Ambulance service dedicate vehicle to paramedic Gerallt Davies who died from coronavirus

Gerallt Davies will have a car dedicated to him.
Gerallt Davies died in April after testing positive for COVID-19. Credit: Welsh Ambulance Service.

The Welsh Ambulance Service has honoured a paramedic who died from coronavirus by dedicating one of their new vehicles to his memory.

Gerallt Davies MBE, who was a paramedic at Cwmbwrla Ambulance Station in Swansea, died in April after being diagnosed with coronavirus.

Mr Davies was the first paramedic to die after contracting the virus in Wales and was described as a 'valued member of the team' by Chief Executive of the ambulance service Jason Killens.

A rapid response car has been inscribed with his old paramedic pin number in tribute to him.

Mr Davies joined the Welsh Ambulance Service in 1994 and was also St John Ambulance Cymru’s National Operations Officer, a role for which he was awarded an MBE in 2019.

The new vehicle was unveiled by friends and colleagues of the 51-year-old.

“Over the years, Gerallt helped thousands of people, many of whom would not be walking around Wales today if it wasn’t for his skill and commitment as a paramedic," Mr Killens continued. “There are a hundred ways we could have honoured Gerallt and his larger than life personality, but to dedicate an emergency vehicle seems a fitting tribute to both the man and the profession he loved.”Lee Brooks, the Trust’s Director of Operations, added: “Gerallt was ambulance through and through, and dedicated his life to helping other people.“He was not just a valued member of our team but of St John Ambulance Cymru, where he’d volunteered for more than 40 years, starting out as a cadet.“While he’s no longer with us, his legacy will live on, and the dedication of this vehicle is a wonderful way for us to remember our dear friend and colleague.”Lee Collins, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Locality Manager in Swansea, who organised the vehicle’s livery along with Clinical Team Leader David Bowen, said: “Gerallt was a much-loved and well-respected paramedic here in Swansea, whose loss is being felt in the community he served and beyond.“The dedication of this vehicle is our small way of paying tribute to our fallen colleague.”