L.I.F.E. St. John Ambulance Variety Show 2006

This weekend (27th and 28th October 2006) there was an event which made me extremely proud to be a member of St. John Ambulance. It wasn’t that someone’s life had been saved, although obviously when that happens that does as well, this was seeing members young and old all pulling together to create a memorable show.

This is the third St. John Ambulance variety show that I’ve been involved in, mostly working behind the scenes. I’ll admit to a little bias, but I could see that others in the audience were also full of pride for what happened.

The story starts about a year ago, when we first started discussing the show. This show was a special one as the 10th production from Warwickshire St. John Ambulance. This years show called L.I.F.E. (Live, Inspirational, Fun Entertainment) as inspired by a youth member of the cast.

Over the last year an awful lot of hard work has gone in from the cast, the production team and lots of people doing work behind the scenes to make sure the show went smoothly. This included numerous rehearsals, planning meetings and people getting on with tasks assigned to them. After months of hard work the first show was held on Friday night, with shows on Saturday afternoon and Saturday Evening.

The show was a variety show, featuring some of the highlights from the previous shows, including songs from west end musicals, comedy sketches and songs and dance created specially for the show. It involved members young and old, from the Badgers, Cadets and Adults and even the Commissioners.

Despite a few technical hitches, including a power cut when we were getting ready for the final performance, the show went very well. It may not have been quite in the league of a full west end production, but considering that this was a show from members who are normally more used to putting on bandages rather than shows, the performances went really well.

You could see from the smiles on the stage and the odd tear in the audience just what impact the show had on the feelings of pride in everyone. The experience has no doubt improved the young members in particular increasing their confidence and as a fine example of team work.

Discussions have already started about the next show, due towards the beginning of 2008. Watch for updates over the next year appearing on the Warwickshire St. John Ambulance web site.

Stewart, County Emergency Logistics Officer and proud member of the St. John Ambulance L.I.F.E. Production Team.