A DORCHESTER woman who led calls for men and women from the UK who joined the fight against Ebola to be recognised is delighted with the news that more than 3,000 medals will be handed out.

Joss Baker penned a letter to Buckingham Palace calling for doctors, nurses and others fighting the disease to be recognised after being touched by coverage of the crisis in West Africa.

The care worker received a reply saying her letter had been forwarded on to the Cabinet Office, which then wrote to her thanking her for the letter.

To her surprise the issue was then raised in Parliament during Prime Minister’s Questions and she has now received a further letter from the Cabinet Office confirming that a medal was being introduced and more than 3,000 are set to be awarded.

Joss said: “It’s a job very well done and it’s great that they all will have proper recognition, which I think will come as a surprise to many of them.

“Hopefully it will help to make all their efforts seem worthwhile to know the people of this country back them all the way, even the Queen and the prime minister.

“I’m delighted, I think they well and truly deserve it.”

Joss said that in the days of emails, social media and texting, her experience had shown there was still plenty that could be achieved through good old fashioned pen and paper correspondence.

She said: “It’s a good old fashioned process.”

Joss added that it also shows what can be achieved by taking matters into your own hands and trying to do something for people who deserve recognition.

She said: “I was really interested and wanted this to go further and it has done.”

Joss sent on previous coverage of her efforts in the Dorset Echo to the Cabinet Office and thanked the paper for supporting her campaign.

She is no stranger to going the extra mile for worthy causes and has run the London Marathon three times, walked on hot coals and completed a 26-miles trek through Weymouth for various charities.

Joss was also one of the leading figures in raising funds for new Christmas lights for the county town after they were ridiculed in the national press.

In 2012 she was a team leader for the Weymouth and Portland Ambassadors during the Olympics.