ST JOHN Ambulance Dorset volunteers treated almost 1,000 people on their busiest weekend of the year.

More than 120 adult first aid volunteers worked a total of 1,028 hours to several events around the county including the Great Dorset Steam Fair, the Dorset County Show, the Bournemouth Air Show and several smaller events.

Rob Harvey, St John Ambulance Steam Fair manager, said: “We treated approximately 750 people and responded to 109 incidents during the fair including the five days we attend prior to the event itself. “We have 20 volunteers on site around the clock plus around 45 volunteers per day and three ambulances on-site.

“The event regularly attracts over 250,000 visitors and, with up to 30,000 people on site, the Steam Fair is equivalent to the third largest town in Dorset after Bournemouth and Poole and Weymouth. “We are responsible for setting up a complete medical centre, providing anything from a high dependency unit and GP facilities to working with the ambulance service and local medical professionals to offer comprehensive medical and first aid cover. The Dorset County Show was busy but there no major incidents. Fifty-one people were treated by the first aid volunteers, mainly from the Dorchester Division.

Several Cadets aged from 10 to 17 years also helped out at the larger events, which gives them a great experience, enabling them to put their first aid skills into practice under the watchful eye of adult supervisors.