Basildon first aiders honoured as Health Heroes

Volunteers with Basildon’s St John Ambulance division have been honoured as Health Heroes by NHS South West Essex.

The entire division received the award for ‘going above and beyond the call of duty to help others’.

The primary care trust announced this year’s Health Heroes at its annual general meeting on 28 September.

Basildon St John Ambulance volunteers were nominated by an NHS professional who described them as a great bunch of people who give up their free time because they want people to have fun without getting hurt.

They were also praised for supporting each other through cold, wet and sometimes traumatic duties.

St John Ambulance was the only organisation and non-NHS recipient of the award. Commendations also went to two NHS nurses and two midwives.

Basildon St John Ambulance is led by Barbara Osmond and has 28 adult volunteers, 12 Cadets (aged 10 to 17) and six Badgers (five to 10).

Barbara joined the charity 28 years ago and has been divisional superintendent in Basildon since 1996.

She said: ‘I decided to learn first aid when my son Chris was two because I thought it was important to know what to do if he was suddenly taken ill or injured. Everyone should have basic first aid skills because any of us could be faced with a sudden life or death situation – at home, in the workplace or just walking down the street.’

The Basildon division devotes around 6,000 voluntary hours a year to providing first aid cover at public events including American football, the Brentwood half marathon and V Festival. Their training means they’re able to deal with everything from cuts and sprains to a cardiac arrest.

The charity’s volunteers also train members of the public so that they too can be the difference between life and death in an emergency.

Essex St John Ambulance chairman Janie Siggers said: ‘It’s wonderful to see the medical training and voluntary work of our volunteers being recognised in this way.

‘They really are a bunch of unsung heroes and the huge amount of voluntary time they devote to helping others eases the burden on the NHS and other statutory services. In many cases their skills are quite literally the difference between a life lost and a life saved.’