St John Ambulance

A small but important clarification at the outset: it’s St John, not St John’s. They’re every bit as precise about that as the Scouts are about not being called “Boy Scouts”. And quite right too.

I was delighted to spend the evening in Banbury with St John Ambulance, hosted by a superb local leadership team. My thanks to Alex Barnes, Priory Lead for Oxfordshire, and Becky Morray, the Oxfordshire County Commissioner, for their warm welcome and thoughtful conversation. I also had the pleasure of meeting Finn Wyatt, the Network Lead, and Maddy England, the Networks Cadet Group Lead – both clearly central to the energy and direction of the programme locally.

It is always encouraging to see another uniformed youth organisation quietly and confidently changing lives.

The Badgers – their youngest members – were eager to show me what they had been learning. There is something deeply reassuring about watching primary-aged children talk calmly about first aid. We had a lively discussion about CPR, and in particular why you exert far less pressure when giving chest compressions to a baby – or, in this case, a small cuddly toy – than you would for a child or adult. The seriousness of the subject sat comfortably alongside the unmistakable enthusiasm of children who know they are being trusted with important knowledge.

That combination of competence and confidence is no accident. It is carefully built.

With the older Cadets, the conversation shifted. What struck me most was not simply their technical knowledge, but their motivation. Again and again, I heard the same theme: a genuine desire to give service and to help other people. Not for CV points. Not for applause. But because stepping forward in moments of need feels like the right thing to do.

In a year where my focus as High Sheriff is on Hearing the Young Unheard, evenings like this matter. We sometimes underestimate the quiet civic formation that happens in church halls and community centres across the county. Young people learning discipline through uniform, teamwork through training, and compassion through service.

Uniformed youth organisations are not relics of a bygone era. They are living, breathing ecosystems of early intervention. They provide structure. They offer belonging. They give young people both responsibility and reassurance.

And in St John, that responsibility can quite literally save lives.

As ever, I left feeling encouraged. Oxfordshire is stronger because of organisations like St John. And because of young people who, when asked why they turn up each week, simply say: “I want to help.”