Many people are unaware that the St John organisation in Guernsey is made up of two very different entities:
A team of five runners are raising funds for the St John Guernsey charity’s youth section by taking part in the forthcoming Mourant relay at this year’s Sure Guernsey Marathon on Sunday 14th April.
Deputies Al Brouard and Heidi Soulsby, who both took part in last year’s relay event, will again don a St John Runners team jersey and are this year being joined by new teammates J.P Nicolle, Tony Manning and Luke Penney. The new teammates are representatives from Utmost International’s Guernsey office and running on behalf of St John as part of a recently formed charity partnership.
Leon Steyn, CEO of Utmost International Guernsey said, “We are proud to announce that we have chosen St John Ambulance Guernsey as our Charity of the Year. This decision underscores our unwavering commitment to supporting causes that resonate with our core values. St John, with its rich history and humanitarian focus, particularly in healthcare and emergency services, aligns perfectly with our business.
In partnering with St John, we aim to make a positive impact on the well-being of our wider community. We look forward to supporting the St John team at numerous events throughout the year including Guernsey Together, The West and North Shows and Seafront Sunday and look forward to welcoming St John Cadets at our Community Fun Day in August. St John offers such a vital service to the island and we hope together, we can create a brighter future.”
The team is hoping to raise £5000 towards the St John youth service which operates a number of programmes including Badgers, Cadets and First-Aid in Schools.
Deputy Al Brouard, President of the States of Guernsey Committee for Health and Social Care, is running this year for the second time and said, “After running for St John in last year’s relay, I was delighted to be asked to join the team again this year. St John has long been an organisation in Guernsey that has supported our island’s healthcare sector. Badgers and Cadets of today can be tomorrow’s ambulance personnel, doctors, nurses and healthcare workers generally, all greatly benefiting and strengthening our community as a whole”
The Mourant Relay Race gets underway from South Esplanade at 9.30am Sunday 14th April.
Donations towards the team’s fundraising can be made by calling in at the St John office in the Rohais, or online via Giving.gg by clicking here You can find out more about the team by clicking here
An Old Elizabethan whose academic achievements at school yielded to his skills and energies as an enthusiastic shot and sportsman, Peter Voute had a distinguished Naval career, including Fleet Air Arm duties and posts, diplomatic assignments including as Naval Attaché in Madrid, besides sea commands and operational service in various areas of confrontation eg Borneo/Indonesia, and which included teaching the King when Prince of Wales to fly helicopters. He retired from active service in 1992 to the no less exacting combats engendered by the UK Government’s assaults on the countryside as a senior executive of the Countryside Alliance. He was one of the organisers of the Countryside Rally, and later the Countryside March, both of which encouraged great support for the retention of traditional countryside pursuits.
On his returning to Guernsey in the early 2000’s, as then Chairman of the St John Council I asked him to become involved with St John, and in particular to review and reorganise its cumbersome and inappropriate voluntary Divisional structure, a project he undertook with characteristic efficiency and precision, and in the result a much leaner and more effective voluntary St John emerged. He succeeded me as Chairman of the St John Council in 2008, and was appointed to the office of Knight Commander on the Bailiwick’s St John activities and undertakings being transferred from the Priory of England and the Islands of the Order to the locally incorporated Commandery in July 2012, in order to give St John in the Bailiwick the independence it deserved as a Crown Dependency. In his dealings to establish the Commandery with the Priory and the Order of St John, he proved a skilled but pragmatic negotiator, and the eventual success of these new arrangements demonstrate the sense and value of his contribution.
Peter married Marta Blad, of the notable Guernsey family, who was a delightful companion, yet a discerning foil. Sadly, due to her illness, he had to step down as Knight Commander sooner than anticipated, but his contribution to the establishment of the Commandery and its subsequent achievements cannot be overemphasised. Peter’s life and career were marked by a sense of duty and discipline, and the maintenance of standards of conduct which he set himself and expected of others; yet he was a thoroughly engaging and interesting, besides modest, gentleman and his ever-courteous manner and characteristic efficiency were hard to match. St John locally owes him much.
Nik van Leuven KStJ.
The St John youth section held a quiz night to raise funds towards taking Badgers & Cadets to the 2024 St John National Youth Camp in Oxfordshire.
Over 100 quizzers took part on the evening and were treated to hearty ploughman’s platters whilst battling through the rounds in the closely contested evening of fun. The final victory went to the Office Ninjas team who took first place in the rankings by just 3 points.
The evening raised just over £2,000 which will go directly towards this year’s trip to the National Youth Camp.
The Camp brings together St John youth members from across Europe and is an opportunity for St John Guernsey’s young people to meet and work alongside the wider St John organisation from around the world. It is an invaluable experience that helps develop interpersonal skills such as teamwork, communication, and leadership, whilst also affording the Badgers & Cadets the opportunity to explore new activities such as water sports, archery, climbing and high ropes.
“I’m so pleased to say that Saturday’s quiz night was such a huge success”, said Heather Langlois, Chief Executive of the St John Guernsey charity. “Our training hall was buzzing all evening long and the competitive spirit in the room was palpable! I’d like to thank all of the sponsors who supported our event from food to raffle prizes and everything in between. Their support made for a fantastic evening. I’d also like to thank all of our volunteers and young people who worked so hard to put this event together. They are heart and soul of this organisation and I commend their perseverance, positive attitudes, and unwavering dedication to this organisation and the community we serve”.
St John Guernsey would also like to thank all of the businesses and individuals who gave their time or donated items for the event and to everyone who attended.
Photo credit: Kelsea Bougourd
Heather Langlois, Chief Executive Officer of the St John Guernsey charity said: “When the Commandery of St John in Guernsey was first formed in 2012, Peter was appointed as our very first Knight Commander. Being a Commandery meant that even though we retained our ties with the Priory of St John England, we became an independent entity. Peter made a much valued contribution to the history of St John Guernsey, providing oversight and counsel during what was a significant period of change. He brought a wealth of experience and wisdom to the role as well as being a loyal supporter and advocate for St John for after his retirement.”
Phil Ozanne, Community Operations Manager for St John Guernsey charity said: “Peter was a very warm and approachable person and was one of those people you could always have an informal chat with if you needed any advice or guidance. I know that he will be missed by all who knew him. The thoughts of all those associated with St John are with his family at this time.”
The flag at the Rohais has been flying at half mast as a mark of respect. Our thoughts are with Peter’s family at this time.
Do you know your Abba from your Alice Cooper or your port from your starboard? Come along and join us for a fun evening of quizzing and help to raise funds for the St John Badgers & Cadets fundraising campaign.
Get your ticket or further info by sending an email here or by calling 01481 727129.
