A St John Ambulance Cymru stalwart has received a prestigious award in recognition of three decades of dedicated voluntary service in Bridgend County Borough and beyond.
The nomination for the Mayor’s Citizenship Award for outstanding services to Bridgend County Borough came as a surprise to the charity’s Assistant Chief Commissioner for South and East Wales, Mike Flanagan, who learned of it via a letter in the post.
"It was a lovely surprise... I had been nominated by a neighbour who had seen me leaving in a green shirt to go on a St John duty early in the morning and coming home late at night on several occasions over the years,"
Flanagan shared in an interview on the official St John Ambulance Cymru podcast, Just in Case: Stories from St John.
"It’s just lovely to be recognised."
His introduction to St John Ambulance Cymru began at age 12 in Colwyn Bay. Although the division closed shortly after he joined, his interest in "medically related topics" never wavered. After moving to South Wales, he reconnected with the charity in Bridgend, eventually rising through the ranks to oversee operations across three counties.
Reflecting on his motivation, Flanagan points to a deep-seated desire to help others:
"There's something in us... where we get satisfaction from helping others. I'm quite happy to help and assist anyone who needs it. When people say thank you, it's an enormous reward. It doesn't have to be in terms of cash or gifts; a thank you is good enough."
Flanagan’s contribution to Wales extends far beyond his ambulance duties. A former senior fire officer with 35 years of service, he currently balances his role at St John Ambulance Cymru with several other community pillars:
Education: Serving as Lead Governor for Health and Safety at both Penyfai and Tondu Primary Schools.
Justice: Acting as a member and Training Officer for the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) at HMP Swansea, where he monitors prisoner welfare and reports directly to the Minister for Justice.
Local Government: Serving as a Community Councillor in his local village.
Throughout these diverse roles, Flanagan identifies compassion as the ultimate core value.
"I think compassion is the best attribute that you can have for the first aid elements. You see someone who is injured or hurt, and you give that reassurance and that compassion which comes from in here. Those events you take with you, and you just try and make somebody else's bad day a whole lot better if you can."
Despite his high-level managerial responsibilities, Flanagan remains a vocal advocate for the St John Ambulance Cymru youth programs. He encourages young people to join for the "life skills" that are often missed in traditional classrooms.
"If you are ten, twelve, thirteen years of age... for heaven's sake, get in there because it's a brilliant, fantastic charity and we do good work. The charitable arm of it is just absolutely amazing. It makes you quite emotional when you think about the great things that some of our volunteers do."
St John Ambulance Cymru provides lifesaving support at events across Wales and provides volunteering opportunities and first aid training to people of all ages. To get involved, book training, or find out more visit www.sjacymru.org.uk.
Just in Case: Stories from St John is available on all major podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, with new episodes set to release every month.
Click the links to listen on Apple Podcasts or to listen on Spotify.
Un o hoelion wyth St John Ambulance Cymru yn derbyn Gwobr Dinasyddiaeth y Maer yn dilyn 30 mlynedd o wasanaeth
Mae un o hoelion wyth St John Ambulance Cymru wedi derbyn gwobr fawreddog i gydnabod tair degawd o wasanaeth gwirfoddol ymroddedig ym Mwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr a thu hwnt.
Daeth yr enwebiad ar gyfer Gwobr Dinasyddiaeth y Maer am wasanaethau rhagorol i Fwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr fel syndod i Brif Gomisiynydd Cynorthwyol yr elusen ar gyfer De a Dwyrain Cymru, Mike Flanagan, a glywodd amdano trwy lythyr yn y post.
"Roedd yn syndod hyfryd... Roeddwn i wedi cael fy enwebu gan gymydog a oedd wedi fy ngweld yn gadael mewn crys gwyrdd i fynd ar ddyletswydd Ambiwlans St John yn gynnar yn y bore ac yn dod adref yn hwyr yn y nos ar sawl achlysur dros y blynyddoedd,"
rhannodd Flanagan mewn cyfweliad ar bodlediad swyddogol St John Ambulance Cymru, Just in Case: Stories from St John.
