A ROSSENDALE mother who devotes her weekends to saving lives has won a prestigious award for her tireless efforts.

Dawn Taylor, of Badger Close, Whitewell Bottom, was nominated for the NHS North West Volunteer of the Year award by her bosses at North West Ambulance Service (NWAS).

For seven years Dawn’s weekends have been dominated by her Community First Responder (CFR) duties, providing reassurance to patients before the arrival of ambulance staff.

After excelling as a CFR, she progressed to become a field trainer, responsible for schooling rookie volunteers in how to approach and cope with difficult situations.

In her capacity as Rossendale and Burnley area co-ordinator for the British Heart Foundation’s Heartstart UK, she has helped train 230 Valley residents to save a life.

She is the Lancashire Heartstart co-ordinator and currently leads 12 teams which are working with the public to promote basic life support skills.

And she has been heavily involved in promoting Community Public Access Defibrillators (cPADs) for Rossendale, the first of which was installed in Rawtenstall last year.

The first of its kind in the North West, the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) gives people the chance to help in a cardiac arrest emergency situation When asked what she would say to people thinking about joining the volunteer service, Dawn said: “Go for it.

It is such rewarding work you cannot fail to be improved by it.

“Yes, it is hard sometimes and no, you don’t get a wage.

“But you get something far better than that – increased self-esteem and the satisfaction of helping others.

“There may be some people who will never understand why you give up your own time 'for nothing’, but those two words – “thank you – are all the reward you will ever need.”

Dawn, a former Rossendale Woman of the Year, is a full-time office administrator and book-keeper for Booth King Partn-ership Limited.

Community resuscitation manager Mark Evans, who nominated her for the award, said: “Over the years, Dawn has shown so many people how dedicated and hard working she is.

“What she has done for Rossendale and other towns under her command is incredible.”