Royal Ascot
Members of St John Ambulance Berkshire
are in the middle of their busiest week of the year taking care of
the medical needs of race goers and jockeys at Royal Ascot.
The Uk's leading first aid charity provide around 30 first
aiders, nurses and ambulance technicians for each of the five
days of the high profile race meeting along with emergency response
ambulances and a vehicle dedicated to the racetrack itself.
Each of the members who attend Royal Ascot is a volunteer, most
of whom have taken holiday from their regular paid jobs in order to
represent St John. Their duties at the event include providing
first aid treatment to guests in The Royal Enclosure and looking
after injured jockeys.
The atmosphere around the course during Royal Ascot is fantastic and the camaraderie between all the volunteers is always very special.
Eddi Newick
St John Ambulance Nurse
Eddi Newick, a nurse with St John Ambulance has been going along
to Royal week at Ascot for 10 years and says it is one of the
highlights in the St John calendar. 'Although we are obviously at
Ascot to work, we also have a great time ourselves. The atmosphere
around the course during Royal Ascot is fantastic and the
camaraderie between all the volunteers is always very special. It
was my Birthday on the second day of the meeting and I wouldn't
have spent it anywhere else.'
Each day St John members can treat up to 50 people at Royal
Ascot for a variety of ailments and injuries. Hundreds of plasters
are given out over the course of the five days to guests (not
just ladies) with blisters caused by new shoes and often those
visiting the various first aid posts are suffering the effects of
too much alcohol.
Eddi continues, 'Come Saturday we are all really tired as we
have five very long days, so are glad when the week draws to
an end, but there is always some sadness that Royal Ascot is over
for another year.'