A DOCTOR who feels that his time as a cadet with St John’s Ambulance service is responsible for giving him the confidence to pursue a career in medicine is hoping to revive the local youth group - after all of them in Barnsley have remained shut for a decade now.

As a teenager, Dr Christopher Hogg served as a cadet, where he learned valuable lifesaving skills and developed his own personal confidence.

However the groups he used to be a part of have since all closed down, and now 15 years after joining as a volunteer he is hoping to use his expertise as a GP to train a whole new generation of cadets.

He told the Chronicle: “Barnsley has a long history with St John’s, both through the mines and with young people.

“I think the cadet experience is an important one to teach people life saving skills they can use in the community, whether that’s at events or just day to day.

“Personally, St John’s gave me the confidence I needed to pursue a career in medicine - a lot of people come in with barely any confidence and go out with the ability to save people’s lives.”

Chris is still looking for youth leaders to help run the sessions, which will take place at the Air Scout Building in Monk Bretton.

They hope it will start by December, teaching people important first aid basics.

“People don’t know how to do basic CPR,” Chris added.

“And they don’t know how to respond to the awful blight we’re struggling with now that is knife crime.

“So we’re going to cover all of that and teach how to do a tourniquet if that situation ever came up.”