SINCE the age of six teenager Benjamin Bateman has dedicated himself to the St John Ambulance.

And the 16-year-old has been given the ultimate award for his diligent contribution.

The New College student has received a Grand Prior Award from The Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, John Bush, for his commitment.

Benjamin has been striving for the award since he was 10 when he started the first of 24 tasks.

To achieve the award, he had to complete tasks across eight topics, including first aid, personal development and communications.

He said: “I always had the goal in my mind but never thought I would be able to achieve it.

“There are four different awards; bronze, silver, gold and then the Grand Prior Award, so very few cadets manage to achieve the full Grand Prior Award.

“Each task takes two or three months to do and I had to complete the full 24 to get the award, so it took a lot of work and commitment.

“This is something I’ve been working towards for the last six years so it feels fantastic to finally have achieved it.

"It is the highest achievement I can get.”

Benjamin, from Pewsey, received the certificate in September in Devizes Town Hall and enjoyed meeting Lord Lieutenant John Bush.

“I was honoured to meet him and he seemed like a very nice person,” he said.

“After I got over the shock of meeting him, I realised he just wanted to be treated like everyone else.”

His ambition is to be a paediatrician and he hopes to go to Bristol University.

He is studying A-levels in biology, chemistry, physics and maths.

“I always wanted to take care of people and looking after children has always appealed to me,” he said.

“St John Ambulance gives me a good insight and a lot of experience.

“I think more young people should get involved; it’s a great way to meet people, it teaches you about different subjects and it’s great fun.”