Champions award for hero bus driver in Sheffield

Stagecoach Yorkshire employee, Dick Pryde, came to the aid of a seriously ill member of the public at one of his stops in the Intake area of Sheffield.

Back in April this year, Dick noticed the man collapse and called for an ambulance. He then administered first aid with the help of a female passenger, ensuring they followed the instructions from the emergency services on the phone.

It was later revealed that the man was very close to falling into a diabetic coma. Dick's quick actions prevented what could have been a far more serious situation. He stayed with the man until paramedics arrived on the scene.

Matt Davies, Stagecoach Yorkshire managing director, said: “I am delighted for Dick and would like to congratulate him on this awards which is thoroughly deserved.

“Drivers like Dick make a real difference to our business and to our customers every day and I would like to thank him, and our many other hard-working staff, for the part they play in delivering high-quality services to our passengers.”

Dick was given the the Silver Health Champion award at the ceremony hosted in London. The annual Stagecoach Group Champions Awards recognise excellence over six areas including Safety, Health, Community, Customer Service, Environment and Innovation.

Winners at the event were from the transport companiy's bus, rail, tram and coach businesses in the UK and North America and each received a trophy, cash prize and a two night stay in the Capital.

The event was also attended by TV personality Ferne McCann, who presented winners with their awards. Earlier this year Ferne successfully obtained her bus driving licence after training with Stagecoach as part of a recruitment project to encourage more female drivers.

More than 150 Stagecoach employees have been presented with Champions Awards over the past seven years.

Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Martin Griffiths said: “We have a fantastic team of almost 40,000 employees across Stagecoach and our Champions Awards are about celebrating those who have delivered above and beyond expectations over the past year."