Princess Anne honours St John Ambulance volunteers, including 7-year-old Lucy Wall from Wolverhampton

The remarkable achievements of young St John Ambulance volunteers were celebrated recently at an event in the presence of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, who has served for many years as St John’s Commandant-in-Chief – Youth.

The Young Achievers’ Reception is an annual event which honours many young individuals – including Badgers aged between five and 11 and Cadets aged between 10 and 17 – who have excelled in first aid, provided exceptional personal care, contributed significantly to fundraising efforts, or overcome personal challenges to make a substantial impact on their community. This year’s event took place at the Priory Church of the Order of St John, London.

Among the attendees was seven-year-old Lucy Wall from Wolverhampton.

During the St John Restart a Heart campaign in 2023, Lucy joined her unit at the Mayor's Parlour as well as participating in various activities throughout October and November. At these events, Lucy taught adults how to perform CPR, place someone in the recovery position, and use a defibrillator correctly. One notable moment was when Lucy corrected a local MP on his chest compression technique, ensuring it was done perfectly. This memorable interaction left a lasting impression on the MP, who has said that he now recalls the correct CPR method thanks to Lucy's guidance.

Talking about the reception and meeting HRH The Princess Royal, Lucy said: "I love teaching people first aid! It was lots of fun travelling to London and meeting Princess Anne. She is a very kind lady and she was lovely to talk to. Princess Anne asked me lots of questions and laughed when I said to her that I told an MP they were doing chest compressions wrong. I had a great day and the brownies they gave us were yummy too!"

At the event, Her Royal Highness was greeted by senior members of the St John team including Chief Executive, Shona Dunn, and Chairman and Prior, Stuart Shilson.

Accompanied by Chief Commissioner, Kevin Munday and National Cadet of the Year, Malachi Hutchful, she then met with all the young volunteers and their guests, discussing their impressive contributions that led to this recognition.

Also present were seven winners of Sovereign Awards, along with St John District Cadets of the Year from across the country, showcasing the breadth of talent and dedication within the organisation. Currently, more than 9,000 young people aged from 5 to 17 are members of St John Ambulance. Those actively volunteering on event duties have collectively already given 45,500 hours of service in 2024.

Kevin Munday, St John Ambulance's Chief Commissioner, said: “The Young Achievers’ Reception is a wonderful event that highlights the dedication and hard work of our incredible young volunteers. It was an honour to meet them all and to welcome Her Royal Highness, making this event a highlight in the St John Youth calendar each year. Hearing their stories was truly inspiring and all of us at St John are constantly impressed by just how much our young people can achieve in often difficult circumstances. We congratulate them all.”

For more information about St John’s young volunteers, visit www.sja.org.uk/get-involved/young-people/.