Subscription numbers have increased by 20% in the first few weeks of the Ambulance and Rescue Service’s annual campaign.
Which means around 400 extra people have asked themselves the question we are posing: “can you afford not to have a subscription?” and decided to opt in. An annual subscription costs £71.
We’re asking you to join them.
Chief Ambulance Officer Mark Mapp said:“This single subscription of £71 represents extraordinary value as it covers over £15,000 worth of medical care cover. I know thinking that you’re going to need an ambulance is something you don’t want to consider, but the truth is we attend 10,000 emergency and transport call outs a year and you could be among them. An emergency ambulance costs £585 and if you’re in Sark and need the Flying Christine, that’s £2,420. That is added stress in emergency. And there is no need for this to be the case.
“Please have a conversation in your house about whether you can afford to not have a subscription. It is worth having this conversation with friends and relatives too – because if your household needs more than one emergency response in a year, the costs are quickly going to add up, and a simple £71 subscription is going to prevent that from happening. We are in the odd position of recommending something we hope you never need to use – but if you do, you really won’t regret taking it out. No one plans to have an accident, but you can plan to have a subscription. Just ask yourself, “can I afford not to?”
Last year one in four people who needed an ambulance did not have a subscription. Don’t be one of them.
Subscriptions can be taken out online, in person at Guernsey Post or at the ambulance HQ at Blanchford House, Rohais.
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The Ambulance and Rescue Service is reminding people in Alderney that they do not need to take out a subscription, due to the way the service in Alderney is funded.
Unlike Guernsey, where charges apply, ambulances in Alderney are paid for through local taxes, so charges and subscriptions do not apply. Alderney residents are also covered for ambulance call outs when they are visiting the other islands and for transfers on the Flying Christine III marine ambulance.
Chief Ambulance Officer, Mark Mapp said: “We provide a full time, professional ambulance service in Alderney, with 24/7 cover from qualified ambulance crew, however Alderney operates under a different funding model to Guernsey, which means when someone calls an ambulance in Alderney the costs are covered directly by the States of Alderney, through the tax system. So, Alderney residents don’t need a subscription.”
Mr Mapp added: “I know that previously, when the service was purely a voluntary one, people in Alderney were encouraged to donate to cover the operating costs. That changed when Ambulance and Rescue took on the professional operation. However, if anyone in Alderney wishes to support our work, we warmly welcome donations for the staff welfare fund, the Community First Responders and the Flying Christine marine ambulance, all of which rely on public generosity.”
The reminder comes following the launch of the 2026 subscription scheme in Guernsey. People in Guernsey are encouraged to buy an annual subscription costing £71 in order to avoid a bill of £585 for an emergency call.
St John Ambulance and Rescue Service was commissioned by the States of Alderney to operate the emergency and urgent care service in Alderney in 2023. Ambulance and Rescue employs a team of emergency ambulance crew, based in Alderney, with clinical governance, oversight and support from Guernsey.
That’s our message as we launch the 2026 scheme.
More than a quarter of people who needed an ambulance last year didn’t have cover.
Don’t be one of them.
For just £71 you’re covered for the whole year whether you need an emergency ambulance, ambulance transfer or the Flying Christine when you’re visiting the other islands.
More than £15,000 worth of care is included with the single £71 payment – which is also available as a monthly payment to help make it even more affordable. Those with an existing direct debit will have their subscription automatically renewed, those without will have reminders sent. Payment can also be made at Guernsey Post counters across the island. Parking is limited at the ambulance HQ and we would urge you to only come here if you have to.
Chief Ambulance Officer Mark Mapp said:
“No one can promise you aren’t going to have an accident or medical incident next year, but what we can tell you is that the cost of calling an ambulance is £585. If you’re in Herm and need the Flying Christine, that would be £647 or in Sark, £2,420. That’s money most people don’t have readily available and that is added stress after an accident. That’s why we have this subscription service, to ensure that if you need an ambulance you don’t have to worry about finding the money. It’s just another way we help care for the community – our message really is subscribe and save.
