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Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service celebrates road safety success at UK Fleet Champions Awards 2025

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Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) is celebrating national recognition for its commitment to road safety, after receiving two honours at the UK Fleet Champions Awards 2025, hosted by Brake, the road safety charity. This continues the momentum from last year, when we proudly took home the Public Sector Driver Safety Award.

The awards ceremony took place in Leeds on Thursday 25 September 2025.

Road Safety in the Community Award – Winner

Our prevention team at SkillZONE won this award for their inclusive and hands-on approach to road safety education. Working with local partners, they’ve created a programme that supports young people with special educational needs, helping them learn how to stay safe in real-life situations. The ‘Be Bright Be Seen’ tool - an interactive learning experience using visual storytelling is just one example of how we’re making road safety more accessible and engaging.

Public Sector Driver Safety Award – Highly commended 

We were also recognised for our wider road safety work with drivers across Gloucestershire. Through projects like Fired Up, Biker Down!, e-Bikeability, and our SkillZONE life skills centre, we’re helping people of all ages build confidence and make safer choices on the road. 

Delivered across schools, colleges, and community groups, we deliver high-impact, hands-on learning that empowers people to stay safe, reduce risk, and become responsible road users. These initiatives support high-risk groups like new drivers and young road users, using a trauma-informed approach to build confidence and real-world skills.

Madeleine Jarrett, SkillZONE Manager said: “I am a very happy manager - GFRS Prevention Team are outstanding always working so hard and to win awards and be recognised nationally for this work is amazing and rewarding."

Mark Preece, Chief Fire Officer for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service said: "This recognition is a reflection of the passion and dedication our teams bring to road safety every day. We’re proud to work with our communities to create safer roads and support people of all backgrounds to travel with confidence."

Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, cabinet member with responsibility for the fire and rescue service, added: "These awards show how Gloucestershire is leading the way in inclusive, forward-thinking safety education. I’m incredibly proud of the team’s work and the positive impact they’re having across the county."