Tom Dunmore says he has benefited massively from volunteering with St John Ambulance.

The 23-year-old clinical psychology student from Blackpool has been with St John since turning 16 years of age in 2019 and for the last four years has been volunteering as an Emergency Ambulance Crew member.

Like many young people, he joined to gain valuable knowledge and skills in an area he was keen to follow a career.

Tom says: “I joined originally to gain experience because I wanted to work in the medical field and this seemed like the best way of doing that. I can safely say it has done that and more and I have loved it.’’

He added: “There are so many things I enjoy about volunteering for St John.

“The main thing is being able to help people which is always a joy. A lot of people think working on ambulances and providing first aid is all about saving lives, but it is not that simple. A lot of the time it is about making someone’s day a bit better and that covers the vast majority of the work we do. It is not life saving but it is equally important.

“For me personally I have had lots of interesting experiences and been involved in exercises and large-scale incidents and treated a variety of people with a wide range of presentations. I also get to hear a lot of people’s life stories and have the privilege of going into people’s homes to treat them.  It is an opportunity people rarely get.

“My advice is that if you want to volunteer then do it. I am lucky enough to have the spare time and financial stability to do it, which I know not everyone has, but ultimately it is really rewarding.

“I have met loads of people and there are loads of others who have helped me. You benefit from like minded people who have a shared experience who provide a support network that you don’t always get.

“Volunteering gives you a great insight into the type of career you may want to go into as well. In terms of ambulance work there are a lot of misconceptions about what it is and what it involves. It’s not all about major incidents and critical events because thankfully they are the minority of my experiences and it’s more about providing support to people at a time of need.

“It is a fantastic way to develop your own skills which you can take into the future.’’

St John Ambulance is always looking for caring, dedicated people to join their team. Whether you’re passionate about helping your community, want to learn new skills, or gain experience as a healthcare volunteer - they have an opportunity for you.

For more details look at their website at www.sja.org.uk.