Two new St John ambulances for Guernsey

The dedication service on Sunday at Albert Pier was a recreation of the service in 1937

Two new ambulances have been presented to Guernsey's St John Emergency Ambulance Service.

They were handed over by the States of Guernsey on Sunday in a ceremony that recreated scenes of 84 years ago at the same place in St Peter Port.

A Morris ambulance was presented in 1937 by the States to St John a year after it started running the service.

The new vehicles would replace two in the current fleet which had "exceeded their practical lives", bosses said.

A photo from a Guernsey Press article from June 1937 shows a similar dedication ceremony

The new ambulances had been fitted with "state-of-the-art" diagnostic and treatment equipment, which would allow clinicians to administer urgent and emergency pre-hospital care on scene, at a patient's home, or by the roadside, bosses said.

They were also designed to give maximum comfort for patients and a practical working environment for medical crews, they added.

Mark Mapp, Guernsey's chief ambulance officer, said: "The new vehicles are a physical example of the strength of our partnership, and I would like to thank the States of Guernsey and HSC [health and social care] committee who have worked together with us this project.

"These two new ambulances replace two of our existing fleet which are now over 12 years old and which have now exceeded their practical lives."

He said the ambulances would have to deal with "high demands we place on them".

Sunday's ceremony was attended by the Bailiff, Richard McMahon, States of Guernsey representatives and senior officers, and front-line staff from the ambulance service.

A blessing was conducted by the new St John chaplain, the Revd Matthew Barrett.

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