About Us

St John Ambulance is the nation's leading first aid charity.

First aid is such a simple skill, but it has an incredible impact. We want everyone to learn it, so that they can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved. Every year through St John Ambulance (NI), thousands of people learn how to save a life through our training programmes, including many young people who are members of our youth organisations.

We are probably best known for our presence at sporting and other public events. Our volunteers receive expert training and many doctors, nurses and paramedics volunteer for us. St John Ambulance (NI) has around 1000 adult volunteers and over 60 ambulances. Our volunteers provide first aid in their communities, keeping people safe at events and working with the NHS when lives are on the line. We’re also always campaigning to raise awareness of first aid and directly educate the public.

St John Ambulance (NI), like most other charities, carries out activities, such as our First Aid training courses for the workplace to help fund our charitable work and to fulfil our Mission. St John Ambulance is the leading provider of workforce training in the UK, reaching over 250,000 people a year nationally and over 10,000 within Northern Ireland.

We provide support for the statutory ambulance services, especially in times of emergency, with the other voluntary first aid charities. We play a crucial role in supporting response to local incidents and major emergencies. We ensure that our services meet the needs of modern society and use up-to-the-minute medical equipment in pursuit of charitable objectives. Our vehicles are fitted with a wide range of medical equipment including automated external defibrillators, medical gases, suction units, carry chairs and hydraulic stretchers. We transfer walking, stretcher and wheelchair patients.

St John Ambulance Youth is part of St John Ambulance (NI) and offers a wide range of activities, including The Duke of Edinburgh's Award training for young people.

St John Ambulance (NI) embraces all sections of the Community and relies on donations from members of the public, companies and trusts, to continue our activities. We continue to support the work of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital. This is a 70-bed specialist ophthalmic hospital, situated in East Jerusalem, offering the full range of modern eye medicine and surgery with accredited teaching facilities to all sections of that war torn community.

St John Ambulance (NI) has a proud history - our tradition of saving lives stretches back to 1881 in Northern Ireland - but we are an organisation that looks forward rather than back.