A FORMER fire station manager woke with a pleasant surprise recently, when he received an invitation to a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace this May.

Former on-call station manager of Delabole Community Fire Station, Mark Saltern, received word recently that he has been nominated to attend a Royal Garden Party, due to be held in the spring.

Mark has a career in the fire service spanning over 30 years, bringing his 32-year career to a final conclusion last year with his retirement.

Throughout his time in the fire service, Mark has gone above and beyond for the local community, resulting in his nomination from no other than the assistant chief fire officer of Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, Mark Hewitt.

Mark was nominated in recognition of his charitable work for the Firefighters Charity, as well as his initial response during the devastating Boscastle floods in 2004, of which he was in charge of the first responding fire appliance, ultimately saving the lives of members of the public who had found themselves trapped by the rising waters.

Mark said he was ‘quite surprised’ to have received the nomination, but was looking forward to the party, which he will be attending on May 29 with his wife Helen — who is excited to be purchasing a new outfit for the special occasion!

The Post will keep readers updated on Mark’s time at Buckingham Palace!