shortlist.

“We are now looking forward to crowning the winners at our glittering awards ceremony in October.”