HARLECH Fire Station has been named Station of the Year at a special awards ceremony.

There was triple triumph for the area at the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service Awards Ceremony.

Harlech Fire Station was awarded Station of the Year award, Nigel Gordon Williams of Abersoch Fire Station was handed a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and Abersoch Land and Sea was named Employer of the Year.

The Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd, Harry George Fetherstonhaugh OBE, presented Long Service and Good Conduct Medals to operational staff from the service during a presentation ceremony held at Rhyl Community Fire Station on Monday, 11 September.

Harlech station and its staff were highly commended for their “notable work” and their “excellent availability” over a 12-month period­.

A spokesperson at the ceremony said: “It is vital for the appliances to be available as much possible across the service area.

“Harlech have been able to provide availability 99 per cent of the time between June 2016 and May 2017, allowing them to respond to emergency incidents throughout Harlech and the surrounding area.

“The service acknowledges the difficulties in continuous service delivery in rural locations and commends the high level of availability provided by Harlech crew members.”

Nigel Williams joined North Wales Fire Service in 1997 as a firefighter at Abersoch Fire Station where he remains to this day.

He was awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal which is an accolade presented to firefighters in recognition of 20 years service.

Finally, the Employer of the Year award was given to Abersoch Land and Sea as they regularly release staff to carry out firefighting duties in their community.

The boat shop employs a small workforce and has a long history of supporting the fire and rescue service by allowing its employees to respond to emergency incidents in the Abersoch area.

A spokesperson at the ceremony said: “At present there are three members of staff at Abersoch Land and Sea who respond to operational calls but over a 20-year period six members of staff have been released for operational incidents from the company.

“Without the co-operation of this employer the station’s availability could be affected as it only takes one member of the crew not to respond to make that station unavailable to attend calls within the community.”

Cllr Meirick Lloyd Davies, chair of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, was delighted with the evening.

“On behalf of members of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority I would like to congratulate everyone who received a medal,” he said.

“Also, congratulations to those who received the community awards ceremony – many thanks to you all for your dedication and to our external partners who continue to work with us to protect our communities.”