Local president of St John Ambulance retires

Saying goodbye to an old friend is never easy, but when Graham Wales of Lymington decided to step down from his position as president of the New Forest South Division of St John Ambulance, many people gathered to wish him well in his retirement.

Graham, who previously served as Mayor of Lymington, has provided almost 30 years of support to St John Ambulance in the New Forest area and spent some time as president of the Lymington Section of the charity before being made president of the New Forest Division.

He has been involved in a number of projects for St John Ambulance during this time and most recently was central in the development of the Daphne Fuller Training Centre at Gordleton, which acts as the headquarters for the New Forest South division and houses both St John Ambulance and NHS ambulance facilities.

As chairman of the building’s management committee, he was keen to make sure that the facilities are always fit for the volunteers using the building.
St John Ambulance teaches first aid in local communities, so that anyone can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved. The Centre is the venue of St John Ambulance’s first aid training in the Lymington and New Milton area, where 523 members of the public and 79 volunteers were trained in the past year. It is also the meeting place of the charity’s youth sections, comprising of 45 young Cadets and Badgers.

The Daphne Fuller Training Centre also offers a specialised bathing and care service to the public, where volunteers not only assist with bathing and dressing, but also provides a support service afterwards. “I have always felt that this is of great value to the community,” said Graham.

Speaking about St John Ambulance, Graham said, “I have very high regard for the volunteers that give up such large amounts of their time to help members of the local community.  It has been a joy working with them for such a significant period of time and I wish all those involved continued success in the future.”

On presenting Graham with a garden bench as a token of their appreciation, Jo Powell, leader of the New Forest South division, said, ‘We appreciate all that Graham has done for St John Ambulance in the area over a considerable number of years. Graham has been a figurehead for us as well as being an active, considerate and gracious strength, who has been such a help to all with whom he has interacted. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have had his support.”

To find out more about St John Ambulance, visit their website at www.sja.org.uk