A funeral procession has been held to commemorate the life of a paramedic who died last month.
Mark Pell, who was part of the London Ambulance Service's motorcycle response unit, died on April 13 following a crash while on a training course in North Wales.
The 51-year-old joined the ambulance service in 1994 and spent most of his career at Whipps Cross and Buckhurst Hill ambulance stations.
On Tuesday (May 17), 29 of Mr Pell's colleagues, an ambulance, and a rapid response car were given a police escort as the funeral procession travelled 25 miles from Chipping Ongar to Ilford.
Today we commemorated the life of Mark Pell – a popular Paramedic in the Motorcycle Response Unit who sadly died in April. A convoy of his colleagues rode alongside the funeral procession, escorting Mark and his loved ones during his final journey.
— London Ambulance Service 💙 (@Ldn_Ambulance) May 17, 2022
➡https://t.co/cKshA8Q1eL pic.twitter.com/Vu9Ud0jAvJ
The procession passed by Whipps Cross Hospital to allow NHS staff who knew Mr Pell to line the route, hold a one minute’s silence and bid him a heartfelt farewell.
As the procession arrived at the crematorium, they were met with a guard of honour, featuring the ambulance service’s ceremonial unit and a trumpet salute.
London Ambulance Service chief executive Daniel Elkeles said: "Mark is greatly missed by his colleagues at London Ambulance Service. He was a popular member of our team and an asset to the Service as a whole – he will be remembered for his dedication to patient care and the unwavering support he offered his colleagues.
"I would like to say thank you to Mark’s family and loved ones for inviting us to join them today, and for allowing our Motorcycle Response Unit to pay tribute to Mark in the most fitting way possible, with one last ride out. I understand this is an incredibly difficult day for those who were close to Mark, and my thoughts and sympathies remain with his family, friends and colleagues."
Director of ambulance services, Darren Farmer paid tribute saying: "It was an honour to be here today and to pay our respects to Mark during this beautiful ceremony. I think the turnout goes to show just how well-loved Mark is, although I know there are many more people working at our headquarters, local ambulance stations and in the motorcycle response unit who would have loved to have been here but needed to keep our services running smoothly.
"Thank you to everyone who has helped make today such a touching farewell to our colleague, Mark Pell."
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