At the start of the pandemic in 2020, I began volunteering at my local hospital, St Mary’s in Paddington. I'm a musician and all my live performances had been cancelled due to the pandemic. I knew the NHS needed help, and as I had a lot of spare time - I'm young and healthy - I felt I wasn’t putting anyone at risk by entering a hospital. I really valued being able to go out and see other people during lockdown and I gained an understanding into what the NHS was really facing.  

‘I found it really fascinating learning a lot of the science during the St John training, being in a medical setting has been really interesting for me’ 

I’ve always heard good things about St John and seen them around at London events.  

I really enjoyed volunteering, having volunteered in dementia settings and with children with special needs. When the vaccine roll-out started in December 2020, I heard about St John needing volunteers from a news article and knew I’d enjoy it.  

I signed up and have never had a bad shift. 

‘Knowing the team here has been a really nice community feel during the pandemic’ 

All the other volunteers and healthcare leads have been very supportive and encouraging. I absolutely love chatting to everyone who comes for their vaccines and feel I am really contributing to the country getting back on it's feet.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity SJA. I want to train as an Events First Aider in the coming months – paperwork in progress!