Dame Caroline Dinenage MP recently visited Gosport to discuss the lifesaving work of St John Ambulance volunteers.

Dame Caroline toured the first aid and health response charity's Gosport unit, learning about the contributions of St John volunteers to community health.

St John Ambulance plays a critical role in improving survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, one of the UK's leading causes of death.

Every year, about thirty thousand people in the UK experience such incidents, with less than one in ten surviving.

St John Ambulance is actively seeking to empower communities with first aid knowledge, as CPR and defibrillation can significantly increase survival chances.

In 2023 alone, St John Ambulance attended more than 158 cardiac arrest cases, saving over thirty-nine lives.

During the visit, volunteers demonstrated a full resuscitation scenario and provided training on using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP for Gosport said: "I would like to thank St John Ambulance volunteers for inviting me to learn more about their lifesaving work in Gosport. I was impressed to learn about the first aid services they provide locally and the role St John volunteers play in supporting the NHS and communities.

"All of us have seen them standing by, ready for action, at events of all kinds across Hampshire. I was interested to hear about the Unit’s desire to grow the number of volunteers and opportunities for young people to ensure every young person is first aid confident. I encourage people across Gosport to get involved with St John Ambulance’s work to help save lives."

The charity trains two hundred fifteen thousand people in first aid each year and its volunteers provided cover at eight thousand five hundred events in 2023.

The Gosport unit also updates Caroline on local projects, including strengthening recruitment of youth leaders for St John Ambulance's Badger and Cadet programmes.

With nine thousand participants, these programmes delivered over fifty-six thousand hours of support for event first aid operations in 2023.