“It’s also entirely possible you won’t have just one accident or medical incident, and many people need us several times. Those bills are going to add up and for just £1.37 a week, you can prevent that bill shock.
“It’s the odd position of asking you to pay for a service you hope never to use. We hope you don’t need to use us either, but if you do, it’s far better for your wallet that this subscription is one you’ve taken out. In total the monetary value of the subscription is more than £15,000 worth of care for just £71. Most people assume they won’t need a single ambulance call out, but what if you or your family need more? Really this subscription is the only way to ensure you don’t end up with a large bill. It’s the same as a few months worth of Netflix. We respond to 7000 emergency call outs every single year and the truth is: you could be one of them. When you add in patient transfers that increases to 10,000 callouts. It’s important to note that a lot of what we do isn’t just emergencies and that one medical incident often results in multiple ambulance transfers after that initial call. Please have a conversation in your household about whether you can afford to not be covered.” To join the subscription scheme, please go to ambulance.gg/charges-subscriptions, or visit a Guernsey Post branch. Due to limited parking and movement of operational ambulances we are asking people to avoid visiting the ambulance HQ at Blanchford House, Rohais, unless they are unable to get to a Post Office.
It’s a service you hope never to need, but if you do, you’ll be glad you have it.
More than 200 people got hands on with free CPR and AED sessions at Beau Sejour as part of Restart A Heart Day .
Paramedics from Ambulance and Rescue were on hand to support the community outreach initative led by the lifeguards at the leisure centre on 16th October. The event was part of a national day organised by the Resuscitation Council UK in cooperation with ambulance services across the country and organisations including the Royal Life Saving Society.
Jim Cathcart, Paramedic and Communications Officer at Ambulance and Rescue said: “Recognising when someone has suffered a cardiac arrest and having the confidence to do CPR is vital because every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by 10%.”
According to research from the Resuscitation Council, 37% of people surveyed said they wouldn’t feel very confident they could help someone having a cardiac arrest, while 24% said they wouldn’t be at all confident. Only 11% of people surveyed said they felt totally confident about using a defibrillator correctly. 15% of people surveyed think only trained medical professionals are allowed to use a defibrillator.
Jim Cathcart added: “There have been a number of cases in Guernsey in recent years where people have been saved thanks to early recognition, early calling of 999, early CPR and early defibrillation. The availability of public access defibrillators in green boxes around the island, the use of volunteer community first responders and police co-responders, together with telephone CPR instruction from the Joint Emergency Services Control Centre (JESCC) and increased public awareness of CPR have all contributed to improving the chances of someone surviving a cardiac arrest.”
In addition to supporting the public demonstration sessions at Beau Sejour, the ambulance service also produced a social media video featuring
video filmed at various locations around the island, highlighting that a cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere. The video shares the message that knowing how to do CPR can save a life.
The short film features paramedics, firefighters from Guernsey Fire & Rescue and the Airport Fire Service, lifeguards at Beau Sejour, students from Blanchelande College, security staff at the harbour and St John cadets, as well as first responders in Alderney.
Guernsey’s longest serving paramedic Andy Adam is celebrating 40 years of dedicated service to community this week.
Andy’s career with the St John Ambulance and Rescue Service began in 1985, starting on 24th June, which coincidentally is St John Day. After a period with the Patient Transfer Service, he trained as an Emergency Medical Technician and then studied to qualify as a paramedic. However, his association with St John started many years before as a youth member of the first aid charity. As a cadet he successfully represented the island in national competitions and later become an adult volunteer.
During his long career, Andy has been recognised for his consistent and dedicated support to the senior management team and his ongoing commitment to his work within the ambulance service. He was appointed as an Officer of the international Order of St John last year for his outstanding service.
Andy said: “As a St John Cadet, attending first aid competitions throughout the UK I knew I had found my calling, then stepping through the station doors as a full-time member of the professional service was the beginning of a journey I could never have fully imagined.
