InFocus February 07 - Issue 1

T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F S T J O H N S C O T L A N D

www.stjohnscotland.org.uk

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Splashing out on the bonnie banks

In this issue: Thornhill Opens • Santa On Board • Operating in Jerusalem

Three volunteers from the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat Team take the St John for its first official spin on the waters of the lochHRH Princess Anne gives the St John a royal send-off with a dram of Highland Park malt whisky From its origins in an 11th century hospital for pilgrims in Jerusalem,

the Order of St John has evolved into an international charity caring for people in need in over 40 countries.

The Order is supported by thousands of volunteers worldwide who share its commitment to help people in sickness, distress, suffering or danger.

Today it is organised from centres, known as Priories, in eight countries: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, the United States and Wales.

Founded in 1947, St John Scotland’s mission is to improve the safety, health and quality of life of people in need. Membership is open to all and through 12 Area Committees, St John Scotland supports a variety of projects across the country.

These include:• supporting mountain rescue teams• providing transport for people needing hospital treatment• supporting palliative care• facilitating access for people with disabilities

Unlike its fellow Priories around the world, the Order of St John in Scotland does not operate the ambulance service or first aid training. It does, however, contribute to two significant international projects: the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and St John Malawi Primary Healthcare Project.

The Order is a royal order of chivalry with Queen Elizabeth II as its sovereign head who confers membership in recognition of an individual’s service and commitment to caring for others.

If you would like to find out more, please contact the Edinburgh office for details of your local area secretary.

Trip to JerusalemThere are still places on the Priory of Scotland Holy Land Tour on 23-29 May which incorporates the St John Eye Hospital 125th Anniversary Celebrations.

Contact Special Pilgrimages on 01702 394000 for a brochure.

Great gift ideasRita Stirling from Torphichen has come up with a good fund-raiser for St John West Lothian. She engraves the St John insignia on a range of gold and silver plated items such as cuff links, money clips, pendants and pens. Profits will be donated to St John. For a brochure or to find out more please phone Rita on 07758 349589 or email r1tahen1@yahoo.co.uk.

Better late than neverPerth member, Dr John Blair OBE KStJ, finally received his Harris Gold Medal for being Dux of the School 60 years after it was awarded! Former pupil at the High School of Dundee, Dr Blair was the best student of 1946 but there was no metal available to make the medal to mark the honour.

“Being a medical historian has taught me that history matters. History is particularly important to the High School of Dundee and it is a reflection of the School’s ethos of dignity and goodwill that they are presenting me with this gold medal after a break of 60 years.”

Diary Dates 200724 February: Can collection, Morrisons, St Andrews.

31 March: West Lothian Sportsman’s Dinner, Blackridge Masonic Hall. Tickets priced £25 or £250 for a table of 10 from Keith Stirling.

12 May: Strathspey & Reel Society Concert, Dunfermline. Contact Lawson Rennie 01383 823312.

19 May: Coach/Barge Trip to Falkirk Wheel from Linlithgow Canal Basin. Contact Keith Stirling.

24 May: Ratho Canal Trip with Afternoon Tea. 3pm. Three hours. Limited numbers. Contact Barrie Pendlebury 0131 663 4428.

1 July: Garden Fete, The Beeches, Cathlaw Lane, Torphichen.

April - September: Torphichen Preceptory open Sats 11-5pm, Suns 2-5pm.

Imagine the inside of your eyelid is a cobbled street. You flinch each time you blink, and rub your eye furiously to relieve the irritation. The lining becomes ulcerated, and unless you get treatment, permanent damage can follow.

One of the most common causes of eye problems among people attending the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem is irritation caused by the dust.

Both the heat and the dust were minor inconveniences however compared to the other challenges faced by Dr Joe Coleiro, an eye surgeon based outside Dundee and Officer of St John, who spent two weeks at the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem in April 2006.

At immigration the officer noticed that Dr Coleiro’s passport did not have a visa. His explanation that he was due to visit Jordan and other countries in the Middle East and did not want an Israeli visa in his passport provoked an unexpected reaction. The immigration officer stood up. Towering above him, she proclaimed: “Israel is friendly with Jordan!”

Moments passed while Dr Coleiro waited to see if he would be allowed through. Fortunately for the St John Eye Hospital, he was - and without a visa.

As an expert in corneal grafts, the skills of Dr Coleiro, are in demand at the St John Eye Hospital. It has a waiting list of around 150 people for corneal grafts, some of whom have been waiting for the operation for years. The opportunity to operate, however, only arises when a donor cornea becomes available – acquired at hefty expense from the USA.

