MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF ST JOHN AMBULANCE (NI)
ADRIAN DONALDSON MBE DL FCMI
I would like to sincerely thank everyone who is taking part in the Qulture Shock Concert in support of our Charity, at this very difficult time for our organisation. A very special thanks to the President of Queen’s International Students Society, Adam Farhan, who came up with the idea for a virtual concert, and to Frances Logan for her exceptional organisational skills.
I know this is a worrying time for everyone, particularly for our international students, who are separated by many miles from their families. There is also the uncertainty caused by the cancellation of students’ exams – something which incidentally happened at the end of my first year at University in 1974 – although as I hadn’t studied very hard, I remember welcoming my ‘free pass’ into Year 2!!! Whatever the future holds, I wish each of you every success with your studies and careers.
It is very apt that Queen’s International Students Society selected St John Ambulance (NI) as their designated charity for this concert, as we are an international charity, operating in 43 countries worldwide, with over 250,000 volunteer members.
St John Ambulance (NI) is Northern Ireland's leading first aid charity with over 1850 adult volunteers, plus our cadets and badgers youth organisations. We provide emergency first aid, deliver medical cover at public events, and train people of all ages in vital first aid skills, so that they can make a difference in times of need. Our vision is that everyone who needs it should receive first aid from those around them. No one should suffer for the lack of trained first aiders!
Our volunteers, who are totally committed to delivering the highest level of first aid and emergency care to the local community, come from all walks of life, and include consultants, doctors, nurses, paramedics and first aiders from a wide variety of professions. We operate a large fleet of modern and fully equipped ambulances, backed up by treatment and trauma centres where necessary. Wherever you go in Northern Ireland, be it to a football or Gaelic football match, the Kingspan Stadium at Ravenhill, the NW200, Ulster Grand Prix, Airshows, equestrian events, marathons, concerts, or local council events etc, you will see our volunteers dressed in their distinctive green and black uniforms. These individuals voluntarily give up their time to acquire the necessary life-saving skills and to attend events to assist you in the event of an emergency. In this respect I am always humbled by their commitment, enthusiasm and professionalism. They really are exceptional people and true heroes.
Currently we are deploying around 80 ambulances per week, on 8 or 12 hour shifts in support of our local Health & Social Care Trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, carrying out both patient transfers and emergency calls, whilst wearing the appropriate PPE, which makes for very difficult working conditions.
So why do we need financial assistance at this time? Our income comes from two main sources (event cover and commercial courses). Due to Covid-19 these have been totally cancelled since mid-March, and are unlikely to be fully back in place until well into 2021. This has resulted in a loss of income of circa £25k per week, something we cannot sustain for many months without public donations/support.
Our website www.sjani.org will inform you of all the services we provide and how to access them, plus details on how to volunteer for our organisation, should you wish to do so. We have LINKS First Aid Units in both Queens and Ulster Universities. I hope that you find it both informative and useful.
Finally, I hope that you enjoy the concert and, once again, thank you for supporting our organisation at this time of global crisis.