Special Recognition - Rosie Bullard (Hornsea First Aid Centre)

Rosie is the founder and driving force behind the Hornsea First Aid Centre — a unique, volunteer-run service providing essential health support to the local community and its many visitors. Established in 2018 following the closure of the local Minor Injuries Unit, Rosie built the service from the ground up, securing premises, funding, volunteers, and training — all within two months.

A retired nurse, midwife, lecturer, and community first responder, Rosie trains all new volunteer recruits to a nationally qualified status (QUALSAFE). She supports these volunteers personally and with mentors until each feel comfortable with their skills to help incoming patients. Rosie makes up the rotas in line with volunteers' commitments, continues to 'work' her own shifts and covers when other volunteers cannot make it in. She is constantly looking for, and applying to, funding bodies to help keep this facility open for all who need help and training all new recruits alongside updating the qualifications of the more experienced volunteers.

The First Aid Centre is open seven days per week, 52 weeks of the year from 10am - 4pm operating out of a modest portacabin with no electricity, running water, or toilets, is open every day of the year. Despite these challenges, Rosie has made the centre a trusted place for care — with over 1,000 visits annually. Her presence and expertise have spared countless individuals long trips to A&E, offering reassurance, treatment, and support with compassion and professionalism. Beyond physical care, Rosie promotes cancer awareness, offers first aid training to external organisations, and has even brought in a Pet First Aid Practitioner to expand the service’s reach.

Rosie’s impact is extraordinary. From knitting soft toys for children in her downtime to sitting in the rain for over an hour with an injured woman before accompanying her to hospital overnight — then showing up for her shift the next morning — her dedication is unmatched. Even after major surgery for Cauda Equina Syndrome, which left her with limited mobility, Rosie returned to volunteering undeterred.

Feedback from patients captures the value of her work:

• “It’s a gem.”

• “No queues and worry-free thanks to them.”

• “This place has put my mind at rest more than once.”

As her nominator says, “My admiration for Rosie has only increased. She is tireless, determined, and the very heart of this service.” Her leadership, resilience, and deep care for others have created something truly rare — a vital, people-powered service that simply wouldn’t exist without her. She has been volunteering for over 50 years, doing different things in this and other parts of the country including being a community first responder, setting up a cinema club (still going after 10 years) and organising Christmas dinner for those who would otherwise be alone at the festive season.

With thanks to event partners HEY Smile Foundation, Hull CVS, City Health Care Partnership (CHCP), East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Hull City Council