An Old Elizabethan whose academic achievements at school yielded to his skills and energies as an enthusiastic shot and sportsman, Peter Voute had a distinguished Naval career, including Fleet Air Arm duties and posts, diplomatic assignments including as Naval Attaché in Madrid, besides sea commands and operational service in various areas of confrontation eg Borneo/Indonesia, and which included teaching the King when Prince of Wales to fly helicopters. He retired from active service in 1992 to the no less exacting combats engendered by the UK Government’s assaults on the countryside as a senior executive of the Countryside Alliance. He was one of the organisers of the Countryside Rally, and later the Countryside March, both of which encouraged great support for the retention of traditional countryside pursuits.
On his returning to Guernsey in the early 2000’s, as then Chairman of the St John Council I asked him to become involved with St John, and in particular to review and reorganise its cumbersome and inappropriate voluntary Divisional structure, a project he undertook with characteristic efficiency and precision, and in the result a much leaner and more effective voluntary St John emerged. He succeeded me as Chairman of the St John Council in 2008, and was appointed to the office of Knight Commander on the Bailiwick’s St John activities and undertakings being transferred from the Priory of England and the Islands of the Order to the locally incorporated Commandery in July 2012, in order to give St John in the Bailiwick the independence it deserved as a Crown Dependency. In his dealings to establish the Commandery with the Priory and the Order of St John, he proved a skilled but pragmatic negotiator, and the eventual success of these new arrangements demonstrate the sense and value of his contribution.
Peter married Marta Blad, of the notable Guernsey family, who was a delightful companion, yet a discerning foil. Sadly, due to her illness, he had to step down as Knight Commander sooner than anticipated, but his contribution to the establishment of the Commandery and its subsequent achievements cannot be overemphasised. Peter’s life and career were marked by a sense of duty and discipline, and the maintenance of standards of conduct which he set himself and expected of others; yet he was a thoroughly engaging and interesting, besides modest, gentleman and his ever-courteous manner and characteristic efficiency were hard to match. St John locally owes him much.
Nik van Leuven KStJ.
Over 100 quizzers took part on the evening and were treated to hearty ploughman’s platters whilst battling through the rounds in the closely contested evening of fun. The final victory went to the Office Ninjas team who took first place in the rankings by just 3 points.
The evening raised just over £2,000 which will go directly towards this year’s trip to the National Youth Camp.
The Camp brings together St John youth members from across Europe and is an opportunity for St John Guernsey’s young people to meet and work alongside the wider St John organisation from around the world. It is an invaluable experience that helps develop interpersonal skills such as teamwork, communication, and leadership, whilst also affording the Badgers & Cadets the opportunity to explore new activities such as water sports, archery, climbing and high ropes.
“I’m so pleased to say that Saturday’s quiz night was such a huge success”, said Heather Langlois, Chief Executive of the St John Guernsey charity. “Our training hall was buzzing all evening long and the competitive spirit in the room was palpable! I’d like to thank all of the sponsors who supported our event from food to raffle prizes and everything in between. Their support made for a fantastic evening. I’d also like to thank all of our volunteers and young people who worked so hard to put this event together. They are heart and soul of this organisation and I commend their perseverance, positive attitudes, and unwavering dedication to this organisation and the community we serve”.
St John Guernsey would also like to thank all of the businesses and individuals who gave their time or donated items for the event and to everyone who attended.
Photo credit: Kelsea Bougourd
The car will be used by Specialist Paramedic Kelly Marquis in her role proactively supporting independence and safety in the home environment and promoting physical health and well-being in the over-80s. The preventative care service is operated as a partnership between the Ambulance and Rescue Service and States of Guernsey Health and Social Care (HSC).
The Peugeot E-Rifter electric car was presented to the ambulance service in memory of Mavis Lesbirel, by her cousin Marion Gallienne, and brother Mike Le Lacheur. It is the first electric car in the ambulance fleet and is stocked with a Zoll defibrillator and monitoring machine, emergency response bag, emergency lifting chair and various pieces of equipment and diagnostic tools that may be of benefit to patients undergoing assessments. Although the primary role is to facilitate the preventative care service, the vehicle also carries a defibrillator and emergency response bag, so can be deployed to life-saving medical emergencies in the immediate vicinity, if it is not committed elsewhere.
