St John Ambulance Isle of Man celebrated the investiture of Samantha Crookall as dame commander during a ceremonial service at St Thomas’ Church in Douglas last weekend.

The organisation says the investiture marks a significant milestone, as Samantha becomes the first female and youngest person to hold the role of commander in the Isle of Man.

The promotion to the rank of dame commander of the order was sanctioned by the King, with ceremonial dignitaries from the Priory of England and the Islands joining local representatives, volunteers, and supporters. Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer and Lady Lorimer, and the mayor and mayoress of Douglas, were also among those in attendance.

Following the service, attendees gathered at the St John Ambulance headquarters on Glencrutchery Road for refreshments, reflecting on the charity’s work across the island.

As part of her role, Samantha wants to focus on developing youth programmes further. She said: ‘I’ve been part of St John Ambulance for more than 20 years now, and one of the things I find so wonderful is our teaching and making people aware of how important first aid skills can be.

‘I’m so passionate about all our volunteers but in particular our youth, because they’re the future. All three of my children have been involved in Badgers, and I’ve been a badger leader and trainer for four years now teaching the five to 10-year-olds and they’re so keen to learn, whether it be about the environment or about first aid.

‘You can find yourself in a situation where you wake up one morning and your life can be changed forever. I’ve been in this situation and if you know how to respond it can make such a difference.’

St John Ambulance Isle of Man is a volunteer-led health and first aid registered charity that plays an important role in the heart of the island’s community by saving lives and keeping vulnerable members of the community safe.

Under its new organisational structure, ‘St John Ambulance Commercial’ delivers first aid training, community patient transport schemes, and the sale of first aid supplies among other commercial services. It offers the provision of workplace training, offering a variety of courses for companies and members of the public to learn how to save a life.

With more than 100 adult volunteers, and more than 60 volunteers under the age of 18, ‘St John Ambulance Charity’ leads on community programmes like its Badger and Cadet youth programmes and volunteer services, and provides essential volunteer cover at public events.

The organisation’s charitable work is entirely funded by fundraising, donations and commercial activities, with funds being invested back into the work it carries out.

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