Olympic first aider 'chuffed' with MBE (From Enfield Independent)

Enfield Olympic and Paralympic first aider for St John Ambulance Ann Cable 'chuffed' with MBE in New Year's Honours list

11:06am Friday 4th January 2013 in News By Hermione Wright

A first aider charged with caring for the public during the Olympic and Paralympic Games has been rewarded with an MBE.

Ann Cable, 59, from The Ridgeway in Enfield Chase, signed up to St John Ambulance at just ten years old after being drawn to the first aid charity during a primary school assembly.

The district manager has never looked back, and has since volunteered at major events including the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee last year.

She said: “I had a big smile on my face when I found out. I’m really chuffed.

“But it is a very difficult thing because I am nominated for my work in St John and I really do feel that this award is for everybody – all the volunteers in London. It isn’t just me, it’s everybody.”

To this day, the retired primary school teacher does not know who nominated her for the MBE.

She received a letter in November asking if she would be willing to accept the honour and said she was "on tenterhooks” before it was announced in the New Year’s Honours list, as she heard nothing more.

Although she said it is very difficult to pick the highlights of her 50 years of volunteering, she said the “sheer privilege” of working at the country’s major events was unforgettable.

The first aider joins two other people from Enfield who received MBEs this year – Jackie White of Halliwick Penguins Swimming Club for services to disability swimming and Enfield Grammar School assistant headteacher Peter Gross for services to education.