Ambulance service Chief Executive Officer, Mark Mapp said: “We are extremely grateful to the family of Mavis Lesbirel for the generous donation of this electric car for the preventative care service. It is a good example of how the ambulance service is working together in partnership with Health and Social Care to support the changing needs of our community. Identifying potential problems in their infancy and implementing preventative care measures can help reduce the demand for acute ambulance calls and avoidable hospital admissions. The work of the ambulance service is supported by charitable donations, which allows us to develop additional community services, not covered under our contract with the States of Guernsey.”
During the first two years of the Preventative Care project a vehicle was loaned to the ambulance service by the St John Guernsey charity.
Mr Mapp added: “In our journey toward sustainability and reduced operational costs, investing in electric vehicles for our fleet was a pivotal decision. As we progress, each vehicle replacement will prioritise minimising our environmental footprint through greener alternatives. Importantly, this shift also aligns with our commitment to enhancing air quality on our island, underscoring our dedication to both environmental stewardship and the well-being of our community.”
Kelly Marquis said: “I would also like to thank the Lesbirel and Gallienne families for their support for this project. Having a dedicated vehicle will allow the continued development of the preventative care project, which has already helped more than 300 people since the pilot scheme launched. The project provides a comprehensive assessment and support service in the pre-hospital setting, allowing early preventative measures to be put in place, which not only helps keep people safely in their own home, but can also address issues of social isolation.”
The new vehicle was supplied by Motor Mall Guernsey and sign written by Smith Signs.
Heather Langlois, Chief Executive Officer of the St John Guernsey charity said: “When the Commandery of St John in Guernsey was first formed in 2012, Peter was appointed as our very first Knight Commander. Being a Commandery meant that even though we retained our ties with the Priory of St John England, we became an independent entity. Peter made a much valued contribution to the history of St John Guernsey, providing oversight and counsel during what was a significant period of change. He brought a wealth of experience and wisdom to the role as well as being a loyal supporter and advocate for St John for after his retirement.”
Mark Mapp, Chief Executive Officer of Guernsey’s Ambulance and Rescue Service also paid tribute: “Captain Peter Voute’s leadership marked a pivotal moment for Guernsey as it transitioned to a self-governing commandery, bringing local St John assets under regional control while remaining affiliated with the Priory of England and the Islands. Captain Voute’s tenure was characterised by his profound pride in overseeing an organisation that stood out within the global Order of St John for its comprehensive range of services. Under his stewardship, the ambulance service in Guernsey not only continued its long tradition of land-based assistance but also celebrated a rich history of rescue operations—a facet of the service that filled Peter with immense pride. His vision and dedication to St John have left an indelible legacy, reflecting a commitment to excellence and compassion that will be sorely missed.”
Phil Ozanne, Community Operations Manager for St John Guernsey charity said: “Peter was a very warm and approachable person and was one of those people you could always have an informal chat with if you needed any advice or guidance. I know that he will be missed by all who knew him. The thoughts of all those associated with St John are with his family at this time.”
The flag at the Rohais has been flying at half mast as a mark of respect. Our thoughts are with Peter’s family at this time.
6% of the cases in 2023 were to immediately life-threatening Category One calls.In addition, the Non-emergency Patient Transfer Service (NEPTS) also responded to 3031 non-emergency transfers in 2023, a 5% increase on 2022. The operational hours for NEPTS has changed during the past 12 months to meet the increasing demands on the service from Health & Social Care.
The busiest month of the year was December with 637 emergency cases attended by the service. However, the busiest day was in May when ambulance crews responded to 36 cases in 24 hours, 90% more than the average of 19 cases a day. There were also spikes in daily demand in April and December.
Head of Operations Dean de la Mare said: “Overall our demand in 2023 was up slightly, but very similar to the previous year. St John Ambulance and Rescue Service has been proactive in raising awareness of calling 999, how calls are triaged and alternative care options, such as pharmacy and GPs. The figures demonstrate that demand is not constant, it can change from day to day, or even hour to hour. There were occasions when we experienced short periods of exceptional demand, with all of the ambulance crews committed. We have contingency plans for these circumstances with additional off-duty staff called back to work and senior officers deployed to maintain cover for emergency cases.”
