The Countess of Wessex has been steadily working to help support those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she has visited the Operational Support Hub of St John Ambulance to pack personal protective equipment for volunteers.
Sophie, who is Grand President of St John Ambulance, visited the Hub on June 23rd 2020 ahead of St John’s Day to meet with and thank their volunteers. She also pitched in to help organise deliveries. The countess helped pack PPE shipments for first aiders, ambulance crews, specialist cleaners, and hospital staff working with St John.
In a video posted on the charity’s Twitter account, Sophie thanked their volunteers for their “staggering” contributions during the pandemic.
“More than anything I wanted to say a huge thank you,” she said. “Thank you to the whole of St John Ambulance, all of our wonderful volunteers who have stepped up above and beyond during this coronavirus pandemic. Thank you for everything you’ve done and are continuing to do. Over 115,000 hours of volunteer service; it’s quite staggering and you should be so proud of yourselves.”
St John Ambulance covers all of England and their thousands of volunteers include trained medical professionals as well as everyday citizens working in a variety of roles. These include ambulance services, healthcare specialists, community first responders, special event first aiders, fundraising, office support, and more. Their Badgers and Cadets programmes for under 18’s also provide hands-on training for young people who are looking to learn first aid and help in their communities.
According to the charity, St John has undertaken its biggest mobilisation of volunteers since WWII because of the pandemic.
“Wherever you’ve been, whether you’ve been driving ambulances in the front line, whether you’ve been supporting others by packaging uniform and equipment, thank you for what you’ve been doing,” Sophie continued in the video. “We rely on you, the country relies on you, and you have done yourselves absolutely proud. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
