Ambulance UK August 2023

EDITOR’S COMMENT
EDITOR’S COMMENT
Welcome to this issue of AUK.
One of my sons is twenty six. We call him The Boy. He’s had a few jobs in his time, and a few interests have
come and gone, as they do. However, since a very young age, the one constant in his life has been football.
From his early years, he has had a passion for it. Whether that is gaining an encyclopedic knowledge of the
game; playing football consantly on the console, or playing it himself for school and then a local team; it has
been a huge part of his life.
“As time
goes on, and
I become
reflective
on what is
important in life,
I find myself
coming back to
the philosophy
that “you only
get one life to
play football”.
Try it, you may
just find that it
helps you make
one or two
decisions.”
I was discussing some new potential jobs with The Boy recently. The change would have meant better
money and prospects. However, it would also have interferred with his football training and practice nights.
During the conversation he said “Dad, you only get one life to play football”.
I relayed this to some friends last weekend. We were trying to persuade one of them to attend a course
he has been hoping to start for some years. The trouble is, the course is three weeks long, and he was
concerned about taking time off work. There are all the important meetings; the emails that need attention;
and various projects he has a hand in. All of this, he felt, meant he couldn’t take three weeks off work. I told
him about The Boy’s philosophy to football, and said that while not a football course, the same rationale
could be applied.
The work will always be there to prevent you doing things if you let it. It is important to recognise and
understand that. After all, it is that work that inevitably pays the bills and allows you the freedom to do the
other things that you need to do in life. In some ways, ambulance people often see their work as a vocation,
so work does take up a lot of their time and interest even when not actually working. However, we all have
something outside of work that is important to us. That might be family, or some other interest. It’s the thing,
or things, that help make us who we are.
As time goes on, and I become reflective on what is important in life, I find myself coming back to the
philosophy that “you only get one life to play football”. Try it, you may just find that it helps you make one
or two decisions.
Matt House, Co-Editor Ambulance UK
Publishers Statement
AMBULANCE UK – AUGUST
For nearly 40 years, thanks to trade support, we have been able to provide Ambulance UK FREE
OF CHARGE in the knowledge that those receiving our dedicated bi monthly publication enjoy having
something to read during their free time however, return on investment seems to be the buzz word
amongst Ambulance Service Suppliers these days, therefore if you enquire about a product advertised,
please mention Ambulance UK as it help us confirrm to the trade that we are reaching the right
people and providing advertisers with value for money. In respect of our current edition we would like
to thank the following companies for their support as without their contribution towards our print and
postal costs this issue would not have been published - Bluelight UK, DS Medical, Durabook,
Eberspaecher, EVS, Ferno, Galen, IPRS, Medacx, Mer Fleet Services, Ortus, St John W.A.,
Stryker, VCS, Vimpex, Webasto.
Terry Gardner
Publisher
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