Twenty new Youth members have been officially welcomed into St John at the annual Carol Service.

Part of the Carol Service is the Enrolment Ceremony and Member Re-Dedication.

The nine Badgers and eleven Cadets, who have all joined St John during the past year were formally welcomed to the family of St John by the Enrolment Officer and Commandery Director Jurat Jerry Girard. The new members were presented with certificates before promising to be loyal, honest, faithful and help others in need, and then repeating the St John Code of Chivalry.

The ceremony took place during the Carol Service at Shiloh church and was led by the Chaplain of St John, The Very Reverend Canon Mark Trickey. The readings were given by the Chairman of St John Guernsey – Jurat David Hodgetts, Chief Operating Officer – Nikki Harrison, St John Volunteer – Janet Unitt, Youth leader – Jackie Pattimore as well as our Badger of the Year.

Chairman of St John Guernsey, Jurat David Hodgetts said: “It is wonderful to welcome these young people into St John. These youngsters are the lifeblood and future of the organisation. As members of St John they will have lots of opportunities for personal development, to grow as individuals and gain confidence. Cadets and Badgers can learn so many valuable life skills in addition to learning first aid. I’m delighted and encouraged to see our new members joining us at this exciting time and look forward to seeing them progress through St John.”

The new Cadets and Badgers have already started to embark on the updated youth programme which was introduced in September this year. As they develop their skills they will also have the opportunity to take part in inter insular competitions to test their first aid skills against other young people.

Cadets and Badgers meet every Tuesday or Friday. Badgers is for younger children aged 6-10 years old. Cadets is for young people aged between from 10-18. Anyone interested in becoming a Cadet or Badger should contact sally.byrne@stjohn.gg

St John Guernsey would like to thank Shiloh Church for welcoming St John and the Rohais branch of Waitrose for supplying Mince Pies for the post ceremony reception.