Aimee Lihou, Dave Welbourne, and Rachel Major have been honoured for their work with St John at a ceremony in London.
Miss Lihou was invested as a Member of the Most Venerable Order of St John, in part for her work establishing the new ambulance service in Alderney. She has also been a youth member and adult volunteer with the charity, before training as a paramedic in the UK.
“It was a very special day, set within the St John Priory Church and a reception at St John’s Gate,” she said.
“Wearing dark green Ambulance & Rescue uniform, I attracted a lot of questions about where I was from, which provided the opportunity to explain the unique offerings of St John in Guernsey.
“Although my appointment was for my work in leading Alderney’s ambulance service out of crisis, I have been involved with St John since eight years of age. Before joining West Midlands Ambulance Service in 2010, much of my time was spent volunteering at public events, participating in first aid competitions and offering time to the island’s Ambulance Service. With such a long connection to the St John organisation, being invested into The Order was a great honour and entirely humbling.
“I was delighted to share the occasion with other recipients from Guernsey and members of my family.”
The investiture took place at the international headquarters of St John in Clerkenwell, London, and was also attended by long serving St John Guernsey volunteer Rachel Major, who was appointed as a Member of the Order, in recognition of her safeguarding work with the St John charity.
Former Ambulance Officer, Dave Welbourne was recognised for his years of service to the marine ambulance, having served on both Flying Christine II and Flying Christine III.
He was also instrumental in the design of Flying Christine III.
Mr Welbourne first joined the Ambulance and Rescue service in 1989, before later qualifying as a paramedic. He was promoted to the rank of Senior Officer before moving to a new role with St John Training Services.
“I was truly honoured to be invested as a member of the Order of St John,” he said.
“It was a surprise when I first heard about the nomination and a real honour to receive this award in recognition of my 40 plus years of service to the Flying Christine, a position that I have always enjoyed and felt passionate about. The ceremony reflected the long history and heritage of St John, and the day felt quite surreal, but it was made more special by being joined by two colleagues from Guernsey.”
All appointments to the prestigious Order for outstanding service to St John, are sanctioned by HM King Charles III, the Sovereign Head of the organisation.