St John Ambulance Youth Awards Evening acknowledges young members

The St John Ambulance Youth Awards held in Hampshire recently saw many youngsters from the county being given recognition for their commitment to the charity.

In a sparkling event that saw eager youngsters gather with their family and friends in Southampton, awards such as the Super Badger Award, which is given to members aged between 5 and 10 years old, the Grand Prior Award for youths between 10 and 18 years old and the Duke of Edinburgh Award were handed out during the evening.

A special award was given to St John Ambulance cadet, Ross Clynes (15) from Aldershot, in recognition for his actions at the scene of a road traffic accident, where he showed great skill and maturity in handling the difficult situation.

Speaking on the occasion, Ross said, ‘I am very grateful to the St John Ambulance for teaching me, and my fellow members, valuable life skills in first aid at schools and at our cadet meetings. It has made such a difference to me, now that I know I can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.’

Youth Leaders were also recognised for their hard work, as without the dedication of this team of volunteers, St John Ambulance youth members would not be able to achieve to such high levels and each area of the county was invited to nominate a youth leader they felt worthy of the Youth Leader of the Year Award.

This years’ overall Youth Leader of the Year award winner is Dawn Bethel, Badger & Cadet Leader at the charity’s Basingstoke Division, who dedicates many hours to helping members of her own division and many others across the county.