“People tend to turn up without appointments but expect to be treated and even operated on that day. You feel obliged to fit them in as often they have had a long and difficult journey,” says Dr Coleiro, who was born in Malta and came to Scotland 30 years ago.

“I operated on an 11-year-old boy and advised his father that he would need to bring him back the following day to check if it had worked. The father replied that it would be impossible as it had taken them six hours to get there. They lived only 100

kilometres away. So who knows how that boy got on.”

Grafting a replacement cornea onto an eye is currently the best treatment for keratoconus, a condition

which can be hereditary or caused by constant eye rubbing. Found commonly in children and especially among Down’s Syndrome children, it results in a conical rather than spoon-shaped cornea.

Corneal grafting has the best outcome but there is a chance the new cornea may be rejected. Without treatment, the person will become partially sighted. Along with trachoma, glaucoma and cataracts, it is a condition which is treated regularly at the St John Eye Hospital.

Inevitably some of the patients are casualties of the hostilities. One young man had been shot in the temple by a rubber bullet which was lodged behind his right eye.

“We did not have the facilities so I simply couldn’t help him,” said Dr Coleiro. “He had to go to Hadassah, several kilometres away to be treated.”

Dr Coleiro also spent one day at one of the outreach clinics on the West Bank and was lucky to make the trip through the checkpoint with no delays.

“You are there for humanitarian reasons so you try to ignore the politics but in reality you cannot avoid them. The political situation is the main topic of conversation among the staff; it affects your patients’ ability to get to the clinic; and it pervades day-to-day routine. The key is to carry on working through it all. When you come back home, you appreciate your freedom.”

The staff nurses and doctors are mostly Palestinian and funding for training two local consultants was provided by St John. However, the need for specialists remains high and the hospital relies on the expertise of volunteer surgeons from around the world.

For more information visit www.stjohneyehospital.org. To find out more about volunteering, please contact St John Scotland on: 0131 556 8711 or the Hospitaller, Dr John Calvert on: scottishhospitaller@hotmail.com

Eye to eye with Dr Joe ColeiroINTERVIEW

Helping here and around the world

One of Scotland’s most famous landmarks, Loch Lomond, received a new rescue boat at the end of 2006 thanks to significant support from St John Scotland.

After a year’s fund-raising effort by the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat Committee, the required £108,000 was reached with St John Scotland’s contribution of £32,000 making it the main contributor. As a result, the boat now bears the St John name and logo.

Officially launched by HRH Princess Anne in November, the St John will be on call 365 days a year and is expected to be in service for 20 years.

Designed specifically for the Loch Lomond Rescue Committee, the Arctic 22 is a Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat with two 115 horsepower engines which give it a top speed of 45 miles an hour. It also has plenty of deck space for stretchers and fire-fighting equipment.

“It is thanks to St John Scotland that we have been able to acquire such an excellent vessel in such a short space of time,” said

Ian Bisland, secretary of the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat Committee, now in its 30th year and made up entirely of volunteers.

“Our volunteers are called out around 60 times a year and for all kinds of incidents. There are over 5000 boats registered here now and not all their owners are expert sailors or even good swimmers. Common problems include people falling overboard or off their jet skis, boats catching fire or running aground. Once we had a call because a man had driven his burning car into the loch to put out the flames!”

The Committee rescue team comprises 23 volunteers, including a nurse, two paramedics, police and a number of self-employed. They undergo training twice a week and have to be prepared to step into action at a moment’s notice. Depending on traffic, it can take between five and ten minutes for three or four crew members to reach the boathouse and less than three minutes to launch the boat.

They also work closely with a fellow rescue service which is supported

by St John Scotland throughout the country – mountain rescue.

“Casualties on the remoter parts of the West Highland Way sometimes have to be removed by boat as there is no road access. Our boat crew has to be able to co-ordinate with the helicopter in order to airlift people from boats in trouble,” explained Mr Bisland.

Some members of St John Scotland, including its head, Sir James Stirling of Garden, were amongst the guests at the launch.

Sir James said, “We were delighted to be able to help the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat Committee in this way. It is a natural extension of our commitment to the mountain rescue services in Scotland which has been developing over the last 10 years. Since 1997 St John Scotland has funded mountain rescue bases and vehicles across the country from Aberdeen to Arran to Arrochar.”

