NATIONAL first aid and healthcare charity St John Ambulance is looking to open a new cadet unit in Otley.

With support and funding provided by the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport, St John is appealing for adults to step forward and volunteer as youth leaders and helpers and for young people to join the organisation as cadets.

Cadets are aged between 10 and 17 and learn first aid and a wide range of other skills through St John Ambulance. Older cadets can go on first aid duties and also teach many first aid techniques such as cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to members of the public. On top of learning first aid, cadets also get to participate in activities at weekly meetings, get involved with events such as summer camps and make lifelong friendships with other people of their age.

As one of the largest youth volunteering organisations in the country, St John aims to ensure that its Cadets have the best possible experience in a safe and nurturing environment, enabling them to become the next generation of first aiders as well as consider careers in healthcare in the longer term.

St John Cadets are guided by youth leaders and youth helpers and both roles are instrumental to the development of younger volunteers.

Caroline Conry, Head of Youth Delivery at St John Ambulance, said: “Our Cadets at St John are an inspirational group of young people who have the potential to achieve amazing things now and in the future. This DCMS-funded initiative is a great opportunity to grow our Cadets’ presence in key areas of England and also to welcome a large number of adult and under-18 volunteers to our charity over the next few months.

“Adults who are interested in the Youth Leader and Youth Helper roles can apply through our website. No first aid knowledge is required as all training is provided. And parents who would like to enrol their children as a Cadet in one of these 15 or more new areas can also get in touch with the charity to register their interest and start the process. I’m really looking forward to seeing this initiative grow in early 2023 and to welcoming all our new starters.”

Those interested in the charity’s Cadet programmes can find out more at https://www.sja.org.uk/get-involved/young-people/ and at https://youthjoining.sja.org.uk/.

Applications for Youth Leader and Youth Helper roles can be made at https://www.sja.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer-opportunities/volunteer-roles/youth-team/.