A Sharp Scratch on WPD!

Posted by Martin Harrison on Oct 27, 2021

As part of the massive drive in the UK to vaccinate as many of the population as possible, Martin Harrison, who has like many other people been prevented from returning to Thailand, volunteered to become at St John vaccinator and was trained to inject people earlier this year.

Since then Martin, together with numerous other volunteers has regularly attended vaccination centres around the Midlands area assisting the National Health Service and personally administering many hundreds of first, second and now booster jabs of both Pfizer and Astra Zenica.

These efforts from an army of volunteers have undoubtedly helped ensure a successful vaccination roll out and enabled the UK to move forward return to some sort of normality.
 
Another demonstration of Rotarians world-wide doing what needs to be done and whilst not directly related to the eradication of Polio, one could argue that at this moment in time, as important is the containment and control of the Coronavirus.
 
St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the international Order of St John and its priories.
 
The first such organisation to be founded was the St John Ambulance Association, in 1877 in England.  Its first uniformed first-aiders were founded in 1887 as the St John Ambulance Brigade. These two have since been merged into a single association - St John Ambulance, which now have over 40 national organisations and over 500,000 volunteers worldwide.
 
The Order of St John owns the brand name in most countries (with the notable exception of India, which has a St John Ambulance organisation that is unconnected to the international movement). Logos vary in different countries but always contain the eight-pointed white Maltese cross as the essential identifier. Like the Order, St John Ambulance associations accept members of all religions. Their geographic organisation differs from the Order, and they must contend with differing national laws, medical practices and cultures of countries. As a result, the role and organisation of St John Ambulance varies by country.
 
 
 
Countries with national St John organisations.