“It has been a varied and rewarding career, albeit not over yet. The profession has changed dramatically, we’ve seen advances in training, equipment, and clinical care, alongside a significant increase in call volume and complexity. But what has remained constant is the strength and support of the team around me. We’ve stood side by side through good times and difficult ones, and that camaraderie has made the journey possible. We’re more than colleagues we’re an extended family. It’s been an honour and a privilege to serve this community, and I’m proud to still be part of something so meaningful.”
Andy is a hugely respected team leader and has been a Paramedic Station Officer for more than twenty years, he continues to be an active operational paramedic, responding to medical emergencies on a daily basis. He has been responsible for all major incident training within the ambulance service and also oversees the Volunteer Ambulance Reserves, ensuring a high level of resilience and support in the event of significant or major incidents.
During his career Andy has served as a principle to the cliff rescue team and hyperbaric chamber team. He worked on the Flying Christine and the Inshore Rescue Boats and also provided valuable paramedic support to Sark and was deployed to Alderney to offer experienced leadership and guidance during a challenging period for the island’s ambulance service, helping to strengthen local provision and restore confidence. Andy is very flexible and always willing to step in to support areas that are over and above his required commitments. In the midst of the Covid pandemic Andy played a vital role in the vaccination programme and spent time working in the Emergency Department to give extra resilience.
Asked about his most rewarding moments, Andy said:
“A few notable moments would be achieving my paramedic registration, amongst the first in Guernsey; serving as both Hyperbaric decompression chamber Principal and Cliff Rescue Team Principal; receiving commendations from Chief Officers; facilitating Major Incident training exercises – and then recently being invested into the Order of St John and representing the Crown Dependencies at the VE Day procession in London earlier this year.
So, I am lucky to have had such an interesting and diverse career with the Ambulance Service.”
Chief Executive Officer of St John Ambulance and Rescue Service Mark Mapp said: “Andy marks an incredible milestone this St John Day—40 years of dedicated service to the ambulance profession. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Andy from the very start of my own career. As my former team leader, he was a valued mentor whose support and guidance helped shape my journey, as it has for so many others.
“It’s fitting that this anniversary falls on St John Day, as Andy truly lives the values of the Order: In the Service of Humanity, with respect and kindness, unselfishness, a commitment to modern, excellent care, and an openness to learn. He shows a deep devotion to helping others, promotes togetherness through shared values, and upholds diversity, inclusion, and the vision of our founders.
“With no immediate plans to step away, Andy continues to be a steady, inspiring presence—and we’re all the better for it.”
Reg Blanchford was the founder of St John Ambulance and Rescue Service. He is celebrated for his vision, innovation and pioneering work.
Reginald Blanchford, known as Reg, was born in Guernsey on 24th February 1915. He had six sisters and went to Les Vauxbelets College.
In 1930, he joined his father’s concrete works base at the Rohais in St Peter Port. Later that year, a serious motorcycle accident set him on a path that would determine his future. At the time, the Island’s only ambulance service was run by the States of Guernsey on a part-time basis. After a long wait for the ambulance, a passing car took Reg to hospital. He was in a critical condition with serious injuries, resulting in a long recovery period.
Reg was determined to start a professional ambulance service so in 1934, he joined the newly formed St John Ambulance Brigade. In 1936, he purchased a second-hand ambulance, housed at the Rohais and Reg was on call 24 hours a day, relying on volunteer Brigade colleagues to assist him.
Reg was a natural pioneer and innovator, dedicating his life to developing the ambulance service into, what was probably then, the most advanced of its kind in the world. Reg married Rona in 1940 and they had two boys.
During World War II, whilst Guernsey was occupied by German Forces, no ambulance call went unanswered. The St John Transport Section developed under the most trying circumstances with Reg’s innovation playing a leading part.
After the Occupation, Reg developed the service with the first ambulance radio communications system in the British Isles and the world’s first marine ambulance, Flying Christine, launched in 1952. ‘St John Ambulance & Rescue Service’ grew with diving, cliff rescue and inshore rescue teams, a mobile radar unit and hyperbaric chamber.
