Vital Fife first aid volunteers earn deserved recognition for long service

Michelle Paton, Stewart Brannan and Andrea McEwan of the North and East Fife Corps Company, were recognised for their significant length of service they have had with St Andrew’s First Aid.

Michelle has served with St Andrews for 20 years, including helping out with training new cadets.

Stuart McEwan, commandant of the corps, said: “She started when she was a young cadet. I remember her being a young cadet and she still helps out with the youth section based in Glenrothes on a Wednesday night and she still loves her cadets.”

Stewart, who is a former deputy to Stuart McEwan, has been a member of the corps for 20 years service. He is now an elite first aider taking on some of the corps' bigger events, such as Leuchars Airshow.

Andrea, who is married to Stuart, has been with the service for 30 years, saying “if you can’t beat them join them.”

Stuart also celebrated 40 years with St Andrews First Aid after initially joining in order to get a first aid proficiency Scouts badge. Four decades later he has risen to a team leader role with the company.

The role has given him an opportunity to brush shoulders with some famous faces, including a certain Sir Sean Connery at Gleneagles.

Stuart explained: “I was going up the stairs to get our tea and coffee and I said to the boy I was with ‘that looks like Sean Connery’, he said ‘no, it can’t be’.

"Not thinking any more of it we went and got our tea and coffee in the VIP area. We went and sat down and the next minute we heard this voice, ‘can we join you?’. It was Sean and his wife!”

Stuart is also involved with Fife Flyers ice hockey team as part of the match night crew, and has also been part of the St Andrews first aiders on hand at East Fife’s Bayview Stadium.

He paid tribute to his colleagues as they reached their milestones by saying: “We enjoy it. We go out to these events and we look at each other as one big family.”