New Freeman of London City has strong Mayo connections
Nigel Flanagan, whose parents hail from Mayo and Galway, has become a Freeman of the City of London.
The honour was bestowed on him during a ceremony full of ancient pageantry.
It was in recognition for his lifetime of public service and fundraising efforts for large numbers of charitable causes for the London Ambulance Service NHS.
Nigel qualified as a paramedic in 2003 and has spent the past 19 years of his career working for the NHS.
In December 2012 Nigel started up the Operational Children’s Presents Appeal, seeking donations of presents for very sick children who spend Christmas Day in hospital. This annual appeal was a huge success, with donations pouring in to hospitals and children's hospices in London and beyond.
In 2012 Nigel raised money for a minibus for the Charley Chaplin Adventure Playschool Kennington, London.
In 2014 money was raised for St. Matthews Project, Brixton, to help keep children and young adults off the streets.
Mr. Flanagan received an invitation in May 2015 to attend Her Majesty the Queen’s garden party at Buckingham Palace.
The following year Nigel received a VIP Award from the London Ambulance Service for his professionalism.
In 2020 he was involved in collecting donations and delivering them to Chris Wilds for his campaign to help homeless teenagers leaving the care system across London at the age of 16.
Nigel has coordinated Operation Foodbank across London over the past three years during the pandemic.
This involves the collection of donations of food across the London ambulance area network and the delivering of these to food banks for the most vulnerable and in need.
In 2021, Nigel and his paramedic team delivered donations to 40 food banks, which was an unbelievable achievement.
Nigel’s father Sean Flanagan is from Ballindine and his mother Maureen Flanagan (née Heneghan) hails from Tuam, Co. Galway.
Nigel is married to Carly and they have three young children, Alana, Arlo and Albie, and they reside in Lingfield, Surrey, England.
Mr. Flanagan stated: "This is proving quite the year for Irish recognition by the city of London following the recent granting of Freedom to Eoin Morgan and Ed Sheeran.
"I am proud and extremely honoured to be made a Freeman of the City of London. I am thrilled to have been part of such a prestigious event which forms part of the city’s rich history. It’s a huge privilege."