Dan had attended the event with his mum after winning a competition. He met ambulance crews, was shown around an ambulance and also met Mary Watt (nee Whyham), who was NWAS Chair at the time.

The experience stayed with him. His interest in the ambulance service grew and, years later, he went on to become a paramedic.

“I’d say attending the AGM in 2008 was a big contributor in terms of meeting people and actually getting to understand what the role of the ambulance service was,” said Dan.

Nearly 20 years later, Dan and Mary were reunited at our AGM and Ambulance Awareness Day at Aintree Racecourse yesterday. This time with Dan attending as an NWAS HART paramedic and Mary as a special guest. The reunion was part of our 20th anniversary celebrations.

The special event took place at Aintree Racecourse on 15 September and brought together more than 250 staff, community groups, schools, partners and members of the public.

Visitors had the chance to find out more about our services and teams, roles and volunteering opportunities by visiting our interactive stands. They could also see our emergency vehicle display, take part in CPR demonstrations and experience simulated emergency scenarios using our VR headsets.

The event also gave us the chance to showcase the partnership working that supports our communities, with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, Merseyside Police, HM Coastguard and the Merseyside Road Safety Partnership among those joining us.

Staff and visitors also donated items to a local Trussell Trust food bank, which had a stand at the event.

We were also joined by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor William Shortall, the Sheriff of Chester, Councillor Alan Smith and former NWAS Chair Mary Watt.

For Dan and Mary, the day was an opportunity to look back at an event nearly 20 years ago and see just how far things had come since they first met.