Herts paramedic student’s lifesaving charity wins King’s Award for Voluntary Service

Hearts for Herts charity, founded and led by Justin Honey-Jones [pictured top, sitting in tractor] - a current student on the MSc Advanced Paramedic Practice course - has been awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) for 2025. It is the highest honour a local voluntary group can receive in the UK, equivalent to an MBE.

Based in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, Hearts for Herts is a volunteer-run and paramedic-led lifesaving charity dedicated to improving community resilience. The charity raises funds to provide and maintain public access defibrillators and bleed control kits across both rural and urban parts of Hertfordshire, ensuring they are available 24/7.

Justin said: “Studying an MSc in Advanced Paramedic Practice at the University of Hertfordshire has been invaluable for me with setting up and running the charity alongside my full-time role in the NHS. The programme is rooted in the four pillars of advanced practice: clinical, leadership and management, education and research. I’ve been able to combine all these pillars with my experience as a frontline paramedic and lecturer to create a lifesaving charity which is driven to make our communities safer with public access defibrillators, bleed control kits and sharing the knowledge and skills with the community to become lifesavers.”

In addition to this, the charity delivers free Heartstart Lifesaver courses, teaching vital first aid skills to members of the public. To date, Hearts for Herts has:

• Installed 130 defibrillators and 350 bleed control kits across the county
• Trained more than 1,300 people, aged between 11 and 97, in lifesaving techniques
• Introduced Hertfordshire’s first solar and wind-powered defibrillator cabinet, making local green spaces safer and more sustainable
• Seen its defibrillator network activated 127 times by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust in 999 emergencies since January 2025

Hearts for Herts is one of 231 voluntary groups across the UK to receive the prestigious award in 2025. The King’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises exceptional work by local volunteer groups who make a positive difference in their communities. Created in 2002 to celebrate Her Late Majesty The Queen’s Golden Jubilee, the award continues under the reign of His Majesty The King, with recipients announced annually on 14 November, The King’s Birthday.

Representatives of Hearts for Herts received the award crystal and certificate from Robert Voss CBE, CStJ, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire. Additionally, two volunteers from the charity will attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May or June 2026, alongside other national award recipients.

Discover more about Hearts for Herts.

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