About Us

Our official title is the Commandery of the Isle of Man of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem and His Majesty King Charles III is the Sovereign Head of our Order.

To most, we are known as St John Ambulance Isle of Man, a volunteer-led, health and first aid registered charity. We step forward in the moments that matter, playing a vital role in the heart of the Island’s community, saving lives and keeping vulnerable members of our community safe.

Our Mission and Values

We are also proud to be a market leader in the provision of workplace training, a trusted provider of first aid supplies, event first aid and front-line ambulance services.

Importantly, our charitable work is entirely funded by donations and our commercial training activities, with all monies raised, staying on Island for the benefit of the local community.

Our Mission

Our mission is simple – to be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.

Our core values guide our thinking and our actions – they set out ‘the way we do things’ at St John Ambulance. Collectively, our values are encapsulated by a meaningful and relevant acronym ‘HEART’ – an important reminder that both our people and our community, are at the heart of what we do and why we do it.

Our Core Values

  • Humanity

    Treating others with compassion and respect.

  • Excellence

    Pride in doing an excellent job.

  • Accountability

    Delivering what we promise.

  • Responsiveness

    Continuously learning and improving.

  • Teamwork

    Working together effectively.

Humanity is at the centre of our actions, treating others with compassion and respect, caring for their wellbeing and their needs. We work as one, delivering on our promises.

Our core services are built around these values, to meet the needs of our community, so whether we are providing a first aid training course, providing event first aid cover or emergency first responders within the community, we pride ourselves in going above and beyond.

Our Story

St John Ambulance Isle of Man was established in 1941 and is a volunteer-led health and first aid charity, responding to emergencies, supporting our community and saving lives across the Isle of Man.

We are proud to have provided the Isle of Man Ambulance Service with up to forty Community First Responders (CFRs) since 2010, all of whom have been trained to a nationally recognised level. Part of our remit is to provide lifesaving treatment for residents in their own communities, essentially an emergency services ‘back-up’, deploying emergency vehicles and first responders, across the Isle of Man when you need us most.

History Timeline

  • Early Years

    An early training association was established on the Island in the early 1900’s with our first Silver Challenge Trophy being presented in 1906.

    The Cadets were formed in 1922, and the first uniformed Divisions were formed in the 1940s. In the very early days members covered events across the Island including the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix races.

  • The 1980s

    In the early 80’s St John Ambulance introduced training courses for the business sector including First Aid at Work and Fire Marshall training.

    Shortly after this time, our purpose-built Headquarters on Glencrutchery Road was opened by Princess Margaret in 1987 and since then we’ve added further extensions to the building to accommodate the ever-growing membership and training courses that we offer.

  • The 2000s

    The Isle of Man became a Commandery in its own right in 2012 and our official title is The Commandery of the Isle of Man of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.

    St John Ambulance Isle of Man is one of the foundations of the Order.

    The motto of the Order:

    Pro Fide – For the Faith, Pro Utilitate Hominum – For the Service of Humanity

  • Present Day

    St John Ambulance currently has 6x Adult, 3x Cadet and 6x Badger units and our organisation has 135 adult members, 43 Cadets and 48 Badgers.

Our Team

Our organisation relies upon direction and leadership from our executive team.

  • John P Gill, KStJ

    Knight Commander & Chair of Board of Director

    John chairs the Board of Directors of the organisation which is responsible for the good governance and strategy of the charity.

  • Martin A Benson, BEM, MStJ, FRMetS

    Chief Officer

    Martin is responsible for the day to day operation of the organisation through the various heads of departments.

  • Lynda M Osborne MStJ

    Commandery Executive Officer

    Lynda is responsible for the day to day operation of the administrative side of the organisation which includes finance and commercial training courses.  She is seen as the ‘Cabinet Secretary’, with full insight into all sections of the organisation.

  • Lesley Kewley, MStJ, MSc, MA, RN

    Head of Clinical Governance

    Lesley is responsible for all aspects of clinical governance and ensures that the high standards of St John Ambulance are maintained.

  • James (Jim) Duckworth MStJ

    Head of Youth

    Jim is responsible for the successful operation of our youth units, both Badgers and Cadets.

  • John Kermode

    Safeguarding Officer

    John is the lead for all adult and young persons’ safeguarding matters within the Commandery.

  • Catherine (Cat) Fennell

    Public Duties Manager

    Cat coordinates all requests for attendance at events and ensures that appropriately trained volunteers are allocated to duties.  As an event organiser, Cat will be your main contact at St John Ambulance.

We believe St John Ambulance is akin to a family, a strong and loyal network of members who freely share knowledge and expertise, making time for one another, working together and supporting the community around us.

Our people and the community’s needs are forever at the HEART of what we do, and we are incredibly thankful for all of our members and the Island’s community, for their continued support.

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