Senior Calderdale paramedic and dedicated husband dies of coronavirus

Mark Stanley 57, of Sowerby Bridge, died in Calderdale Royal Hospital's Intensive Care Unit today after battling with the deadly virus for over a week.

Mr Stanley, who was described by friends as being a 'fitness fanatic', worked at Halifax Ambulance Station, but it has been confirmed by his family he sadly lost his life to Covid-19.

Spokesperson for his family and personal friend, Mark Rattigan said: "I've known Mark for 32 years working with him in the health sector.

"He moved to West Yorkshire in the 1980s after serving in the military as a paramedic.

"He was the most diligent people I've ever met and he was extremely intelligent.

"He worked tirelessly and was 100 per cent dedicated to his wife Jacqueline and his two children.

"The ambulance community in Halifax, Brighouse, Wakefield, and Todmorden have been rocked hard by his death.

"It's sad because Mark's the second paramedic to die in Yorkshire within the past week."

Before moving to Halifax, Mr Stanley lived in Ulverston, South Cumbria, where he returns once a year to take part in the John West Great North Swim, at Windermere.

Duncan Beattie, who trained with Mr Stanley for five years in Wakefield as a paramedic, said: "I'm in shock because I know Mark was fit as a fiddle two weeks ago and now suddenly he's gone.

"Regardless of his age, Mark was a fitness fanatic who was in his prime, which just shows this virus is not picking and choosing - it's something that knows no bounds.

"He leaves a legacy of training hundreds of paramedics across West Yorkshire, who are saving lives daily.

"It's a massive loss to the service, especially because he was trained in the The Life Guards, a senior regiment of the British Army.

"He was a unique man who was a fantastic stickler, which I think he gets from his days in the military.

"Within the ambulance service there's a lot of paperwork to do, so I loved working with Mark because he would go through everything meticulously with me so there were no mistakes.

"He had a great sense of humour too, and cared enormously about training paramedic recruits to the best of their ability.

"It was a great honour to work with him."

Yorkshire Ambulance Services' Chief Executive Rod Barnes said: "It's with very great sadness that we can confirm that two long-serving colleagues have died this week, having contracted COVID-19.

The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician from North Yorkshire and Specialist Paramedic from West Yorkshire sadly passed away in hospital on Tuesday 28 and Thursday 30 April respectively.

"Both colleagues had worked tirelessly for many years serving their local communities, and were married with families.

"On behalf of everyone at YAS, we'd like to offer our deepest sympathies to their families.

"We know that many people within the Trust are affected by this very tragic news and we are supporting our staff at this very difficult time.

"We ask that the wishes of the families for privacy are respected."

Representatives of Halifax Ambulance Station confirmed staff members will be gathering at the site, on North Parade,to clap the NHS with a special applause for Mark Stanley, while keeping within government social-distancing rules.