Sarah Baron: St John Ambulance

Sarah Baron visited us today to talk about St John Ambulance. She is a volunteer fundraiser covering London and Essex.

St John Ambulance can trace its origins back to the founding of the Knights Hospitaller of Jerusalem in 1104. An English priory was established in 1140 in Clerkenewll, where the Order of St John Museum can be found today. The Order is an international organisation to which St John Ambulance England is affiliated.

St John Ambulance relies heavily on its 44,385 volunteers. In England there are 1,306 Units of about 20 volunteers each, organised into four Regions. It runs training courses, including courses for workplace First Aiders, and attends community events such as football matches and the London Marathon, providing a rapid response and relieving pressure on the NHS ambulances.

In addition to the familiar St John ambulances, there are Cycle Response Units. These cost £15,000 each and are effectively mobile First Aid units on two wheels, manned by highly trained, experienced and dedicated volunteers. On standby at events like marathons, they can quickly access places ambulances can not get to easily and treat people on the scene.

There are also Community Support Units, costing £75,000 each. These are not ambulances, although they look similar. They are used to transport First Aid equipment and volunteers to events and act as an on-the-spot bases for the volunteers.

In addition to the adult volunteers, St John has two youth groups, Badgers for those aged 5-10 and Cadets for those aged 10-17. Obviously they cannot provide the same First Aid services as adults. Badgers are encouraged to learn First Aid, make new friends, learn how the body works and how to stay healthy, and develop leadership and communication skills. Cadets take part in interactive programmes leading to the St John Grand Prior Award.