A LOCAL volunteer paramedic will be only metres away from Prince William and Kate Middleton at the Royal Wedding on Friday.

Kelly Mann, 47, of Repton Park, Woodford Green, is one of only eight Red Cross volunteers from across the country chosen to be inside Westminster Abbey when Prince William and Kate Middleton take their vows.

Miss Mann will be on hand to administer first aid and other help required if people faint or fall ill during the long ceremony.

“It’s a real honour to have been chosen,” she said. “It will be a momentous occasion and I’m so happy that I’ve got the opportunity to be a part of it.”

Despite the historical importance of the event on Friday, Miss Mann said she will stay focused on her duties and passion for the charity she has worked for the past two years.

She added: “It’s really rewarding. I think if you’re not in that area you don’t understand but there’s a great satisfaction in giving back to society.

“We’re not just there for big events, we’re there for the smaller things which go on all the time. Things like people suffering on the streets.”

The Whitehall civil servant volunteers for the Red Cross at least 10 hours a month, but says she often gives more of her time.

She is an admirer of the royal family’s own charity work, especially Prince Harry, who helped set up Sentebale, a charity which helps children and young people in the poverty-stricken country of Lesotho.

“I think we need them more than we realise, and the work that they do is incredible,” said Miss Mann.