Mike Gregory
Appearances
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
Mike Gregory from St John Ambulance. I have spent coming up for 30 years with St John Ambulance as a volunteer within Surrey, working as an ambulance crew and also first aider. I've also done transport work all over the UK with St John. that I should be put forward for an award. I don't feel that I need to be rewarded for things because I do it as a volunteer. I enjoy it.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
It's part of my social responsibility, as I feel, within the area. It was a very big surprise. I am still a brigade member. I have held a slightly higher rank, but taken it back when I moved because you can't go from one unit to another with the same rank, so you lose your rank, but it's fine.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
but I've been full-time as well within St John, working as an ambulance crew, specialising in working on air crashes.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
Yes. I used to work at Farnborough International. I was crash crew there, working for St John. Fortunately enough, we never had any serious accidents.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
Yeah, we do it as a normal thing. It's just part and parcel of what we do. I volunteered back in the mid-70s, came out of St John's due to work commitments, and then decided I wanted to go back into it. I wanted a first aid certificate, and it was an easy way and a helpful way that I could...
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
learn first aid without spending lots of money but also as I said social responsibility I'm a director of a company and companies are looked at as providing social responsibility towards the community. It enhances what we do within the community.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
Even though we're slightly down on numbers at the moment, but that's because a lot of our members are at university, we do have a big presence within Brightgate and Baxter area, I would say. 12 to 15 of us meet regularly. And what did you make of this evening? Oh, I enjoyed it.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
immensely, seeing other people being awarded certificates and being appreciated for what they actually do within their own charities. Reigate and Bannisters has actually got one of the larger groups of volunteers, I think, within Surrey. People themselves actually like to volunteer around this area. And when you actually look at all the different groups,
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
The connection between each of the different groups is actually quite close. And when you look at all the other charities, including St John, we're all very much interlinked. Different members have got different connections within those organisations. And I think it's vitally important. And I think it's the best thing that we've got in this area, is the volunteering groups.