Banbury's Emergency Services Day set for this weekend

The town will host an Emergency Services Day from 9am to 4pm this Saturday September 4 at Spiceball Park.

Thames Valley Police, Banbury Town Council and Castle Quay, will be celebrating the emergency services who help the residents of the Banbury this weekend.

Representatives from the police, fire and ambulance services will be at the event to promote the work of the emergency services, advise on how the public should use the emergency services responsibly, educate the public about basic lifesaving skills, and promote the many career and volunteering opportunities available within these vital organisations.

Visitors will be able to enjoy a full day of appearances by Thames Valley Police, Oxfordshire Search and Rescue, Highways England, St John Ambulance, the Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and the South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

The event will also include an inflatable obstacle course, rodeo bull, and lots of children’s games for the family to enjoy for free.

There will also be recruitment representatives from the RAF, Navy and Army for people to speak to. The police, fire, and ambulance service will be bringing vehicles to the event for the public to view.

The Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service will have three fire appliances at the event, which includes one off-road 4x4 vehicle and (although yet to be confirmed) the appliance that Banbury Fire Station cadet unit use for their training sessions.

Depending on the time of day, there will have 12 firefighters at the event too. They will be parked near to the car park at the Cherwell Drive end of Spiceball Park. All the firefighters attending the event will of course be subject to them not being called to an incident.

This event has been planned to be Covid safe with PPE provided and hand sanitiser stations onsite for the day to help protect visitors and staff.

After visiting the event the public can enjoy the best street food in Banbury at Castle Quay’s Lock29. There is something for everyone with everything from Mexican, Asian, Greek, Italian and British cuisines plus an array of sweet treats. Drinks can also be enjoyed at Tap Social, a craft beer and hospitality social enterprise, which recently opened within Lock29.

Cllr Andrew McHugh, Cherwell District Council’s lead member for health and wellbeing, said: “Our emergency or blue light services – police, fire and ambulance – are not just essential services, they are indispensable services.

"Whilst each service has its own distinct history, identity and way of operating, they all work together to the common objective of reducing and managing risks of harm and saving life. We must be proud and supportive of our blue light services. They are often the only public service available to rapidly respond to those in the direst need. I admire and salute their commitment and dedication to serving us.”

Oliver Wren, centre director at Castle Quay, said, “This is the public’s chance to support the heroic men and women of the NHS and emergency services, who have been the backbone of Britain over the last 18 months. A lot of work has gone into this event to ensure it is inspirational and educational, while still being a fun day out for the whole family.”

The event has been organised by Thames Valley Police in partnership with Banbury Town Council.