"Mae'n hyfryd cael fy nghydnabod."
Dechreuodd ei gyflwyniad i St John Ambulance Cymru yn 12 oed ym Mae Colwyn. Er i'r adran gau yn fuan ar ôl iddo ymuno, ni newidiodd ei ddiddordeb mewn "pynciau meddygol" erioed. Ar ôl symud i Dde Cymru, ailgysylltodd â'r elusen ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr, gan godi trwy'r rhengoedd yn y pen draw i oruchwylio gweithrediadau ar draws tair sir.
Wrth fyfyrio ar ei gymhelliant, mae Flanagan yn tynnu sylw at awydd dwfn i helpu eraill:
"Mae rhywbeth ynom ni... lle rydyn ni'n cael boddhad o helpu eraill. Rydw i'n eithaf hapus i helpu a chynorthwyo unrhyw un sydd ei angen. Pan fydd pobl yn diolch, mae'n wobr enfawr. Nid oes rhaid iddo fod ar ffurf arian barod na rhoddion; mae diolch yn ddigon da."
Mae cyfraniad Flanagan i Gymru yn ymestyn ymhell y tu hwnt i'w ddyletswyddau St John. Yn gyn-swyddog tân uwch gyda 35 mlynedd o wasanaeth, mae ar hyn o bryd yn cydbwyso ei rôl yn St John Ambulance Cymru â sawl colofn gymunedol arall:
Addysg: Yn gwasanaethu fel Llywodraethwr Arweiniol dros Iechyd a Diogelwch yn Ysgolion Cynradd Penyfai a Thondu.
Cyfiawnder: Yn gweithredu fel aelod a Swyddog Hyfforddi ar gyfer y Bwrdd Monitro Annibynnol (IMB) yng Ngharchar Abertawe EF, lle mae'n monitro lles carcharorion ac yn adrodd yn uniongyrchol i'r Gweinidog Cyfiawnder.
Llywodraeth Leol: Yn gwasanaethu fel Cynghorydd Cymunedol yn ei bentref lleol.
Drwy gydol y rolau amrywiol hyn, mae Flanagan yn nodi tosturi fel y gwerth craidd eithaf.
"Dw i'n meddwl mai tosturi yw'r priodoledd gorau y gallwch chi ei gael ar gyfer elfennau cymorth cyntaf. Rydych chi'n gweld rhywun sydd wedi'i anafu neu wedi brifo, ac rydych chi'n rhoi'r sicrwydd hwnnw a'r tosturi sy'n dod o fan hyn. Rydych chi'n mynd â'r digwyddiadau hynny gyda chi, ac rydych chi'n ceisio gwneud diwrnod drwg rhywun arall yn llawer gwell os gallwch chi."
Er gwaethaf ei gyfrifoldebau rheoli lefel uchel, mae Flanagan yn parhau i fod yn eiriolwr lleisiol dros raglenni ieuenctid St John Ambulance Cymru. Mae'n annog pobl ifanc i ymuno er mwyn y "sgiliau bywyd" sy'n aml yn cael eu colli mewn ystafelloedd dosbarth traddodiadol.
"Os ydych chi'n ddeg, deuddeg, tair ar ddeg oed ... er mwyn nefoedd, ymunwch, oherwydd mae'n elusen wych, ffantastig ac rydym yn gwneud gwaith da. Mae'r gangen elusennol yn hollol anhygoel. Mae'n gwneud i chi deimlo'n eithaf emosiynol pan fyddwch chi'n meddwl am y pethau gwych y mae rhai o'n gwirfoddolwyr yn eu gwneud."
Mae St John Ambulance Cymru yn darparu cymorth achub bywyd mewn digwyddiadau ledled Cymru ac yn darparu cyfleoedd gwirfoddoli a hyfforddiant cymorth cyntaf i bobl o bob oed. I gymryd rhan, archebu hyfforddiant, neu am ragor o wybodaeth, ewch i www.sjacymru.org.uk.
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