The mum of a young man who died in a house fire has been chosen by the Prime Minister as the winner of a volunteers award.
Lynn Ford’s world was shattered in December 2005 when her son Andrew, 22, was killed in a blaze at the family’s home in Surbiton Road, Stockton.
Andrew left a chip pan on after falling asleep. His 18-year-old brother Christopher escaped after jumping through an upstairs window.
But determined to gain something positive from the tragic circumstances, care home assistant Lynn joined the Cleveland Fire Support Network in 2009 in a bid to educate the community in fire safety.
Lynn was given a Points of Light award for her leading efforts in the Ban the Pan campaign to replace chip pans with deep fat fryers.
She also wrote a book of poetry about her experience, with money from sales going towards to the campaign,
Lynn became a trustee for the charity two years ago and has also raised more than £10,000 for the Cleveland Fire Brigade.
The network works does home safety visits, portable appliance testing and also installs sensory loss alarms to assist those living with disabilities.
Speaking of her achievements, Lynn said she was “honoured and privileged” to accept her award.
“The Cleveland Fire Support Network do a wonderful job to help and support our community. Since joining I have tried to make people aware of the dangers around homes, especially leaving cooking unattended.
“It is still very hard to come to terms with the loss of a child and I have down days when I miss Andrew so much, but if something good and positive can be learnt from what happened, then his life was not in vain.”
The Points of Light award has been developed in partnership with the Points of Light programme in the US, which was established by President George H W Bush and has since recognised more than 5,000 people. It also has the support of President Barack Obama.
Prime Minister David Cameron said: “Lynn has used her compassion and personal experience to help others through difficult and often devastating times. Her important work raising awareness of fire safety and visiting people in their own homes is incredibly touching, and fully deserving of her Point of Light award today.”
Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham, also praised Lynn fore her efforts saying: “Lynn has shown tremendous strength and compassion for the welfare of others in the face of the most difficult of family circumstances, the loss of her son.
“It is work like hers to help others learn from her own personal tragedy that will doubtless save lives. I am delighted she has been recognised with a Point of Light Award – and I am sure it will help highlight her work to even more people.”
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