News
News 2008
25/08/08
New St John Bookshop opens in Edinburgh
The St John Charity Shop at 20 Deanhaugh Street, Stockbridge, opened on Monday 25 August as Charity Books Plus following a complete refurbishment. Carrying out the ceremony was Margaret Balfour, a St John member who has volunteered in the shop for many years.
Avid book collector and specialist in Ladybird Books, Robert Mullin, will be managing the shop with a team of volunteers. As well as a vast selection of children’s books, the shop stocks maps, prints, postcards and unusual items of bric-a-brac.
“We welcome all kinds of donations from modern non-fiction to pre-1940s books,” says Robert, who has donated around 2000 children’s books from his own collection and runs a website about Ladybird books – www.theweeweb.co.uk.
The first customer of the day was Margaret Balfour and shortly afterwards Freddie Crichton-Stuart made a purchase (see below left).
All profits will go to the Order of St John, a long-established charity dedicated to helping people in sickness, need and danger. The Scottish branch of the charity provides vehicles to the mountain rescue teams and runs transport services for cancer patients in Angus and Dumfries and Galloway. It also helps to fund palliative care centres and various local projects across the country.
Volunteers are needed to help in Charity Books Plus which will be open six days a week: Tuesday to Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 12-4pm. Further details from 0131 332 4911.
18/06/08
St John Festival in Glasgow
The annual service of the Priory of Scotland of The Order of St John takes place tomorrow (Thursday 19 June) at Wellington Church, University Avenue Glasgow at 11am.
Historic pageantry and colourful ceremony are major highlights at the St John service which will be attended by some 300 members and guests. Senior members of the Order process to the church in their black mantles bearing heraldic flags aloft. The service will be followed by the investiture of 22 postulants – new and promoted members of the Order - carried out by the Prior, Sir James Stirling of Garden.
Postulants 2008:
Commander
Iain Robertson Balfour
George Donaldson
Katharine Margaret Ella, Mrs Liston
Marjory Jane, Mrs McLachlan
Joseph Mackie
William Sands Sommerville
Charles Ian Gibson Whytock**
Officer
Susan Margaret, Miss Balfour**
Philip David Carman
Robert Hugh Cook
Douglas Brian Pover
Alison Lees, Mrs Scott**
Sheena McDougall, Mrs Watson
Member
John Haig Colman
Agnes Dickson, Mrs Duncan**
David Duncan**
John Charles Enos
William Gilmour
Christopher David MacBride
Rev John Murning
Frederick Ross
Muriel Joan, Mrs Williams
18/05/08
Stuart Morris of Balgonie is shaving his beard for charity!
Having nurtured his beard for 24 years, Stuart Morris of Balgonie has decided to take his beard off to raise money for the Order’s charitable works. The deed will take place at the Markinch Highland Games, on the 1st of June 2008, home of the oldest Pipe Band Competition in Scotland. For those not able to attend the Games, donations can be sent to the Fife Branch’s Treasurer: Ron Parsons, MStJ., 9 Penrice Park, Lundin Links, Leven, Fife, KY8 6DZ.
18/04/08
Marathon run for St John
Dave Sherman, MBE, a St John Perth & Kinross
Priory Member, completed the London Marathon in an amazing 12,943
place ... 4 hours 17mins 38 secs -ahead of 22,000 runners!
This was a 'mature' return to marathon running after many years. Dave raised an impressive £1500
for our cancer/palliative care project to provide the day-room at the Perth Royal Infirmary's new
palliative care unit.
14/03/08
St John Life Saving Medals for Penicuik boys
Three teenagers from Penicuik received Life Saving Medals from the Order of St John on Friday 14 March at 2.15pm at a ceremony at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh. The medals were presented by Sir James Stirling of Garden, the head of the Order of St John in Scotland.
The boys, Liam Dugan (15), Aaron Moore (14) and Daniel Sturrock (16), witnessed a shooting incident in Penicuik on 4 December 2006 while on their way to army cadet training. Despite the gunman, they rushed to help the victim who was bleeding extensively from a shotgun wound in the abdomen. Their immediate and effective response helped to save his life and resulted in their nomination to the Order of St John for the award.
“The boys put their own lives at risk to save someone’s life because when they intervened the gunman was in the vicinity. This made them the perfect recipients of the St John Life Saving Medals and we hope that this will encourage others to nominate suitable candidates in the future,” explained Richard Waller, chief executive of the Order of St John in Scotland. The Order is a long-established charity whose mission is to help people in sickness, distress, suffering or danger. In many countries, it operates St John Ambulance.
Also present at the ceremony were Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, George Grubb; the Provost of Midlothan, Adam Montgomery; the Lord Lieutenant of Midlothian, Patrick Prenter; and representatives from the Scottish Government, Lothian and Borders Police, the Scottish Ambulance Service, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, the Army Cadets and teachers from the boys’ schools. See Gallery section for more pictures.
6/02/08
St John Home, Cramond
A new role is needed for the St John Home in Cramond, Edinburgh. Formerly used by Alzheimers Scotland for respite and Lothian Hospitals Trust for cancer patients, the six bedroom house (five double and one single) has to be used for a charitable purpose.
St John Scotland will welcome any suitable proposals for a charitable use of the house from other organisations, ideally which are in a position to run the home indpendently. To find out more, please contact us on 0131 556 8711 - before 6 March 2008.
1/02/08 - Medals presentation
The first major event of 2008 is the presentation
of life-saving medals to three boys from Penicuik. The ceremony is due to take place at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on Friday 14 March. Find out more about the awards here.
Area News
January 2008 - St John Dunbartonshire
The St Margaret’s of Scotland Hospice at Clydebank — which is currently conducting a major fund-raising campaign — has received a boost from the historic Order of St John in Dunbartonshire.
A cheque for £600 was presented to Sister Rita and administrator John McLintock by the Order’s County Treasurer, Helensburgh man John Brown, in the recently completed Mary Aitkenhead Centre in the Hospice.
Find out what's happening in your area in 2008 here.
2007 News Summary
2007 marked the 125th anniversary of the founding of the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. Around 20 members headed to Jerusalem at the end of May take part in the celebrations. More details can be found in the October issue of In Focus - see the News section.
The Annual International Meeting took place in South Africa in early May. It was attended by representatives from the eight priories and four associations: Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Antigua & Barbuda. The Grand Prior of the Order, HRH Duke of Gloucester, invested PresidentThabu Mbeki as a Knight of the Order.
The Prior, Sir James Stirling of Garden and Priory Secretary, Richard Waller, visited Malawi for an update on the Health Care Project. St John Scotland has committed to £10,000 a year funding for the project for the next three years. This allowed the number of health care workers on the project to be increased from 19 to 65.
For more details on St John Scotland events in recent years, please see the Yearbook section.