Reg’s bravery and innovations lead to him be made an MBE and OBE and receiving a gold Lifesaving medal; the George Medal; and the gold bar to the Lifesaving medal. He was appointed as a Knight of Grace of The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem in 1970. He was also the subject of ‘This is Your Life’.
Reg retired in 1976 and was voted ‘Our Greatest Guernsey Man’ in 1997.
He died on 4th September 2002 leaving behind an ambulance service that he would have been proud of today.
Ambulance and Rescue would like to thank locally-based internet greetings card and gift company Moonpig for their continued support for the Flying Christine III.
Moonpig has been supporting the Flying Christine III since 2020, making a significant contribution to the operational costs of the service. The company has now decided to extend its sponsorship arrangements into 2025.
The Flying Christine III is a charitable asset, operated by Ambulance and Rescue and crewed by skilled volunteers and professional ambulance clinicians. It is funded through a combination of charitable donations, sponsorship, subscriptions and charges.
Ambulance and Rescue Chief Executive Officer Mark Mapp said: “The Flying Christine relies on sponsorship and donations from businesses and individuals to cover many of the costs. Moonpig has become one of our most significant supporters over recent years and we are extremely grateful to Moonpig for their valued and ongoing commitment to keeping this lifeline service operational for the people of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Given the additional costs associated with the current refurbishment work, it makes a big difference knowing that the fuel costs for 2025 will be covered.”
“The Moonpig sponsorship, together with other recent donations, enable us to maintain this essential service and keep the Flying Christine III reliable and in peak condition. Without these efforts, our ability to reach the other islands quickly and safely and undertake emergency medical transfers to acute hospital care could be delayed—potentially jeopardising the lives of those who live, work, or travel in and around the Bailiwick.”
Andy Patch, Site Lead at Moonpig added: “At Moonpig, we’re proud to continue our support for the Flying Christine III — a vital lifeline for the Bailiwick of Guernsey. We recognise that the future of this service depends on charitable donations and sponsorships to stay operational – which is why we’re committed to playing our part in helping to facilitate this critical emergency service across the Islands.”
On 9th May 2025 Guernsey celebrated Liberation 80, marking 80 years since the liberation of the island after five years of Germany occupation.
Representatives from the ambulance service took part in the Royal Parade and Church Service, in the presence of HRH The Princess Royal.
We also deployed additonal crews around the island, with cycle paramedics on duty in St Peter Port. The Flying Christine III was also delpoyed to Sark for the Royal visit on 10th May.
Here are some of the images from the events in Guernsey and Sark. Thank you for sharing your Liberation Day photos.
Three people from Guernsey have been invested as Members of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem – commonly known as the Order of St John – at a ceremony in London.
Aimee Lihou, Head of Quality and Patient Safety, was recognised for her services to the Ambulance and Rescue, particularly in establishing the new ambulance service in Alderney. Aimee has a long association with St John, having been a youth member and adult volunteer with the charity, before training as a paramedic. Aimee later joined the senior leadership team at the ambulance service in Guernsey, where one of her main responsibilities is overseeing the Alderney operation.
Former ambulance officer, Dave Welbourne was recognised for his years of service to the marine ambulance. Dave served on both Flying Christine II and Flying Christine III, and was instrumental in the design of Flying Christine III. Dave first joined the Ambulance and Rescue service in 1989, later qualifying as a paramedic. He was promoted to the rank of Senior Officer before moving to a new role with St John Training Services.
The ceremony, which took place at the international headquarters of St John in Clerkenwell was also attended by long serving St John Guernsey volunteer Rachael Major, who was also appointed as a Member of the Order, in recognition of her safeguarding work with the St John charity.
Speaking after the investiture, Aimee Lihou said: “It was a very special day, set within the St John Priory Church and a reception at St John’s Gate. Wearing dark green Ambulance & Rescue uniform, I attracted a lot of questions about where I was from, which provided the opportunity to explain the unique offerings of St John in Guernsey.
