Dorset paramedic listed among Queen's Birthday Honours
Wayne Ingram is best known for spending a week on a raft in Portland Harbour.
Last updated 13th Jun 2021
The achievements of two people from Dorset are being recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
A paramedic from Portland and Dorset's former High Sherriff are both being awarded MBEs.
Wayne Ingram an NHS Paramedic, is currently volunteering as a designated helicopter medic with his task to repatriate Covid-19 patients from their places of work on the North Sea, back to mainland Britain.
He first gained recognition for his determination and drive in recognising and saving the life of a 4 year old Bosnian child named Stefan Savic in 2003. The boy's parents were attempting to have an operation in France, however, the cost was in excess of 30.000 Euros.
He spent 14 years raising ÂŁ140,000 that paid for the travel to the UK for five operations, which not only reconstructed the face of the child, but saved his life.
During that time he was serving in the country as a troop leader, non-commissioned officer with the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (POW's).
In February 2017, he was honoured by the Serbian Government with the Serbian Humanitarian Award, the only British citizen to ever receive this award.
In 2014 he was working in Mauritania as a health and safety paramedic on a gold mine. He was given the task to inspect an orphanage in the city of Noaudhibou. Shaken by the appalling conditions there, he organised a sponsored bike ride, which raised sufficient funds to build a new orphanage.
Incredibly, he has raised money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, spending seven days on a life raft in Portland Harbour. His experience was monitored by Portsmouth University, which wanted to gather data on how the body copes in such an environment.
He continues his inspirational and selfless work as an ambassador for a new veterans' hub in Weymouth, which caters for former Service personnel who suffer from a variety of problems.