100 years for St John

A Winchester couple have devoted nearly a century between them to the charity St John Ambulance.

First aiders honoured

Celia and Geoff Streeter have worked together to run the adult and junior sections of the charity since the 1960s.

Mrs Streeter has now clocked up 50 years service and was honoured at a ceremony in Winchester, attended by the Mayor Richard Izard and new city MP Steve Brine. Dame Mary Fagan, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, presented the awards.

Mrs Streeter joined St John Ambulance first becoming a cadet in 1957 and Mr Streeter joined in the mid-1960s.

Mrs Streeter was Superintendent at Winchester for 10 years from 1980 to 1990, and later became involved with running Personnel and Operations for a wider area. For the last nine years, she has run the Safeguarding team in Hampshire – a role that has grown in both importance and workload.

Commander of St John Ambulance, Pat Morris, said: 'Geoff quickly realised the way to Celia’s heart lay in St John and we are lucky to have them both.'

Eastleigh’s Jean Halfacre was also recognised for devoting 57 years service to the charity. She joined the town's cadets with a friend in 1951 and became an adult member in 1955. She was a Divisional Officer from 1966 –1973.

Mrs Morris added: 'Our aim as a charity is to make the difference between lives lost and lives saved.  Geoff, Celia, Jean and our many other dedicated volunteers, do make the difference to people’s lives.'

Other Winchester volunteers honoured include Mark Browne and William Mercer, who has been a member for 32 years.

Last year, St John volunteers in Hampshire gave over 180,000 hours to the charity..