Community spirit drives life-savers

DEVOTED St John Ambulance couple Julie and Mark Travis have spent two decades teaching life-saving skills to children.

The pair have been nominated for a Pride in Oldham Award for running St John Ambulance Oldham Badgers — the junior section of the organisation — for over 20 years, imparting invaluable knowledge and skills on countless youngsters, aged five to 10.

They began helping out with the group when their own children joined and ended up running it at the organisation’s Busk Road headquarters, in Chadderton.

As well as teaching the youngsters first aid, Julie (50), who is badger leader, and Mark (49), who is assistant, guide the children through a host of life skills, earning badges and enjoying camps and fun activities along the way.

The chairman of St John Ambulance Oldham, Darren Clark, who nominated the couple, said: “They deserve a Pride award because they have done so much work in the community on behalf of St John Ambulance. It is their hobby and passion, I don’t know what we would do without them.”

Mark said they were both proud and honoured to be nominated for the award.

“We do it for the children,” said Mark, from Chadderton. “We saw the benefits of joining St John Ambulance in our own children — discipline, a sense of belonging — and we wanted to do that for others.

“We also enjoy doing something for the community and being involved.”