Castle Craig Gala 30th June 2012

The Castle Craig Gala Day, generously donated by Companions Margaret Ann and Peter McCann, is a wonderful event for the disabled in rural Peebleshire and will be supported by people from the Margaret Blackwood Housing Association and Dial-a-Journey. Most of the activities, including riding, clay-pigeon shooting and of course eating and drinking require a lot of help from volunteers so all Companions are asked to come along and help - it is always a wonderful day.
You can find Castle Craig here and a car or minibus will bring some Companions down from Glasgow.

Feast of St John Ogilvie - March 9th (antic.)

We are anticipating the Feast of St John Ogilvie SJ by having two events for Companions the day before: either come to the College Mass at 9 a.m (Missa Cum Jubilo, Hallelujah Chorus, Since by Man came Death, Ogilvie Hymn) followed by breakfast, or come to the lunch at 12.30 in Viva.

The next two volunteer weeks in Nairobi

The next two volunteer weeks in Nairobi will take place from September 7th - 17th 2011 and from February 17th - 27th 2012. All welcome - approximate cost £350 plus flights. Details from LD.

Serata Africana

The February 2012 Companions will have their Serata Africana in VIVA, Bothwell St, Glasgow, on Tuesday 20th March at 7p.m. Please make sure I have your photographs by then so that we can project them in the course of the evening. Dinner will be about £15 depending on what you order. I will get the drinks. Please let me know how many of your family will be coming so that I can alert Marco, who is kindly giving us the whole back room as usual.
LD

Companions Volunteer Week in Nairobi

A group of Companions, along with a group of Sixth Formers from St Aloysius' College, Glasgow, spent a memorable ten days doing hospitaller work in Nairobi. They visited the Nyumbani Aids Orphanage, Mirror of Hope, Foundation of Hope, Community Health Workers, and Sisters of Charity Home as well as working in four schools in Kibera Slum. Alice Murphy joined us for dinner on Thursday when we were celebrating the birthdays of two members of the group. Many thanks to Annabel, Rachel, Pam, Marie, Nicola, Julie,Tommy, Jim, Ellie, Alexandra,Olivia,Hannah, Lewis, Matthew, Michael and Danny. Also to our hosts, Thomas Nyawir, Madame Beatrice (Principal of St Aloysius High School), Sister Anastasia (Headmistress, Laini Saba Primary School), Mr Daniel Odiengo (Principal, St Christine's Primary School), Madame Angeline (Principal, St Cecilia's Primary School) and Mr David Dinda (Director for the Foundation of Hope). We are also very grateful to the Loreto Sisters, especially Sister Phyllis, who lodged us.

Castle Craig Gala Day - Saturday June 30th 2012

Two of our members, Peter and Margaret Ann McCann, have very kindly invited all of us to help at a barbecue and Gala Day at Castle Craig, West Linton, Peebles, on Saturday 30th June 2012. The clients from the Margaret Blackwood Housing Association will be there along with many clients of the Order of Malta's Dial-a-Journey facility in Stirling so plenty of help will be needed for what is always a wonderful day.

Kenya Update

A party of eighteen Companions from Scotland and London will be working in Kibera, Nairobi in February. They also hope to visit the Health Workers in other slums.

The Lamu Hospital projects are going well and Alice sends the following update:

1. There was a boat crash in early January with many killed or still missing The patients were brought to the Lamu District Hospital and were able to be treated there due to the new equipment we have provided - lights, operating bed etc... etc...

2. The Doctors' House is in stage of completion and the volunteer doctors from the UK are due to arrive in early February. I am going down there on Monday for 3 nights to make sure it is all ok.

3. Big medical camp upcoming in mid February with free medical treatment for all. Last year 4,500 patients were treated by volunteer doctors from around the world. This is only possible now due to the new equipment and facilities that are available thanks to the kind and generous donations we have received from you.

Knights' Ball - Saturday February 25th 2012

http://www.prestonfield.com

The Knights' Ball, the main fund-raising event of the Order of Malta in Scotland, will take place in the glamorous Prestonfield House, Edinburgh, on Saturday 25th February 2012 Tickets are available now via the Knights' Ball website.

Dundas Castle Conversazione

The Christmas Conversazione, graciously hosted by our Companion, Lady Stewart-Clark. was a huge success and has already raised more than £7000 with money still coming in. The professionals, actress Lorraine McIntosh, opera singer Ann Archibald and reader Lofty Buchanan were joined by a group of Sixth Formers from St Aloysius' College, Glasgow, to start Christmas with a bang. Many thanks to all and to Lady Bruntisfield who masterminded the ticket-sales so successfully. The money is now going to two of our Kenyan projects, the Marsabit Famine Relief programme run by Malteser International from Nairobi and the village hospital at Lamu. Many thanks to all who supported the evening in any way,especially our principal sponsors, C.R.Smith, and Margaret and Matthew Reilly of Suburban Taverns, Glasgow, who donated the wine.

Hay of Seaton Memorial Lecture

Matthew Festing, Grand Master of the Order of Malta, will give the Hay of Seaton Memorial Lecture at Aberdeen University on Monday 16th April. The lecture will be repeated on Wednesday 18th April in London. Further details to follow - the website has some background to the lectures, albeit very out-of-date: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/​hayofseaton/background.php

Christmas Conversazione - 12th December 2011

The Christmas Conversazione in Dundas Castle on Monday 12th December is fast-approaching and all the seats have been sold. The readers will be the ever-green Lofty Buchanan and the delightful Lorraine McIntosh. As well as her fame as a singer/song-writer with Deacon Blue, Lorraine is the star of Ken Loach's film "My Name Is Joe", and Lone Scherfig's "Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself", as well as several episodes of "Taggart" and "River City"; she has just finished a highly-acclaimed run of "Men Should Weep" with the National Theatre of Scotland. The carols will be performed and led by this year's Kibera Companions of St Aloysius' College Sixth form, and Ann Archibald, a former principal soprano with Scottish Opera, E.N.O. and Royal Danish Opera will perform some arias. The event is generously sponsored by C.R.Smith.

Directions to the Castle, kindly lent to us for the evening by one of our Companions, Lady Stewart-Clark, can be found HERE.

Kibera Ceilidh

Many thanks to all who supported the Kibera Ceilidh on November 25th in Glasgow. More than £2000 was raised after expenses and this will be a substantial donation to the rebuilding of Laini Saba Primary School in Kibera.