Colour photograph of three female Cadets in St John Ambulance uniform kneeling on the floor of a hall. Two of the Cadets are conducting First Aid on a dummy while the middle Cadets looks on.

Nicholas Evanson

Joined 1983

Torquay Ambulance Cadet Division, Devon

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Colour photograph of a young male Cadet in uniform standing on the driveway of a home. Around him are three bags. In the background are rows of flowers.
Ambulance Cadet Nicholas Evanson setting off for his first County Camp at Seaton, Devon, 1984 Image courtesy of Nicholas Evanson
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Transcript

I think the formative years in Cadets are what, as I’ve said previously, sort of shaped my interest more into the welfare side of things. I mean as a youngster I did want to go sort of frontline nursing, physio, something like that. But I soon came to realise strength-wise I wouldn’t survive. So that’s why I sort of tried almost find a niche on the welfare side, both helping members within St John but obviously helping people, say, within work. My strength has always been sort of welfare and being able to talk to people sort of one to one. But everybody in St John needs to work to their strength. Yes, it’s all well and good, say, people – everybody wanting to go out on ambulances but that isn’t for everybody. You need to find the niche and use your skills to the best of your ability.

Excerpt courtesy of Nicholas Evanson