Four Star Pizza is calling on the Northern Ireland public to nominate members of the emergency services that they feel have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their job.
The ‘call to action’ comes on the back of the popular Irish-owned pizza chain’s sponsorship of the prestigious 999 Hero award at this year’s Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards, an annual awards ceremony that honours inspirational people from across Northern Ireland.
“We are very proud to sponsor this year’s 999 Hero award and would urge everyone in Northern Ireland to show their support for our amazing emergency services by nominating anyone they feel has gone that extra mile in carrying out their already vital work,” said Four Star Pizza CEO Colin Hughes, who hails from Lurgan in County Armagh.
“While there can only be one winner of this very special award, we at Four Star Pizza see it as a salute to all those individuals and teams who, on a daily basis, selflessly serve our communities and show such bravery in the face of adversity to help save lives.
“As a company deeply rooted in local communities, with franchises in towns across the island of Ireland, we offer our heartfelt gratitude, on behalf of all our customers and staff, for our emergency services’ extraordinary acts of courage and sacrifice, and we are honoured to help celebrate their resilience and unwavering dedication,” added Hughes.
“They are the true embodiment of heroism and, as an honest company always striving to be better, their stories serve as beacons of hope and inspiration for us all.”
Last year’s 999 Hero award was won by all-volunteer canine search and rescue charity K9 Search and Rescue NI for the bravery shown by its handlers and rescue dogs in providing certified area search and victim recovery canines for coastal, urban, rural and disaster response.
Other award categories at the Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards, in partnership with Ulster Bank, include Unsung Hero, Charity Champion, Caring Spirit, Community Hero, Eco Champion, Young Carer, Overcoming Adversity, Spirit of Health, Spirit of Education, Spirit of Youth and Spirit of Sport.
A star-studded line-up is expected to attend the ceremony which will be hosted by UTV’s Pamela Ballantine and Cool FM’s Pete Snodden at the Culloden Estate and Spa in Cultra on Friday, June 14.
Last year’s event was supported by a host of famous faces, including Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, singer Tony Christie, Hollywood actor Ciaran Hinds, entertainers Christopher Biggins, Linda Robson, Debbie McGee, plus Oscar winner James Martin and Emmerdale stars Natalie Ann Jamieson and Dominic Brunt.
Anyone wishing to nominate a member of the emergency services for the 999 Hero Award, sponsored by Four Star Pizza, should send an email to [email protected], providing some information on the person(s) they are nominating and why they deserve to win.
Four Star Pizza opened its first Irish store in Dublin in 1986, and its first Northern Ireland store in Belfast in 1999. The company now employs more than 1,000 people across 58 stores on the island of Ireland, with locations including Belfast, Bangor, Dundonald, Carrickfergus, Newry, Drumahoe, Derry, Armagh, Newtownabbey, Coleraine, Lisburn, Craigavon, Dublin, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Wicklow, Donegal, Clare, Kildare, Limerick, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Waterford and Wexford.