The St John Marine Ambulance, Flying Christine III, has received a financial boost to the tune of £1,400 from The Channel Islands’ Co-operative Society through the efforts of a mum of one of the rescue boat’s crew members.

Jasmine Dorey – whose son Jason is a voluntary engineer on the Marine Ambulance – was named The Channel Islands’ Co-operative Ambassador of the Year in April.

Each year, the Society holds an awards night to celebrate the training achievements of its colleagues and recognise outstanding teams and individuals. Jasmine had been nominated for, and won the Unsung Hero award for the extraordinary support she gave friend and colleague after she suffered a cardiac arrest. She then went on to win the Ambassador of the Year award which included a prize of a £1,000 donation to the charity of her choice.

Jasmine chose the Marine Ambulance as the beneficiary and the charity then received a further £400 through the fundraising efforts of Jasmine and her colleagues at Homemaker, which included organising a car boot sale and a cake sale. She has now been invited to go out on the vessel as a thanks for her support.

Jasmine said she really wanted to support her son and the charity to which he devotes much of his spare time.

‘Jason has been on the Flying Christine for a couple of years, and is really proud to work for St John. It was a complete shock when I won the award, but I knew straightaway that I wanted to help the charity as Jason is always one to put himself forward to support others.’

‘I also don’t think many people realise quite what wonderful service the Flying Christine provides in saving lives,’ she added.

Carrie Goodall, Senior Officer at St John, was very appreciative of the donation.

‘Jason is a very active volunteer for us and spends a great deal of time undertaking regular maintenance checks on the Marine Ambulance and crewing her on operational call outs,’ she said.

‘These funds help keep her in top operational condition and we are most grateful for the support both from Jasmine and The Channel Islands Co-operative Society, and indeed all of our volunteers.’

Mark Cox, Chief Operating Officer at The Channel Islands Co-operative Society, said the Society’s employees were active supporters of the community.

‘As a community retailer which is owned by thousands of Channel Islanders, we want to do what we can to support local charities and voluntary organisations. The Society has a number of initiatives including Helping Hands and the EcoFund which provide financial support but we also encourage our teams to be involved in the community. It’s always very rewarding for us and our colleagues when they hear how their fundraising efforts are making a difference and I’m sure Jasmine will have a fantastic time out on the Flying Christine,’ he said.