A welcome letter & Real Rhyl

Received a letter today from Sr Judy Jones who is a senior nurse in a remote mission hospital in Zimbabwe. The die hard readers of this blog may remember that I met this interesting woman on a study day in the summer:-

http://disasterfilm.blogspot.com/2006_08_23_archive.html

Judy was desperate for some equipment for her wards, basic stuff such as thermometers and patient movement "slides", which could be used without fear of parts needing repairs that could not be done in the country. I scraped together a score of thermometers and several easyslides (DON'T ask me how I got hold of those) and sent off the package, not knowing that the isolated mission would receive it. It was a simple enough thing to do, and I was thrilled today to receive a detailed letter from Zimbabwe thanking me for the items. Things in Bonda Hospital still seem dire at times , as Judy chronicled that the nurses had to actually collect water from the river to boil as all water and electricity had been cut off for 24 hours at a time, but in her own words, "...you might ask how we function?, but with good humour and luck and God's help we do!"

I was touched by her words and was also saddened to hear that out of all her requests for help when she was over in Wales, my meagre package was the only help that Judy's hospital received. Judy has now asked for more help This time she would like any discarded mobile phones, as they can be reused and sold easily to generate money towards a defibrillator and a set of commodes

Sorted out a load of Christmas cards and went into Rhyl to collect a package from Royal Mail. Now I don't go into Rhyl, as is is just one big run down Chav reservation but I must give the old Odeon Cinema in the centre of town its due as being one of my favourite art deco building ( even if it is now a Bingo hall ) . At least they didn't knock it down.