286 July 2018 - Gryffe Advertizer

4
The Advertizer
Queen’s Award
for St. Vincent’s
Hospice
Her Majesty the Queen has named St. Vincent’s Hospice as a recipient of the
Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service; the highest award which can be given to
volunteer groups in the UK.
Created in 2002, The Queen’s Award recognises groups that provide social,
economic or environmental service for their local community, celebrating the
outstanding contributions from volunteers all across the country.
Volunteer Services Manager at St. Vincent’s Hospice, Elaine Grealey, said: “We
are absolutely over the moon to have received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary
Service, and cannot thank everyone enough for everything they have done to
make this possible.
“We have more than 200 volunteers at St. Vincent’s, and this award is a
testament to the incredible and vital work that they do every single day.”
Celebrating their 30th Anniversary year, St. Vincent’s Hospice provides specialist
hospice care for individuals and families affected by life limiting conditions all
across the community. They do this in their eight bedded In-patient Unit, Day
Hospice and, increasingly, in the comfort of people’s own homes through our
Community Nurse Specialists team. They also provide bereavement support
for children and young people who have suffered the loss of a loved one.
Commenting on the award, Chief Executive, Kate Lennon, said: “All those
years ago, when we fi rst opened the doors of our small Hospice in North Road,
Johnstone, this landmark accomplishment would have been unimaginable.
This has only been made possible thanks not only to the contributions of our
current team of Volunteers, but everyone who has given up their time over the
years to make this happen.
“The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is a national recognition of the
outstanding contribution our volunteers make to our services, patients, families
and the community as a whole. On behalf of all of us at St. Vincent’s, I would
like to congratulate every one of our volunteers, and thank you for everything
you have done for our Hospice.”
Paisley Thread Mill Museum
Open For Visits
The Paisley Thread Mill Museum in Mile
End Mill is dedicated to Renfrewshire and
Paisley’s thread mill heritage, and it’s open
on Wednesday & Saturday afternoons to
the public between 12noon and 4pm.
Come along view our displays and
participate in our stitching group. On a
Wednesday the onsite ‘Coffee Mill’ is also
open until 3pm where you can get snacks
and drinks.
Are you interested in history? We are developing a team of volunteers to carry
out research under the supervision of our historians. You can volunteer on a
regular basis or for a shot period of time.
Are you interested in Stitching/ embroidery? We run regular stitching drop-in
sessions in the Paisley Thread Mill Museum. Anyone is welcome to come along
and join the sessions, but we would like a few more experienced stitchers that
would feel comfortable passing their skills on to other people.
Museum Volunteers – Did you work in the Paisley Mills? Would you like to pass
your knowledge on to visitors to the museum? We are always happy to hear
from new volunteers that like to talk and meet visitors. If that is not for you,
we always have jobs to do in the background from fi ling, to cataloguing new
donations to the museum.
Please contact us via the contact page, or drop into the museum on a Wednesday
or Saturday afternoon. Find out more at www.paisleythreadmill.co.uk
Guided Tours of Paisley Abbey
Built in the 12th century and steeped in history, Paisley Abbey
is a fascinating building to visit, fi nd out more on one of the
regular guided tours!
These take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2pm.
There is a suggested donation of £3. For more details
contact 0141 889 7654 or visit www.paisleyabbey.org.uk
From its foundation in 1163 to the present day - worship in Paisley Abbey has
been offered to God and hospitality extended to all pilgrims and visitors.
Much of the original building was destroyed by fi re in 1307 and restored during
the fourteenth Century. The sixth High Steward, Walter, married Marjory Bruce,
the daughter of the famous Scottish king Robert the Bruce (who had defeated
an English army at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314) in 1315. In the following
year, Marjory died at the Abbey following a tragic riding accident nearby, but
the baby in her womb was saved and he became King Robert II of Scotland,
the fi rst of the Stewart monarchs. For that reason, the Abbey claims to be
the ‘cradle of the Royal House of Stewart.’ Our present Queen is descended
from him. In fact, the Abbey is the fi nal resting place of six High Stewards of
Scotland, Princess Marjory Bruce, the wives of King Robert II and King Robert
III for whose tomb, Queen Victoria provided a canopy in 1888.
The collapse of the central tower in the mid-
16th century destroyed the transepts and choir
and a wall was built across the east end of the
nave. At the Scottish Reformation in 1560,
the monastery was disbanded, the monastic
buildings handed over to the Hamilton family
and the walled-off nave became the parish
church of Paisley. The transepts and choir
were to remain in ruins until the late 19th and
early 20th centuries when they were restored to
create one of the fi nest churches in Scotland.
Deadline date for our August issue - Friday 20th July - you don’t want to miss it!!