One of St John’s employees is celebrating 40 years of working at the charity this year.

Gill Torode has been working at St John since 1974 and is their longest serving employee.

For the past nine years Mrs Torode has been working in administration at St John.  Prior to that she

spent 31 years working in the Control Room, taking emergency phone calls and dispatching ambulance crews and paramedics.

Mrs Torode began working at St John at the age of 15 after finishing Les Beaucamps School and throughout her career has taken many thousands of 999 emergency phone calls.

Mrs Torode said: “When I started working at St John the Chief Officer was Reg Blanchford, the founder of the Ambulance and Rescue Service, so naturally I have witnessed a lot of change within the charity over the last 40 years.  I have made some great friends throughout my time at St John and I am proud to be part of a charity that provides such a crucial service to the island.”

Jon Beausire, Chief Officer at St John, said: “Gill’s dedication to her work both in the Control Room and in the office is evident from her long service here at St John.  The dedication of our employees and expert volunteers allows St John to continue providing vital services to the island and we are pleased to congratulate Gill on this impressive achievement.”