St John looking for first-aid volunteers

The volunteers give up their time to provide first-aid cover at public events around the Bailiwick from Liberation Day to the summer shows, including the Island Games in 2021.

The Games are just over 18 months away, during which Guernsey will play host to thousands of athletes from 23 islands, competing across 14 sports in 25 venues.

Community operations manager Phil Ozanne is now a veteran of the Games. ‘We have a very loyal core volunteer base who are an incredible help.

‘The problem we have is that we need to expand this core base to accommodate for the size of event. The reason we are launching now, some 18 months before the Games, is that we want to give everyone the opportunity to be properly trained and gain some practical experience before volunteering at a sizeable event where they may have more responsibility.’

Volunteers will be given first-aid training over two weekends and then gain experience at local events over the course of 2020, including the 75th Liberation Day celebrations.

St John chief operating officer Nikki Harrison said: ‘To be ready for the Games in 2021 the volunteers will need to have completed their training and have gained first-aid experience at events – this will take a little time, which is why we have begun our recruitment drive now.

‘If you have good communication skills, a desire to help people and are able to deal with all sorts of medical situations we’d love to have you on our team.’

The Games will host up to 3,500 athletes now that all 23 islands have confirmed attendance and provisional numbers, the 2021 team say. It will be one of Guernsey’s largest events to date.

n For further details about what a volunteer first aider’s role entails, the skills required, and training provided, visit the volunteer section on stjohn.gg or email: games2021@stjohn.gg.