St John Ambulance Cymru

What St John Ambulance Cymru does

St John Ambulance Cymru is a registered charity (Charity number 250523, Company number 05071073) founded in 1880 that operates as the leading first aid charity for Wales. The organisation provides three core service lines: commercial workplace training (First Aid at Work, Emergency First Aid at Work, Paediatric First Aid, Fire Marshal, IOSH, Mental Health First Aid, and Safeguarding courses); commissioned healthcare services including a non-emergency patient transport fleet, a Falls and Frailty Response Service commissioned by the Welsh Ambulance Service since January 2018, and event medical cover; and free community outreach including free first aid awareness training for community groups, schools, and the general public, alongside youth development programmes (Badgers for ages 5-11, Cadets for ages 11-15). Operations are delivered through a physical infrastructure of 9 training centres across Wales (Cardiff, Wrexham, Swansea, Newport, Abergele, Bridgend, Abergavenny, Rhayader, Deeside) and 100+ local volunteer divisions, with headquarters at Priory House in Cardiff.

The charity operates a hybrid revenue model combining fee-based commercial training and contracted healthcare services with charitable income from donations, corporate support (e.g., Nationwide Building Society, Toyota Manufacturing UK Charitable Trust), a recurring weekly lottery, and legacy gifts. The patient transport service is accredited to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 standards. The organisation holds privileged status as one of the Voluntary Aid Societies recognised by the Health and Safety Executive under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, positioning it as a standard-setter for workplace first aid compliance in Wales. Marketing is predominantly community-driven and mission-led, leveraging website, content, social media, volunteer recruitment, and corporate partnerships rather than paid acquisition.

The underlying technology stack is minimal and undifferentiated: customer enquiries are captured through Microsoft Office Forms, volunteer management uses Rosterfy, and fundraising is run on Raisely. The organisation has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no proprietary software products, and no app. Strategic positioning is regional and mission-driven rather than technology-led, with growth oriented toward expanded training products, deeper healthcare service commissioning (NHS Wales and Health Boards), and geographic capacity-building (particularly North Wales) under its Strategy 2025-30.

Name

St John Ambulance Cymru

Legal name

St John Ambulance Cymru

Website

https://sjacymru.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1880

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

St John Ambulance Cymru is a Wales-based registered charity, founded in 1880, providing workplace first aid training, patient transport, falls response, and event medical cover across Wales, funded by commercial training revenue, NHS-commissioned healthcare contracts, donations, and lottery income.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

First Aid Training and Healthcare Services

NAICS

Ambulance Services (621910), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical Emergency Response & On-site First Aid/Paramedics (BPABANAG), Medical Assistance & Telemedicine for Travelers (THACANAE), Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC)

Keywords

• First aid training
• Patient transport services
• Event medical cover
• Workplace health safety
• Volunteer first aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Workplace Training Courses: Paid first aid, health & safety, and mental health training courses for businesses and organizations. Revenue generated helps fund charitable community work.
2. Patient Transport Services: Transporting patients within Wales, the UK and beyond for NHS, local authorities, nursing and care homes, insurance companies, and private individuals. Fleet of emergency and non-emergency ambulances.
3. Event Medical Cover: Providing first aid and ambulance cover for events across Wales, from small school fetes to large venues like Principality Stadium. Volunteers and staff with various skill levels.
4. Falls Response Service: Commissioned by Welsh Ambulance Service to respond to falls calls, working with local authorities and health boards for directly commissioned services.
5. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations, corporate support, school fundraising programs, and community fundraising initiatives.
6. Lifesaving Lottery: Weekly lottery program (sjacymrulottery.co.uk) generating charitable revenue.
7. Legacy Gifts: Leaving a gift in will to support the charity's future work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

St John Ambulance Cymru is a Wales-based first aid charity that delivers paid workplace first aid, health & safety, and mental health training courses; non-emergency and emergency patient transport for NHS, local authorities, care homes and private individuals; a Welsh Ambulance Service-commissioned Falls Response Service; and event medical cover ranging from small school fetes to major stadium events. Profits from commercial training and commissioned services fund free community training, school programmes, youth development (Badgers and Cadets), and a volunteer network of 100+ local divisions across Wales.