The quietest day of the year was 2nd November, the day of Storm Ciaran, when there were just 4 calls in 24 hours. This followed proactive public service messaging asking people to stay indoors during the storm.
Mr de la Mare added: “St John Ambulance & Rescue Service always responds to the most life-threatening of calls as a matter of priority, but not all 999 calls need an immediate blue light response. The Joint Emergency Services Control Centre (JESCC) uses a world-class clinical triage system which quickly identifies the most serious and life-threatening cases, and the nearest ambulance resource will be dispatched. For less urgent cases the target response time can be up to 2 hours.”
The Ambulance and Rescue Service is also supported by volunteer Community First Responders (CFRs) who are trained and equipped to respond to life-threatening incidents in their immediate vicinity in the minutes before an ambulance arrives. In 2023 CFRs attended 43 clinically appropriate cases.
Not everyone who calls an emergency ambulance requires conveyance to hospital, where it is safe and appropriate patients can be discharged on scene, following assessment and treatment by clinicians. In 2023 just over a quarter of patients (26.5%) were discharged on scene following assessment by ambulance clinicians.
In 2023 St John Ambulance and Rescue Service began operating the ambulance service for Alderney, supported the community of Sark with paramedic cover while the island doctor was on leave and proving paramedics for public events, including the Island Games.
The Flying Christine III is a purpose-built marine ambulance, originally constructed with a 30 year design life, but following boat surveys and operational reviews the board of St John Ambulance and Rescue Service has decided to extend the life of the vessel by investing in a programme of improvements. This will help to ensure the boat can continue to provide a lifeline service for the Bailiwick and meet operational needs of the service for another 10 years.
Work includes repainting and cleaning, removal and serving of the engine, upgrading the mechanics and electrics, improvements to the deck hatches, updating clinical area and enhanced infection control standards.
Improvements will be carried out in phases during the year, with phase one taking place from February and the second phase scheduled for December. This time scale avoids the summer period when demand for the marine ambulance is normally higher.
Volunteer Marine Operations Manager, Gary Ward said: “The Flying Christine III has served the Bailiwick well for nearly 30 years and although the vessel is nearing the end of its planned operational life, with some investment and modernisation she is capable of reamining in service for up to 10 more years.”
Under existing and well-rehearsed contingency plans, the RNLI St Peter Port Lifeboat, Access Challenger and Brechou Chief will provide temporary cover for the marine ambulance service, while the Flying Christine is undergoing the planned work.
Mr Ward added: “We are grateful to the management and volunteer crew of St Peter Port lifeboat and operators of the Access Challenger and Brechou Chief for their support in helping us provide resilience while the Flying Christine is out of the water.”
The work is estimated to cost in the region of £200,000, which is a fraction of the price of building a replacement vessel. The costs are being met by charitable funds, from a bequest specifically for the marine ambulance.
In 1994 the Flying Christine III was built thanks to public donations and sponsorship and is the third marine ambulance to serve the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The original launch, a converted passenger boat was in operation from July 1952, with support from the Guernsey Round Table and Jack Martel, after the States of Deliberation voted 27 votes to 17 against funding the marine ambulance service. Flying Christine II followed from 1964 to 1994 and more than 70 years on collectively the three ambulance launches have saved countless lives within the Bailiwick.
Today the marine ambulance is operated by St John Ambulance and Rescue Service, with a boat crew of skilled and experienced volunteers from the local marine community and professional paramedic-led medical teams from the ambulance service. The Flying Christine III is a charitable asset, paid for by a combination of donations, subscriptions and charges. Local company Moonpig has been sponsoring the costs of fuel since 2020.
The marine ambulance provides a life-line service for the islands of the Bailiwick and vessels in local waters, responding to around 40 calls a year. In the past couple of years, a vast amount of work has been carried out to ensure the Flying Christine III meets the local legislative requirements and is a Search and Rescue asset, ready for deployment 24/7.
