Ambulance staff say fond farewell to paramedic Mick

Mick Johnson had been part of West Midlands Ambulance Service for almost 25 years - and was a friendly, familiar face around the community.

He was also a star of the BBC documentary Ambulance, which gave viewers the chance to see behind the scenes of some of the country's hard-working paramedics.

Mr Johnson, from Stafford, died at the age of 73, after a short illness.

Hundreds of paramedics attended Mr Johnson's funeral yesterday at Stafford Crematorium, where a special ambulance with his initials on was driven past grieving friends, family and colleagues as part of a touching procession.

A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said in tribute: "Over 200 of our staff came together at Stafford Crematorium to pay their final respects to one of the real gentlemen of life, Mick Johnson. He passed away recently after a short illness. Rest in peace.

"We’d like to thank the many staff who volunteered to come and work in Staffordshire to allow colleagues to attend Mick’s funeral."

Ambulance workers from across the region paid their own tributes to Mr Johnson.

Paramedic Liz paid her respects on social media, saying: "We have to say goodbye to one of our own today. Mick Johnson. It was an honour working with him. See you on the other side Mick."

She added that the service was 'beautiful'.

In an interview back in 2017, when he starred on Ambulance, Mick said being a paramedic was 'the best job I've ever had' and that being able to help others was a 'privilege'.

He loved his job so much that he returned to work part-time after retiring back in 2009 - and was very popular with both colleagues and locals.

He worked in the control room and was also a technician.

And he admitted being a paramedic was much more than patching people up or taking them to hospital.

"Some people, that's all they need - a cup of tea, a bit of company, they are on their own the rest of the time," he said back in 2017.

He added that his age played a part in re-assuring patients and relatives, who tended to listen to him more.

"The beauty of the job is that every day is different, every job is different," he said.

WMAS spokesman Murray MacGregor said back when Mr Johnson starred on the BBC television show: "Mick has worked for us for 24 years, so he came quite late in the day.

"He retired a while back and came back. He has worked in the control room and now he is a technician and loves it.

"He is very popular. The thing that works very well is the fantastic rapport you see him have with patients of a similar age."

Mr Johnson, who was also a much-loved family man - touched the hearts of the nation with his stories on Ambulance.

One particular episode saw him called out to someone who had sadly died.