AN AWARD-winning ambulance volunteer is taking a well-earned retirement after an incredible 66 years of service.

Mike Kemp, from Liskeard, began his volunteering as a cadet with the St John Ambulance in 1954. He was a long-serving officer with the organisation before finishing in 2006.

Since 2002, Mike has been a Community First Responder with the South West Ambulance Service Foundation Trust (SWASFT). The patients he has treated in and around Liskeard , Looe and Par number in the thousands – and he has saved many lives.

As Mike hangs up his pager and retires, his legacy will continue, says SWASFT, through his son Richard, who is a paramedic, as well as through the new volunteers he has trained.

Mike said: ’I have thoroughly enjoyed being a volunteer responder. No two days of responding are the same, and it’s a privilege to be part of such a wonderful team, and know you are making a difference to people.

Having notched up alomost seven decades of service, Mike has more than one story to tell relating to the stranger call-outs he has attended.

’Once, I was called onto a train to treat an unconscious diabetic patient, who attacked the guard when he regained consciousness,’ he said.

’Another time, when I was called to a care home, I was told that the elderly resident I was treating was just asleep - and the real patient was on the other side of the room!’

One of Mike’s proudest achievements was becoming the first person to defibrillate a patient in 1988.

His volunteering with SWASFT was recognised in 2018, when he was given the Volunteer of the Year accolade at the Unsung Hero Awards.

Julia Cleeland-Smith, SWASFT Community Responder Officer for Cornwall, said: ’I have been amazed at the dedication and commitment that Mike has given to support patients, community responders, and enhanced first aid to the public.’

Community First Responders are trained volunteers who provide crucial treatment in the vital first few minutes of life-threatening emergencies while an ambulance is on the way.

SWASFT has been celebrating the vital work of its 800 volunteers, who respond to around 40,000 patients a year across the South West.