Seven first aiders represented Guernsey in the finals of a national competition on Saturday 11 October.

An adult team, a Cadet team in the ten to eighteen age group and a Badgers team in the five to ten years age group from St John Guernsey travelled to Gloucester to compete against teams from across the UK, Channel Islands and Ireland in the finals of the St John Ambulance National First Aid Competition.

The three teams competed at a local level, against Jersey and then attended the regionals of the competition in Kent despite already having achieved a place in the finals.

The final competition took place at Skillzone, a safety training centre set up in Gloucester designed to depict real incidents.

The adult team, Sharon Cleal and Mark Guilbert, came in fifth out of eight teams. The cadet team included Matt Holland and Abbie Le Page who came seventh out of nine and the badgers, Logan Batchelor, Ben Major and Jade Lewis-Gallienne, came seventh out of ten.

Competition manager, Tanya Goubert, said: “The standard of expertise and level of training demonstrated at the finals was once again very high and showed the commitment and dedication across all age groups. For the Guernsey teams to compete against teams from all over the UK and Ireland is a huge achievement.

“First aid is not only a vital life skill but it also improves self-esteem, develops confidence and fosters a sense of belonging. For these reasons, learning first aid can be beneficial for all people of all ages and we welcome anyone who would like to learn new skills and become a part of St John to get in touch.”

In 2013 St John Ambulance Guernsey volunteers undertook approximately 3,000 hours on duty at public events.

If you would like to volunteer with St John please contact the Bailiwick manager 01481 727129 (morning) or info@sja.org.gg