Caring Carol in St John honour

PROUD moment . . . Carol Calvert with her investiture medal

A SELFLESS St John Ambulance volunteer has been royally commended for her community service.

Carol Calvert, who has 17 years’ service, was invested as a member of the Order of St John at a ceremony in London.

Carol, of Uppermill, ran a brownie pack for 25 years and, in her role as Brown Owl, needed to achieve a first aid certificate. This sparked her interest in the St John Ambulance.

From attending a weekly meeting, Carol undertook training and progressed to being an ambulance technician.

Her regular duties also included tending to members of the public when they pitted their fitness and strength against the challenges of TV’s “Krypton Factor” assault course.

Carol then undertook additional teaching exams and her rank of Divisional Superintendent gives her overall responsibility for adult members at the Saddleworth unit.

She said: “I’ve learned so much thanks to St John Ambulance — and we have definitely invested time in each other.

“I would highly recommend getting involved because you meet such nice people. The general public are really appreciative of us — they know we are all volunteers.”

The ceremony takes place three times a year and each time around 100 people of all walks of life are invested, the majority of whom are St John Ambulance volunteers.

The Order of St John traces its origins back 900 years to the Knights Hospitaller, from which it derives its motto: “For the faith and in the service of humanity”.