A PARAMEDIC who served 25 years of his four-decade career at Farnham ambulance station and lived his entire adult life in Alton has been given a grand send-off after his death aged 70.

Life-saver Dennis Blanchard’s coffin, draped in a South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) flag, turned heads as it was escorted through his ‘patch’ by a pair of police bikes, two ambulance cars, a full-sized ambulance and a red Ford Mustang last Friday.

Afterwards, more than 250 friends, family and colleagues attended his funeral at Aldershot Crematorium - and afterwards celebrated his life at the Royal British Legion Club in Alton.

Dennis was born on August 1, 1947 and grew up in Bentley, before relocating to Cherry Way, Alton with his family in his early teenage years. After fleeting careers as a taxi and bus driver, he joined Surrey Ambulance Service in 1970 and was assigned to Farnham ambulance station in The Hart where he would remain until its relocation to the existing Tongham station in 1997.

After 42 years saving lives, including time spent as a racecourse co-ordinator, treating sick holiday-makers at Heathrow and a final swansong as a police custody paramedic, Dennis finally retired in 2012. He died at home on February 27 after a long illness, and is survived by his brother Peter and sisters Eileen and Maureen, twin sons Chris and David whom he shared with his late second wife Eve, step-sons Mark and Bobby, and nine grandchildren.

Chris, who like his twin followed his dad into the ambulance service, told the Herald: “Dad lived and breathed being a paramedic. He literally worked seven days a week, he never took a rest day because he loved it that much. He was all about helping people, it’s all he wanted to do and it was what he was good at doing. He was a great mentor.”

SECAmb paramedic and operating unit manager Dan Garratt added: “Dennis was as much-loved and highly-respected member of staff who served in the ambulance service for more than four decades. This respect was very evident from the turnout at his funeral. Our thoughts are with his family and with everyone who knew him. He will be very much missed.”