Kilfennan woman honoured by charity

The honour was bestowed on Mrs Liz Johnston at the recent Investiture and Awards ceremony that took place in Belfast Castle. She was admitted to The Order in recognition of her voluntary service to St John Ambulance Lisnagelvin Badger Set.

Mrs Johnston was among a select number of volunteers of St. John Ambulance who were rewarded for service to the community and the charity at the Investiture and Awards ceremony that took place in Belfast Castle recently.

The others were Andrew Chambers, Superintendent of Ormeau Division; Alan Irwin, Superintendent of Portadown Division; John Wilmot of Ballymoney Division and Dr Mark Taylor who is a consultant surgeon at the Mater Hospital and District Medical Officer for St John Ambulance.

Miss Kathleen Gill was promoted within the Order of St John to the grade of Commander Sister in recognition to her long contribution to St John Ambulance and the Fellowship of St John, a part of the charity, which focuses on retired volunteers.

Other representatives from the charity's divisions throughout Northern Ireland travelled to Belfast to the ceremony, where 25 volunteers that together represent a staggering 500 years of service, were recognised for their outstanding contribution. The ceremony had an extra note of occasion with the attendance of the Mr Robin Oake the Chancellor of the Order of St John (England and the Islands) and former Chief Constable of the Isle of Man.

The head of the Order of St. John in Northern Ireland, His Honour John McKee RD QC welcomed guests to the presentation, which began with the presentation of 'Service Medal of the Order' accolades. These were awarded to 12 volunters for completing 12 years of voluntary service within the organisation. A number of 'Bars to the Service Medal of the Order' were also awarded to volunteers achieving service records of between 22 and 47 years with the charity.

His Honour John McKee commented on the achievements of the volunteers, saying: "The first aid and caring services of St. John Ambulance which are delivered free of charge to the public depends on the dedication and commitment of its volunteers based in local communities. It is a privilege for me to recognize the years of service of these St. John Ambulance volunteers.

"The fact that we have volunteers receiving accolades for over 12 to a remarkable 47 years of service is an outstanding achievement and not one that many organisations can celebrate. I am delighted to be able to present the awards and congratulate all the recipients," he added.

St. John Ambulance Northern Ireland has 750 adult volunteers who delivered a total of 45,000 hours of service in 2008 alone. The charity embraces all sections of the community and through its youth, section offers a wide range of activities to over 1000 young people under the age of 25.

For more information on St. John Ambulance services visit www.ni.sja.org.uk or call 028 90 799 393.