Island owners give £10k to marine ambulance

Tuesday 18 February 2020

£10,000 has been donated to the fund running Guernsey's marine ambulance, thanks to the owners of Jethou Island.

The gift was made by the Ogden Trust to support the flying Christine III, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in November last year.

The Flying Christine III is equipped like a road ambulance and staffed by a paramedic led medical team from St John Emergency Ambulance Service. Its crew consist of volunteer sailors from around Guernsey. Particularly in times when the air medivac service cannot fly, the Flying Christine provides a lifeline service for the other islands of the Bailiwick, often bringing patients to Guernsey to get them to the PEH. The marine ambulance can also be set to vessels in need in local waters. 

Pictured: Jethou. 

“I would like to thank Sir Peter Ogden for his generous donation to the Flying Christine fund," Chief Ambulance Officer Mark Mapp said. "The St John marine ambulance relies on public support and charitable donations to operate.

"This is a significant gift and will help St John continue to provide this essential service for the Bailiwick. Having served on the marine ambulance as a paramedic I know how important the service is to people living in the other islands. This support is greatly appreciated.”

The current Flying Christine, which is based in St Peter Port Harbour is the third St John marine ambulance and was launched in November 1994. The vessel is designed to cut through waves rather than ride on the surface of the sea to give patients as smooth a ride as possible.

The wheelhouse is positioned well forward to provide a large treatment area with stretcher and medical equipment to allow paramedics a comfortable space for assessing and treating patients. The stern deck has steps to water level to enable patients to be recovered from the water in a stretcher, and can be used for transfer to helicopter if necessary.

Pictured top: The Flying Christine III. (image by Tony Rive)