Events to mark the 30th anniversary of the Flying Christine III are being planned for later in the year, and include an open day with opportunities for the public to take a tour of the vessel and a ceremony at the harbour.
On the night of 16th/17th January 1974 the Cypriot vessel which was carrying a cargo of timber lost power during a storm and struck the Conchee Reef near Perelle. The vessel was holed below the waterline and the crew abandoned ship, tragically their lifeboat was overwhelmed and all eighteen crewmen died.
Neil Tucker, who had only joined the ambulance service a few months earlier, recalls hearing the radio messages in the control room. “I was on my first evening shift and I remember hearing the voices of crew say they were going to abandon ship. They said they were going around and around and didn’t know where they were. It wasn’t nice to listen to.”
On the morning of 17th January the Chief Ambulance Officer Reg Blanchford asked for two volunteers to be winched onto the wreck by helicopter to carry out a search and take photos for the investigation. Keith Fothergill and John Marshall who were part of the dive team stepped forward.
“We went straight to airport and were picked up by helicopter then we were lowered onto the deck. At the time it was a job just like any other emergency. The sea was still very rough and every time a wave came in the whole boat shuddered,” said Mr Fothergill.
Mr Marshall added “The weather was horrendous but we had trained for this type of incident. I remember having to climb over timbers and the front of the wheel house was smashed in. We found the cabin clock which was full of sea water and had stopped at quarter past one.”
The pair were also among the crew of the Ambulance and Rescue Inshore Rescue Boat, with Mick Peters and Colin Bartie, which was sent to the scene the following day.
Ken Brehaut was in the first ambulance tasked with retrieving the bodies from the coastline. “The weather conditions had been horrendous and the sound of the wind was awful,” he said. “After we retrieved the first body my job was to supervise the temporary mortuary which had been set up by the authorities and handover the bodies to the police.”
To mark the anniversary representatives from Guernsey’s Ambulance and Rescue Service and the St John charity attended a memorial ceremony at the Prosperity monument at the L’Eree headland. The event which is organised by the Guernsey Association of Royal Navy, Royal Marines & Merchant Navy is due to be attended by the family of one of the crewmen from the Prosperity. The service was conducted by Dean of Guernsey Tim Barker and the St John chaplain Adrian Datta.
During the moment of reflection when the crew of the Prosperity were remembered the congregation stood silently in the cold wintery shower and all that could be heard was the wind and the sound of the sea in the background.
Every year the St John Ambulance and Rescue Service receives cards, emails and letters of thanks and appreciation from patients, carers and their families for the care and compasion given by our clinicians.
Greg and Kelly share the accolade for 2023 and they both received the Chief Ambulance Officer’s Recognition of Performance Award for their achievement.
Kelly is a Preventative Care Paramedic, working in a partnership project with Guernsey’s health and social care department promoting physical health and wellbeing and supporting independence and safety at home.
Greg is a full-time paramedic with Guernsey’s emergency ambulance service and a volunteer Community First Responder.
The award was presented to them jointly, by Marc Farror, Chairman of St John Ambulance and Rescue Service, Guernsey.
In January 2023, Sonia was providing temporary cover for the island doctor, when she was called to an injured patient located on a treacherous cliff path. Sonia was working in an unfamiliar environment with members of Sark’s volunteer ambulance and fire crews, who she had only just met.
The cliff path where the incident occurred is described as treacherous even during the daytime in good light, but to add to the challenge this incident happened at night.
Sonia not only lead the rescue but also provided treatment and management of the patient, using her clinical experience and principles of joint working.
Steve Torode, the ambulance officer who was on duty in Guernsey that night commended Sonia for her professionalism and leadership.
“Whenever Sonia provided an update she was calm and had already thought of a plan and a back-up plan. She also listened to additional suggestions, taking all the information available to successfully extricate the casualty in what would have been a difficult situation in Guernsey, never mind on a different island”.
The patient was conveyed by Sark ambulance to the harbour and transferred to the Flying Christine marine ambulance and onwards to Guernsey for further treatment at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
Sonia was full of praise for the island’s emergency responders who were involved in the rescue operation and who worked hard to achieve a positive outcome, sentiments echoed by St John Ambulance and Rescue Service.
