Neil Woodmansey

Neil is a Fire Officer serving the community of Lincolnshire. He has over 26 years service which includes duties as an operational fire officer, he has worked in the Training Department and is currently the USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) and Technical Rescue Officer. As well as his normal day to day work, he spends much time in schools, working with charities and helps with local football teams. Through his work with USAR, he has been deployed to disasters in places such as Pakistan and Haiti and was last year honoured with an MBE in the Queen`s New Year`s Honours List. He was recently listed in the top 100 Happy People in the UK - Independent on Sunday. For 9 years he has led the UK Canine Rescue Team. He has been instrumental in developing a purpose-built and unique training site for Technical Rescue (in Waddington) which is now an international training venue for many fire and rescue services across the UK and abroad. On a personal note, Neil is one of the nicest, most genuine individuals I have ever met. He is fun to be around, he is compassionate, he is hardworking and a pleasure to call a friend and colleague. Being a torchbearer for the Olympics is an honour I know he would be delighted to accomplish. I feel he is a definite contender if you need an inspirational person who gives so much to the local community and helps others across the World.