The Chancery of the Priory of Scotland, St John’s House, 21 St John Street, Edinburgh EH8 8DG

Telephone: 0131 556 8711 Email: info@stjohnscotland.org.ukScottish Charity SC000262

Priory Secretary RIchard Waller OStJ visits St John Malawi’s Primary Health Care Project

Produced by CNPR www.cnpr.co.uk • Designed and printed by HB Rutherford 01382 737703

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Congratulations to Moffat Mountain Rescue on receiving the Queen’s Award for voluntary

services in September 2006.

Moffat Mountain Rescue Team Leader, Ali Carruthers, receiving the

award from the Lord Lieutenant Jean Tulloch.

Hello and welcome to In Focus, the first St John Scotland newsletter of 2007, heralding a fresh start for communications.

In Focus will be produced three times a year – winter, summer and autumn – and if there proves to be enough news, a spring edition may also be introduced.

The purpose of In Focus is to give all our members an update on St John activities throughout Scotland. Equally, it will help to spread the word among the wider public about the many different projects and schemes run by or supported by St John Scotland.

In this issue alone we look at care for the elderly, transport for people with cancer, the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, an award-winning mountain rescue team and, of course, the front page story, the new rescue boat at Loch Lomond.

Even with so much to report, the content of the newsletter will be enhanced by contributions and suggestions from the areas, so please keep in touch. It is my intention to come and meet the area press officers in the next few months, so you will be hearing from me soon.

Thank you for all your contributions so far. The deadline for the next issue is 1 July 2007 but the sooner you can send us your stories, the better.

Carolyne NurseCommunications Officer

info@stjohnscotland.org.uk

EditorialGlasgow and South-West

After six months’ refurbishment and many more months in the planning, Thornhill Day Centre at Newton Mearns opened its doors ready for its first customers on 8 January 2007.

Set in landscaped gardens, the spacious house, a former residential home, offers a comfortable and relaxed place for older people to enjoy some time with others. Activities include social events and various crafts. Hairdressing and podiatry services are also available.

A special feature is the Snoezelem Room which has is a special room where people can relax. Soothing music and calming images create a special atmosphere to help people with stress.

People are welcome to go along to Thornhill between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. Transport to and from the Centre can be provided. A warm welcome will be assured from the staff.

For further details please call Mrs Andrena Bryson on 0141 639 8290

Central

Sir Andrew Murray House in Strathyre is to have the bathrooms refurbished and overseeing this project will be the management commitee with a new chairman, Lt. Col. Arthur Leask CStJ.

The management committee at Archibald Russell Court in Polmont also has a change of chairman with David Niven CStJ replacing Sidney Cooper, who stepped down as Chairman after 12 years. High on the agenda is the running of the MacRoberts Restaurant at the complex as the current franchisee has terminated her contract.

Two prominent members of the St. John Central Area passed away late in 2006, Mrs. Ellen Fair and Mr. Alex Dickson were both residents of Archibald Russell Court and their contribution will be greatly missed.

Fife

A traditional carol service in Monimail Church on 10 December provided a fitting occasion for the presentation of three cheques from the Fife Committee of St John Scotland.

Top of the bill was a cheque for £2500 for Disability Sport Fife presented by Mrs Philippa Crawford, Dame of the Order of St John.

For her 90th birthday in 2005, Mrs Crawford from Balmerino received £1000 in gifts which she decided to donate to Disability Sport Fife. The remaining £1500 was raised by St John Fife’s street collections and coffee mornings.

“The continuing support from St John Fife has helped our branch of Scottish Disability Sport become one of the most successful in the country,” said Paul Noble, Disability Sport Fife chairman and medal winner at five Paralympic Games.

Around the Areas“We are involved in all kinds of projects locally and will be sending four athletes and a coach to the World Special Olympics in Beijing.

Also presented was a cheque for £500 to the Madeleine Steel Trust which provides fellowships for doctors to travel abroad to research heart conditions in infants. The third presentation was for £1250 for the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem.

Dunbartonshire

Mugdock Country Park at Milngavie received three special wheelchairs from St John Dunbartonshire before Christmas.

Long-serving Milngavie and Bearsden Convener Tom Downs made the presentation to Mugdock Trust director Iain Arnott.

The Dunbartonshire branch has provided financial assistance to augment disabled use of the very popular country park on the outskirts of Glasgow for many years.

Said Tom: “We are very pleased to be able to help the Trust improve access opportunities for those wishing to visit the countryside by making funds available for these three wheelchairs. The Country Park has been very supportive to us by allowing St John to carry out various fundraising events in it over many years.”

Trust chairman Colin Castle commented: “This is a wonderful gift, and I have no doubt that such practical and valuable equipment will be well used by visitors. Mugdock Trust would like to thank St John Dunbartonshire for its continued support to the local community.”