“Although my appointment was for my work in leading Alderney’s ambulance service out of crisis, I have been involved with St John since eight years of age. Before joining West Midlands Ambulance Service in 2010, much of my time was spent volunteering at public events, participating in first aid competitions and offering time to the Island’s Ambulance Reserve. With such a long connection to the St John organisation, being invested into The Order was a great honour and entirely humbling. I was delighted to share the occasion with other recipients from Guernsey and members of my family.”
Dave Welbourne said: “I was truly honoured to be invested as a member of the Order of St John. It was a surprise when I first heard about the nomination and a real honour to receive this award in recognition of my 40 plus years of service to the Flying Christine, a position that I have always enjoyed and felt passionate about. The ceremony reflected the long history and heritage of St John, and the day felt quite surreal, but it was made more special by being joined by two colleagues from Guernsey.”
The ceremony, which took place at the international headquarters of St John in Clerkenwell was also attended by long serving St John Guernsey volunteer Rachael Major, who was also appointed as a Member of the Order, in recognition of her safeguarding work with the St John charity.
An individual can be admitted to the prestigious Order for outstanding service to St John, in recognition of achievement, notable or selfless service or inspiration and encouragement to others. All appointments are sanctioned by HM King Charles, the Sovereign Head of the organisation. There are five Grades of membership; Member; Officer; Commander; Knight or Dame; and Bailiff or Dame Grand Cross
Guernsey’s marine ambulance has returned to operational service following an extensive refurbishment after 30 years of serving the Bailiwick islands.
Flying Christine III is an essential lifeline service, providing prehospital paramedic care and urgent transport, connecting the smaller Channel Islands with the larger island of Guernsey.
Operated by St John Ambulance and Rescue Service, Flying Christine is a charitable asset crewed by skilled and experienced maritime volunteers and professional medical crews from Guernsey’s full-time ambulance service.
The vessel, which was launched in 1994, has undergone a two-phase refit over the past two winters, with the second phase completed a few weeks ago by specialist contractors Diverse Marine in Cowes. Works included an upgrade to the clinical treatment area, with a new stretcher, enhanced infection prevention and control measures and equipment storage areas, creating a better working environment for clinicians and an enhanced patient care experience. Other work included improvements to navigational and communications aspects of the boat. The boat also has an impressive new colour scheme in keeping with the distinctive Ambulance and Rescue brand. The first phase which was completed in 2024 included work on electrical and mechanical aspects of the vessel.
The marine ambulance returned from Cowes on 7th May and took part in Guernsey’s Liberation Day celebrations and Royal Visits on 9th and 10th May. It carried out its first emergency call since returning to service on 10th May with two separate medical cases on the island of Sark.
Flying Christine III is a specially designed purpose-built marine ambulance, with the wheelhouse located forward of the patient treatment areas, which is positioned low on the waterline to provide greater patient comfort. The boat has large doors on the port and starboard sides to allow easy access for stretchers, with a winching area at the stern. Originally built thanks to public donations, she continues to rely on charitable support, through a combination of donations, sponsorship, charges and subscriptions. The fuel is currently sponsored by Guernsey based greeting card and gift company Moonpig. The vessel is on call 24/7 365 days of the year and is available as a rescue asset as well as a marine ambulance. Since 1994 Flying Christine III has responded to more than 1,300 cases, saved numerous lives and had a baby born onboard.
This is the third marine ambulance to bear the name Flying Christine, with the original Flying Christine launched in 1952, and thought to have been the world’s first dedicated marine ambulance.
Mark Mapp, CEO of Guernsey’s ambulance service said: “We are really pleased to have the Flying Christine III back in service. She originally had an expected design life of 30 years, but the fibreglass hull and superstructure are in excellent condition, so having looked at all the options, we decided to carry out this refit to future-proof the vessel and we are confident that the work we have done not only brings the vessel up to date from a clinical perspective, but will also extend her working life for another decade.”
He added: “The service is part-funded through sponsorship and charitable donations, so it was important that we provided good value for money. A few years ago we carried out an extensive review and we considered alternative services such as helicopters, but given the geography and demographics of the islands, it was clear that extending the life of the marine ambulance was the best and most cost effective option.”
