Tongham first aid team receive award
Members from Alton and Basingstoke
A team of first aiders from St John Ambulance Hampshire has won
a prestigious national award for saving the life of 12-year-old
Christopher Stewart.
The six volunteers were on duty at Tongham Motor Club when
Christopher suffered an internal decapitation as his mini crashed
in a junior grass track race.
The team was nominated for the award by Christopher’s mum Debi
Stewart, and they were presented with the Voluntary Ambulance
Service of the Year Award 2007 at a ceremony at the House of
Commons on Thursday 3rd May 2007.
Team leader Richard Coleman commented: ‘When I think back
I take a breath and hope it doesn’t happen again.
'We worked well together although at times it was very tense
because there was a child there who was severely injured.’
Two crews from St John Ambulance Hampshire – one from Alton and
the other from Basingstoke - were on duty at Tongham Motor Club
when the accident happened last September. They were on the scene
within 30 seconds and found Christopher in a serious condition in
the driver’s seat.
They carefully removed his helmet and Steven Fish, from Alton,
climbed into the back of the crumpled mini to hold Christopher’s
head in line with his spine.
It was a delicate operation that lasted well over an hour. The
St John team continued to reassure Christopher that he would
be ok and established a “thumbs up, thumbs down” system of
communication.
David Harrison, Commander of St John Ambulance, said the team
deserved the recognition: ‘The men and women involved in this
rescue are volunteers who demonstrated immense skill and
professionalism. They saved a young boy’s life and we are all
immensely proud of them.’
Picture shows (back row from left) Richard Coleman, Keith
Patching, Steven Fish, (front row from left) Rebecca
Pither-Townley, Zoe James, Elaine Dowling