Christmas dinners for Welsh Ambulance Services staff

15.12.25

Welsh Ambulance Service staff working on Christmas day will be served a traditional festive lunch again this year, thanks to the Welsh Ambulance Service Charity and a host of local hospitality businesses.

This year, more than 700 members of staff will be treated to Christmas dinners prepared by pubs, hotels, and restaurants across Wales to show appreciation for those on duty on December 25.

As in previous years, the initiative has been made possible through donations to the Welsh Ambulance Service Charity.

David Hopkins, Head of Charity, said: “Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Welsh Ambulance Service Charity in 2025.

“Thanks to your generosity, we’re able to provide a small token of appreciation to our staff working on Christmas Day.

“It’s just one of the ways the Welsh Ambulance Service Charity supports staff and volunteers, all-year round.”

Colleagues working day shifts across more than 80 ambulance stations, clinical contact centres, and other operational sites will receive a festive meal, with some being provided entirely free of charge by local restaurants.

The gesture extends to staff in the Emergency Medical Service, Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service, Make Ready Depots, Operational Delivery Unit, and Clinical Contact Centres, including those working for NHS 111 Wales and the Trust’s Clinical Support Desk.

Judith Bryce, Assistant Director of Operations said: “We’ve been organising Christmas lunches for the last few years now and they’re always gratefully received.

“Once again, we’re enormously grateful to all of the pubs, hotels and restaurants who have kindly agreed to support us, it means a huge deal.

“As an ambulance service, we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, which means that not everyone will be able to enjoy a Christmas dinner at home with their loved ones.

“This is a small gesture to thank our people on Christmas Day, and I hope it demonstrates on behalf of the organisation and our patients how grateful we are to colleagues for the service they provide.”

The Trust will also once again be sending supermarket vouchers to all operational environments including contact centres to enable colleagues to purchase festive treats.

These Christmas dinners and festive treats for colleagues are only possible thanks to the public’s generous donations in aid of the Welsh Ambulance Service Charity.

If you would like to support the Charity, you can make a donation here: Welsh Ambulance Service Charity