Product overview

St John Ambulance Cymru offers a comprehensive portfolio of first aid training and healthcare services across Wales. The core offerings include workplace first aid training (First Aid at Work, Emergency First Aid at Work, Paediatric First Aid), health & safety courses (Fire Marshal, IOSH Managing Safely), and mental health training (Mental Health First Aid, Mental Health Advocate). These are delivered through training centres across Wales and on-site at workplaces. The organization also provides healthcare services including Patient Transport Services, Falls Response Service, and Event Medical Cover. Free e-learning courses are available for public awareness, and youth programmes (Badgers for ages 5-11, Cadets for ages 11-15) teach first aid skills to young people. All profits from commercial training support the charitable community work including free school and community training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• First Aid Training Courses Comprehensive workplace and community first aid training including First Aid at Work (3-day), Emergency First Aid at Work (1-day), Paediatric First Aid, and requalification courses.
• Health & Safety Training Workplace health and safety training including Fire Marshal, IOSH Managing Safely, IOSH Working Safely, Manual Handling, and Health & Safety Awareness courses.
• Mental Health Training Workplace mental health courses including Mental Health First Aid (2-day), Mental Health Advocate (1-day), and Mental Health & Menopause Awareness.
• Free e-Learning Courses Free online first aid awareness courses available in English and Welsh, including Child & Infant Awareness, First Aid Awareness, and Public Access Defib Awareness.
• Patient Transport Service Non-emergency and emergency ambulance transport for patients within Wales and beyond, supporting NHS, local authorities, care homes, and private individuals.
• Falls Response Service Initial response service to safely lift people who have fallen at home, operating across Wales in partnership with the Welsh Ambulance Service.
• Event Medical Cover First aid and ambulance cover for events of all sizes across Wales, from small school fetes to large stadium events, with qualified staff and volunteers.
• Community Training Free first aid training for community groups and schools across Wales, covering basic life-saving skills and emergency response.
• Badgers Programme First aid and life skills programme for children aged 5-11, teaching basic first aid, teamwork, and leadership through fun activities.
• Cadets Programme Youth programme for 11-15 year olds focusing on first aid training, leadership development, and volunteer opportunities.
• Safeguarding Group B Training Safeguarding Group B course for practitioners with regular contact with children and adults, aligned with Social Care Wales standards.
• Lifesaving Lottery Charity lottery programme allowing supporters to participate in fundraising while having the chance to win prizes.

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nationwide Building SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024St John Ambulance and Nationwide Building Society are partnering to create safer communities. The partnership aims to support the charity's lifesaving work and increase first aid awareness among Nationwide members/customers.
• Welsh Ambulance Service University NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Commissioned partnership since January 2018 for Falls and Frailty Response Service. St John Ambulance Cymru responds to 999 calls for people who have fallen, working as part of the Welsh Ambulance Service's Falls and Frailty Framework.
• Local Health Boards (Wales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan-Wales falls response service with cars located in each Welsh Local Health Board area. Direct commission for falls response services to support community-based admission avoidance.
• CorgiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Welsh knitwear manufacturer Corgi to release limited-edition socks. Supporters can purchase socks with proceeds benefiting the charity.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• HSE-recognised commercial training providers (e.g., Staysafe / Qualsafe Awards network): Network of commercial first-aid training providers and awarding organisations delivering HSE-compliant workplace courses at lower price points. Directly competes with SJACymru's commercial training revenue that funds its charitable work.
• Event Medical Services UK (private sector): Private event medical cover providers competing for the same event organiser contracts (festivals, stadiums, corporate events) that SJACymru services, often on lower-cost commercial terms rather than volunteer-based delivery.

Direct peers

• British Red Cross: UK-wide humanitarian charity offering overlapping services including first aid training, event medical cover, patient transport and emergency response. Directly competes with SJACymru for commissioned healthcare contracts, event cover bids and workplace training customers across the UK.
• Order of Malta Ambulance Corps: A Voluntary Aid Society providing community first aid, ambulance and event medical services with a similar volunteer-led charitable model. Comparable as a fellow VAS with HSE-equivalent recognition and analogous training/event/transport service portfolio.
• Royal Life Saving Society UK: UK charity focused on lifesaving, water safety and first aid training. Directly competes for workplace and community training contracts, with overlapping CPR, defibrillation and emergency response curricula.
• St John Ambulance (England): The sister organisation covering England, sharing the same Voluntary Aid Society status, HSE recognition, training portfolio (First Aid at Work, Mental Health First Aid), event medical cover, patient transport and youth programmes. Operates at much larger national scale, providing a benchmark for what SJACymru could become with greater capital and geographic reach.

Broad incumbents

• British Heart Foundation: Major UK health charity whose Heart Start / CPR and defibrillation training programmes overlap with SJACymru's free community awareness courses and workplace training. Both operate free public-facing lifesaving training at scale.
• Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust: Statutory emergency ambulance provider in Wales and the principal commissioner of SJACymru's Falls Response Service. Comparable as a Wales-based emergency/patient transport operator, though operating under a public-sector mandate rather than charity model.
• NHS Wales (Shared Services): Wales-wide public healthcare body and SJACymru's largest customer/commissioner across patient transport and falls response. Comparable in scale of healthcare service delivery across Wales and a structural counterparty for any service expansion.

Regional players

• Age Cymru: Wales-focused charity addressing older people's needs, overlapping with SJACymru's falls response beneficiary population. Both compete for Welsh Government and local authority funding for elderly support services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sjacymru
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sjacymru

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St John Ambulance Cymru