Two St John Cymru volunteers from Swansea and Caergwrle have been honoured by Her Majesty The Queen in the Birthday Honours list announced today, Saturday, 8 June 2019.
Gerallt Bowen Davies, from Gorseinon, Swansea, has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Glyn Thomas, from Caergwrle, Flintshire, will be receiving a British Empire Medal (BEM)
Mr Davies has been a dedicated volunteer for nearly 40 years, beginning as a first aider and ambulance crew member at local events. He went on to lead the Pontarddulais Division for almost twenty years transforming the Division by increasing its membership to 150 members and by securing lottery funding for a purpose built community hall.
In 2004 Gerallt joined the West Glamorgan team where he eventually became County Commissioner. In this role, he developed his expertise in operational event management. Under his leadership, St John became the leading provider of medical cover at over 600 events per year including major events such as the UEFA Cup Final, Welsh Airshow, Cardiff Half Marathon and events at both the Principality and Liberty Stadiums.
He is passionate about ensuring the highest clinical standards are maintained throughout the charity and he has written training courses and national policies to achieve this.
In 2014, in partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales, he helped to establish the Swansea Help Point - providing care to those in need in Swansea city centre. This service, which Gerallt still manages, has treated over 3,500 people and has proven to avoid hundreds of hospital admissions. It is viewed as the 'gold standard' for this type of service and has won acclaim from across the UK.
In 2015 Gerallt was appointed as National Operations Officer and in this role continues to provide the charity with his exceptional expertise, commitment and dedication.
He is a key volunteer and fully deserves this accolade.
Glyn Thomas, a Paramedic with the Welsh Ambulance Service, received his award for services to pre-hospital care in North Wales (Caergwrle, Wrexham)
Glyn has served St John for over 45 years, undertaking various roles including Regional Defibrillator Controller and Assistant Commissioner (Wrexham).
He has held his current role of County Paramedic Officer for North Wales since 2015 and has recently become the Acting Divisional Member in Charge at St John Cymru Wrexham.
This is another very well deserved award for an exceptional volunteer. Congratulations Glyn!