For Nancy Burgess from Wigtown, St John’s Patient Transport Service was a welcome relief.

“I was diagnosed with cancer in 2000 and needed to get to Dumfries by 8am to pick up the transport to Edinburgh where I was receiving radiotherapy,” says Nancy. “We live in a remote place so it was a problem for me. The St John service was an absolute saviour. It was far easier and more convenient and the people who gave their time were so kind and understanding. I used the service for one month and it was excellent.”

After her recovery, Nancy set up a cancer support group in her area and since 2001 has helped to co-ordinate St John’s transport scheme for people living in outlying areas.

“Some people need help even getting to Newton Stewart because they don’t drive or don’t have family who can take them where they need to go,” says Nancy. “I now have six drivers locally I can call on including my husband, Arthur, and myself. Although we focus on people nearby, we also work closely with Adam and can always step into the breach if need be.”

Travelling is tiring at the best of times but to make an arduous journey far from home to receive treatment for cancer can be exhausting. For cancer sufferers in Dumfries and Galloway however, the journey to Edinburgh for treatment has been transformed since the introduction of St John’s Patient Transport Scheme.

“Almost 10 years ago it was brought to our attention that people living in remoter parts of our area were struggling to get to the pick-up point in Dumfries in order to be taken for their treatment in Edinburgh,” recalls Adam Calderwood, SBStJ and co-ordinator of the patient transport service since 2001.

“At first our solution was for volunteer drivers to use their own cars to collect people and take them to Dumfries. The drivers then took them home when they returned from hospital at the end of the week.”

By 2000 further transport problems had emerged for people needing to attend cancer clinics in Dumfries. This convinced St John’s Dumfries and Galloway Committee that the best solution would be a vehicle dedicated to transporting patients needing treatment for cancer.

“We raised the issue with St John in Edinburgh and funding was made available for a Ford Galaxy people carrier in December 2000,” says Adam. “As a result we were able to take up to six people at a time for their treatment. We also extended our range to include clinics in Glasgow and even Carlisle. In two years our mileage more than doubled from just over 13,000 miles to 28,500.”

The service is free to passengers and the NHS helps with the running costs. As the co-ordinator, Adam, a former electrician on boats for 32 years, has to organise around 14 drivers on a three-month roster.

“The drivers have one week on call and one week on reserve and the average run is five hours,” he explains. “Some weeks the vehicle is out every day and other weeks not at all. It is hard to predict. The main thing is to be flexible.”

Drivers go through a MiDAS (Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme) test for driving ability organised through a local community transport group. They have also been trained in other aspects such as how to handle vulnerable people with tact and sensitivity.

Since May 2006, St John Dumfries and Galloway has been running two vehicles in the region helping over 400 people every year.

“Demand continues to grow and I have to ensure that we do not take on too much. We focus on cancer patients only otherwise the service would simply be too stretched,” says Adam.

All aboard with Santa ROAD TO RECOVERYFor hundreds of children

in and around Edinburgh, Christmas started with something different when they had a chance to meet Santa - not on a sleigh but on a boat on the Union Canal.

Throughout December, volunteers from the Seagull Trust and St John Scotland run trips from Ratho every day with a special guest – Father Christmas, played by enthusiastic volunteers, Stuart Boyd and Jim Noble.

After singing along to the traditional favourites, the children, all of whom have additional support needs of varying degrees, each receive an early Christmas present – a model canal boat.

“It’s something different for the children and their carers,” said Pat Warren from High Valley Field Child Development Centre near Dunfermline. “We like bring small groups here as there is plenty of space for the pushchairs and to feed the children easily.”

The boats used for the trips are the St John Crusader II and the Mackay Seagull, both funded by St John Scotland.

Afternoon canal trip for Order members in May - see page 6 for details.

Caption Mugdock Trust Director Iain Arnott with Milngavie and Bearsden Convener Tom Downs.

L-R: Three Fife swimmers who competed at the Paralympics in the 1980s and 1990s – Anna Tizzard, Adam

Morley (front) and Paul Noble, Chairman of Disability Sport Fife with Gerard Buxton, St John Fife Committee Chairman (far left) and Mrs Philippa Crawford (centre).

Jingle bells: Jim Noble entertains Josh and his carer Fiona Leishman from High Valley Field Centre

For more information on the patient transport service

please contact Adam Calderwood on

01776 870646.

Giving people a much-needed lift

After using the service, Nancy Burgess of Wigtown is now a transport co-ordinator