By day he is a cheerful hospital porter who has just won praise for making a terrified baby boy with breathing difficulties smile by singing to him.

But at weekends Jonathan Baker takes to Maidstone town centre to keep revellers safe – a role that has seen him come face-to-face with violence and murder.

Jonathan Baker singing in the hospital

The 51-year-old, from Maidstone, has been giving up his time to help others for more than 25 years.

Bored during his evenings in the early 1990s, friends suggested he join a St John Ambulance crew as a first aider – and he's never looked back.

The ambulance service is a charitable volunteer-led organisation, dedicated to teaching and practice of first aid and teams travel to events up and down England to support regular crews.

Mr Baker has “always loved to look after people” and has shared his first aid expertise with cadets aged six to 16 for two decades.

Those who've enjoyed a night out in Maidstone will need no introduction to the town's Urban Blue Bus.

The bus, launched in 2009, and its team of volunteers keep people safe and provide medical care to those who have had too much to drink or need first aid.

Paramedics and doctors are also part of the team and the aim is to spare regular ambulance crews from having to intervene in every single incident.

And Mr Baker has been there right from the start.

A stock and general manager for the bus, he regularly checks bandages, replenishes supplies and looks after a selfless team of volunteers.

But one night, things took a sinister turn.

On August 25, 2019, Andre Bent was out celebrating with friends when he was stabbed in Jubilee Square.

The 21-year-old had been attending a MoStack concert at the former Gallery nightclub.

Mr Baker was the first to attend to Andre and give him CPR. Sadly, he could not be saved.

Ultimately, all of the Urban Blue volunteers that night had to go to the police station to give statements and had their clothes taken.

Fighting tears, he was reluctant to share all the details of the incident, though he made it clear that Andre “didn’t die alone”.

The ambulance service which took over praised Mr Baker as “amazing”.

The events of that night stuck with him so much so he took a year-and-a-half off work and has been in counselling since.

This August will mark his third year of counselling after the horrifying incident.

Vasilios Ofogeli, who was just 17, would go on to be convicted of Andre’s murder. He received a life sentence with a minimum of 20 years to be served, while another 13 people received sentences of between 21 months to two years following the brawl.

In the wake of the tragedy, Urban Blue volunteers and the town's Street Pastors held a memorial service for Andre and the Gallery's former owners donated more than £3,000 for new equipment.

Mr Baker has recognised the value in opening up through therapy. He said: “It’s amazing, I can recommend it to anyone, it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders.”

Despite the tragedy he continues to want to help others, adding: “I just like spreading a bit of happiness. Giving to people makes me happy.

“It’s a great incentive – our job is to save ambulances for people who really need them.”

Mr Baker described what a shift consists of, and how he prepares for the variety a night in Maidstone brings.

He said: “Usually I go to work first and do an eight-hour shift, then I come home and sleep for a couple hours and then go out.

“We start at 9.30pm and finish around 3am, we meet in Jubilee Square, as the bus is kept at the barracks. We have coats and polo shirts which say 'medical team' on the back.

“We put the electric on and then we set up the tents. The tents were bought for us by the Rotary Club.

“We set up the chairs and wheelchairs in the tent area.

“We have a night net radio which is set up to all the clubs and CCTV cameras."

Mr Baker explained that much of the equipment is voluntarily funded through police grants and the clubs in the area which support the initiative.

When asked about the vibe of the bus on a night out, he said: “The teamwork is amazing, we're all there for the same reason, to save ambulances being called, and get people home other ways. We only call an ambulance if it's completely necessary.”

When asked how he felt at the end of a long shift of helping people, he said: “Quite proud. We look at the job sheets we’ve done, how many people we’ve got home safely and not lying in the gutter somewhere.

“The teamwork is amazing and the management who run the bus is amazing. We're always looking for new volunteers."

For a man who works so much, it was interesting to know whether Mr Baker got enough rest. “Sleep is for wimps," he joked.

He admits he finds it difficult to "sit around" and says he needs "something to do".

Admin manager for the Urban Blue Bus, Val Jacobs said: “Jon is our longest serving volunteer and has been with Urban Blue since the very start. He is a funny, caring man who always gives his time to help others.

“The bus would be a sad and quiet place without him.”

Back on his day job at Tunbridge Wells Hospital and Mr Baker has earned plaudits from Olivia Arnold and Adam Mellor.

Their baby son Oscar was recently admitted for treatment, when they came across Mr Baker in his porter role.

He adapted the lyrics to the well-known children’s song 'The wheels on the bus' to help reassure anxious Oscar.

Singing “The wheels on the trolley” as he transferred Oscar, aged one, from the Resus unit to the Hedgehog children’s ward he brought a smile to the tot's face despite him being unwell with breathing difficulties at the time.

Mum Olivia said: “Jonathan sang to Oscar the whole way, making him smile and laugh – something his dad and I hadn’t been able to do in days.

“He was amazing, and really cheered up a very anxious mum and scared baby. He really was a little glimmer of light in a very scary and stressful week.”

Mr Baker has worked at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust for 20 years, the last five as a porter in the emergency department at Tunbridge Wells.

He said: “I tell jokes and sing to patients to try and make them less anxious and more at ease in troubled times.

"I am pleased that I was able to support Oscar and his parents during his stay with us and spread a little happiness.”

Mr Baker is known for his kindness and at Christmas can be seen spreading festive cheer, dressed as Father Christmas, last year delivering homemade reindeer pencils and candy canes to young patients in A&E.

On the job, one of his memorable moments was when singer and songwriter Suggs from Madness signed his CD.

This was at the Saturday Night Fever Show, where Mr Baker was on hand as first aid for the audience.

• If you wish to volunteer with the Urban Blues Bus, send an email to urbanbluebus@gmail.com.