Exeter firefighter Tom chosen for campaign to boost Public Service Day

Firefighter Tom Taylor has been chosen to help promote Public Service Day on Wednesday 23 June – after raising thousands of pounds for the NHS through his Frontline Coffee charity.

The day, officially launched by the United Nations as long ago as 2003, has barely been recognised in the UK until two years ago, when public sector and civil service membership club Boundless took up the cause.

Now it is gaining increasing recognition, with Tom’s story at the forefront of the campaign.

The firefighter who works for Somerset & Devon Fire & Rescue Service, which has its headquarters in Exeter, made headlines when, along with colleague Matt Broxton, he started an online coffee company to raise money for good causes in 2018.

Since then, he has also opened a warehouse and coffee shop in Portland, Dorset, with all profits going to charities such as the NHS, RNLI, TASC (the ambulance staff charity), The Fire Fighters charity and Dorset MIND.

Darren Milton at Boundless said: “Public Service Day is all about people saying ‘thank you’ to those who work in the public service for all the work they do for the country.

“It’s especially relevant this year after the pandemic, with nurses, firefighters, teachers, administrators and police officers doing everything they can to save lives and keep the country going.

“We spotted Tom’s story and it really fitted in with the message we are trying to get across. So many people who work in public service go above and beyond to help people, not only in their jobs but also by volunteering and raising money for charity and for their local community.

“He has already raised more than £20,000 and he’s by no means alone.”

In fact, a survey commissioned by Boundless found almost three-quarters – 72 per cent - of the UK’s public service heroes have undertaken volunteer work or raised money to help others during the pandemic.

The result showed those in public service have raised on average £8,131 per person for charity during the course of their career.

Darren said: “If we didn’t know already just how special the people who work in public service are, these survey results really underline it.

“People like Tom and Matt are showing they really care. Now it is time, on Public Service Day, for us all to say ‘thank you’ and let all those in public service know we really do appreciate everything they do.”

Tom added: “The last year has been so hard for key workers but if we can lift just one person’s day, that’s a great feeling.”

Rt Hon Ben Bradshaw MP, Exeter, is also backing Public Service Day. He said: "Our public sector workers have always been vital to our communities, but the past year has been a vivid reminder of just how valuable they are.

“Public Service Day is an opportunity to say thank you to those across the sector who have had an impact on our lives, and I'm delighted to hear that Exeter firefighter, Tom Taylor, is among those being recognised this year, not only for his work with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue, but also for the thousands of pounds he has raised for emergency service and health charities."

There is still work to do, however. A worrying 58 per cent of people working in public service say they don’t feel appreciated enough by the public.

People across the country can help change that by getting behind Public Service Day.

For more information, inspirational stories, and tips on how to get involved, please visit www.boundless.co.uk/publicserviceday and engage on social media with @bemoreboundless using the hashtags #extraordinarypeople and #PublicServiceDay.