THE St John Ambulance has marked 120 years of providing first aid in the town.

Volunteers have now been providing first aid and training courses for lifesaving skills through the service for 12 decades.

Unit manager Kerrie Gleave joined St John Ambulance as a cadet 14 years ago when she was 13.

The 27-year-old said: “My mum’s cousin was heavily involved in St John Ambulance and my mum wanted me to join, so I came down and I’ve not left since.

“Obviously I enjoy it, because I keep coming back and I keep taking on more and more responsibilities.

“It’s good for young people and for us leaders as well.

“When I was a cadet it was really good for boosting my confidence and making new friends - some of my closest friends are people that I’ve met through St John Ambulance.

“As I’ve got older and progressed through the different ranks in the organisation, its been great to see the younger cadets come in really shy but then after a while becoming a different person.

St John Ambulance volunteers have attended 87 events in the town so far in 2017, from Warrington Wolves games to junior football tournaments and from fun runs to food festivals.

An open day was held at the unit’s base on Hoyle Street in Bewsey last month as part of the 120th birthday celebrations.

Kerrie, district youth lead for Cheshire East and Greater Manchester, added: “It can be a difficult job as no week is ever the same.

“Sometimes the young cadets just need to talk and let off some steam which can be quite demanding, but the end result is always really good.

“It’s just nice to make a difference, especially when you hear stories about young people who you’ve trained in first aid and who’ve gone out and helped someone or even saved a life.

“I’ve got such a strong team and I wouldn’t be able to run the unit without the volunteers who help me, and we’re always looking for youth leaders all over the north west.

“I hope that St John Ambulance is pretty valuable to the town, because we go out and support a lot of events and hopefully people appreciate what we do.”

For more information on St John Ambulance call 08700 104950.