Last week I had the privilege of hosting an event in the Senedd celebrating the great work that our voluntary rescue and emergency services do in Wales.

I want to extend my thanks to representatives from the teams for attending and sharing some of their stories including representatives from Civil Aid Voluntary Rescue Association, Longtown Mountain Rescue, National Independent Lifeboat Association, Wales Air Ambulance, Blood Bikes, South Wales Fire and Rescue, Western Beacon Mountain Rescue, Longhor Lifeboat, South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team, both the North and South Wales Search and Rescue Associations and Severn Area Rescue Association.

All of these organisations are full of volunteers, committing their time to ensure people across Wales are in safe hands should anything happen.

Every day of ever year, these organisations ensure that there is someone on call, ready to jump to the aid of someone in distress, all without accepting a single penny in wages.

I was humbled by the speeches given by these associations, hearing the personal stories of the volunteers and being reminded of the great work they do and the lives they impact.

Every year, thousands of volunteers have to undertake rigorous training in order to maintain the skills and fitness levels required to ensure they are able to tackle any situation that they find themselves in.

Many of these organisations are involved in a wide range of rescues across a variety of situations, ranging from swift water and floods to crags and caves, and so have to be ready for any eventuality.

I am glad to say that the event was attended by a variety of Senedd Members across different parties recognising the importance of this sector and the work they do across Wales.

I was grateful to the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Social Justice also attended, giving a speech and highlighting the important work that our rescue services do.

If anyone would like to support the incredible work that these organisations do or are interested in finding out more, I would encourage you to visit their websites and see what you can do to get involved.