A delivery driver from the John Lewis department store in Norwich is going to be swapping his day job to take on a voluntary role with St John Ambulance.

The secondment is part of the Golden Jubilee Trust, a charity initiative set up by the John Lewis Partnership to offer practical help to UK-registered charities.

Mike Hird, 41, from Costessey, will spend one day a week for six months with the first aid charity.

During his time at the charity, Mike will help by driving and delivering new vehicles, training new drivers, transporting first aid equipment and providing first aid on duty.

He said: 'I hope that the experience I have accumulated at John Lewis over the past three years will really make a difference to St John Ambulance.

'As well as helping with the day-to-day running of the charity, I will also look to develop strong links between John Lewis Norwich, St John Ambulance and the local community.

'On a personal level, I also hope to expand my own skills to then bring back to my job at John Lewis Norwich Service building.'

The John Lewis Partnership set up the Golden Jubilee Trust in April 2000 to mark the 50th anniversary of the co-ownership business structure. Staff at any level within John Lewis or Waitrose can apply for a secondment to provide help for a charity, whilst developing new skills which can be used in both their work and personal lives.

The Golden Jubilee Trust awards around 50 secondments each year on a full or part-time basis for a maximum of six months and takes on the full pay to cover the placement.

Last year the Golden Jubilee Trust celebrated its 10th anniversary and donated the equivalent of 23,790 hours to charity - the highest number of hours since the scheme began.

Mick Coley, county executive officer for St John Ambulance in Norfolk, said: 'Mike's experience at John Lewis is invaluable to us and I am really looking forward to working closely with him over the next six months. 'We are very grateful to John Lewis Norwich for taking part in this project which will allow Mike to continue his role helping St John be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.

'Each year in this country 1,500 people die from the lack of available first aid, Mike will help us in our work to make the difference.

'It is fantastic that services like ours get to benefit from Partners' experience and expertise as part of the Golden Jubilee Trust and I hope that Mike will be able to go back to John Lewis and share some of the things he learnt during his time with us.'

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