St John Amublance Cork were  delighted to welcome our colleagues from Dublin for the annual Cork National Cadet Competitions. The Commons Inn in Blackpool played host to almost 40 teams of our younger members, who travelled down for arguably one of the most eagerly anticipated fixture in the competitions calendar.

With the promise of good weather it was decided to hold sections of the test outside, and very realistic scenarios were set up by members of the Cork City Combined Division prior to the beginning of the competition. It was agreed by everybody that the injuries were made up to the highest of standards and St John Ambulance Cork would like to extend appreciation to Susan O’ Sullivan and Denise Crowley for their excellent work in that regard.The adjudicators agreed that the fictitious scenarios were very accurate, and of the opinion that any cadet could very well come across them in their everyday lives. Four competitions were held on the day, one each for Senior Boys and Senior Girls and one each for Junior Boys and Junior Girls.

The Senior Boys competition consisted of a patient suffering a stroke at concert, with the patients’ son by his side having suffered minor injuries. During the competition, they are called out to a patient who has fallen backstage.

The Senior Girls competition was based at a fictitious amusement park, where they were called to an assault incident by the park security. Three patients presented themselves with various injuries such as arm fractures, fractured nose and head lacerations.A simulated road traffic accident involving a bicycle was the setting for the Junior Girls competition. Two casualties were present, afflicted with cuts and bruises and minor fractures. The Junior Boys contended with an accident where two casualties were painting a wall on scaffolding, and the scaffolding collapsed.

The adjudicators were agreed that while all the tests were challenging for the cadets, they all coped extremely well. It was noted that all cadets demonstrated high standards of patient care, a standard which all members of St John Ambulance strive to uphold.  Congratulations must be extended to Finglas/Glasnevin division who came first in the Senior Boys and Junior Girls competitions. Cork City Ambulance Cadet Division commendably won their Junior Competition with Foxrock Nursing Cadet Division winning their Senior Girls competition.

Blanchardstown Cadet Division deserve a special mention. They are a newly-formed division in Dublin who entered new cadets in their first ever competition. They gained a very respectable joint second place in the Junior Girls Competition and came second in the Junior Boys Competition. For such a recently formed division this is an incredible feat, and St John Ambulance Cork wish Blanchardstown the very best in the years to come.

The cadets had an enjoyable night at their disco, and we wish them well on their journey back to Dublin. Special thanks to stewards and casualties who spend the day ensuring the competition ran smoothly, and also to the Competitions Secretary of St John Ambulance Cork, Sean O’Reilly, who formulated the tests and organised props and support to make the day memorable for all.