Tuesday 14 February, 2023: ​​​Love is in the air at QPR’s Loftus Road where St John Ambulance volunteers and couple Dawn Rabin and Dave Graham – who have been keeping home and away fans safe and well for more than a decade – were given a Happy Valentine’s Day stadium shout out and flowers on behalf of everyone at QPR FC.

The couple, both firm fixtures at QPR, first met back in 2012 volunteering for the health and first aid charity and are ‘very much part of the QPR family’.

Dawn Rabin, 58, operates the control room, and partner Dave Graham, 56, is Duty Officer alongside other St John volunteers at the football ground.

Both will be on duty on Valentine’s Day, on February 14.

The couple met during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 when they were both volunteering for St John, along Pall Mall, keeping crowds safe.

Dawn recalls, “I saw another St John uniform, and I gave a little wave to Dave. I’m quite a shy person, but it was clear to other volunteers we liked each other, and we were set up on a date by other St John volunteers! We’ve been together now since 2014.”

The couple both volunteered for the Platinum Jubilee as well as seven of the ten days of the Queen's state funeral, caring for hundreds of people in need of care as they paid their last respects.

Dave, who is a housing association caretaker, has volunteered for St John for 41 years, joining as a young Cadet, and Dawn, a civil servant, has given 22 years’ service – an impressive 63 years’ service between them. He said, “Volunteering at QPR is like a second home for Dawn and I. We love volunteering and have met some of our best friends through it.”

QPR Club Ambassador Andy Sinton presented the couple with the flowers, saying: “Dawn and Dave – you are normally on the side-lines but with Valentine’s Day around the corner, QPR wanted to wish you both a happy Valentine’s Day – we know you will be on duty on the special day, but we wanted to publicly thank you for keeping us all safe and well.”

 

St John Ambulance has many volunteer opportunities in evenings and weekends with some weekday opportunities. Time commitments vary from just a few hours a month, to several hours a week. Find out more