THE St John Ambulance has a fine history of lifesaving and teaching about First Aid.

So we were delighted to come across this series of old photos from the 70s and 80s in our archive.

One of our favourites is the annual regional cadet inspection in 1974. It took place in the York Railway Institute, when Captain GH Powell, commandant of the Northern Area, inspected his young ‘troops’. We like the delight evident on the young faces.

A service of thanksgiving to mark St John’s Day was an annual occurrence at All Saints Church, Pavement, and we have two photographs of Brigade members marching to or from the service: one from 1972, the other from 1974.

And then there’s Pat Harrison. Pat, a nursing member of the St John Ambulance who lived in Sherburn-in-Elmet, was also an avid collector of signatures.

Hers were no ordinary signatures, however. Her aim was to raise money. She carried a large tablecloth around with her, and asked people to sign their names on it in soft pencil, for 20p a time. The signatures were then gone over with fabric paint to make them permanent.

York Press:

January 26, 1985: Mrs Pat Harrison with her tablecloth of signatures

In 1984, Mrs Harrison took the cloth with her to Greece and the Channel Islands, gathering signatures from all around the world. And among those to sign... world ice dance champions Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.

By the time our photo was taken in January 1985, Mrs Harrison had raised about £200 through her ‘fundraising as art’. And as for the tablecloth itself... there were plans to put it on display at Sherburn library.