Erskine (charity)

Last updated

Erskine
Aerial shot of Erskine's Bishopton site.jpg
Erskine Home
Erskine (charity)
Geography
Location Erskine, Scotland
Coordinates 55°55′02″N4°28′40″W / 55.9171°N 4.4777°W / 55.9171; -4.4777
Organisation
Care system Private
Funding Charity
Type Veterans hospital
Patron Prince Charles
History
Opened1916
Links
Website erskine.org.uk

Erskine Veterans Charity is a veterans care and support non-profit organisation headquartered in Erskine, Renfrewshire, but operating across the Central Belt of Scotland. It provides a range of services to British Armed Forces, veterans of all ages and their families, who live in Scotland. It is most renowned for long-term nursing, respite, dementia and end-of-life medical care. It supports veterans through care homes and a Veterans Village, comprising 44 cottages, a community activity centre, five assisted living apartments and 24 "Transition Support" apartments for service-leavers and working-age veterans. The charity first established itself as Princess Louise Scottish Hospital for Limbless Sailors and Soldiers. It was created through Scotland's compassionate response to her sons returning physically and mentally shattered by the horrors of trench and naval warfare in the First World War. Its name was then shortened to Erskine Hospital and then simply "Erskine" in later years. The charity has gone on to offer help to British veterans of every subsequent war [1] and become the biggest veterans facility in the country. [2]

Contents

History

Artificial hands made for Erskine Hospital 1918, Hunterian Museum, Glasgow Artificial hands made for Erskine Hospital 1918, Hunterian Museum, Glasgow.jpg
Artificial hands made for Erskine Hospital 1918, Hunterian Museum, Glasgow

A need for a dedicated war hospital was apparent during the First World War, as hospitals were struggling to keep up with the demands of the many limbless soldiers and sailors returning from war. It was then thought that Scotland should have a large, modern war hospital to cope with these type of injuries. A charitable committee was formed after a meeting in Glasgow. Sir William Macewen, a chief surgeon, was at the forefront of pushing through the need for such a facility. He met with Sir Thomas Dunlop the Lord Provost of Glasgow, who was enthusiastic.

The next stage was to find a location for the hospital in the west of Scotland. After reviewing several sites it was decided that Erskine would be the location. Thomas Aikman, the owner of Erskine House, which is a mansion on the banks of the River Clyde, offered free use of his mansion and gardens for the period of the war and for 12 months after it was declared over. Then Sir John Reid, a charity committee member, bought the mansion house and gardens and gifted them to the charity. Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll agreed to become the patron of the hospital and within a few weeks the Scottish public had donated £100,000 towards the facility.

Agnes Carnochan Douglas was the first matron at Erskine. She began her nursing career at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow where she worked with Sir William Macewen. Macewen offered her the position of Matron at Erskine House. She started on 28 April 1916, first at Culzean Castle where patients were admitted while Erskine House was being transformed into a hospital. She spent six months travelling between Culzean and Erskine. Her role included patient care, recruiting staff, advising the hospitals Committees on issues such as furniture and equipment, and liaising with the War Office. [3]

The hospital was opened on 10 October 1916 and had an official opening on 6 June 1917 with Princess Louise making an appearance. [4] [5]

Expansion

Erskine's role has since expanded to meet the changing needs of war veterans. It now cares for any ex-service people and their spouses, who might be facing the challenges of long-term or degenerative health conditions. It also provides convalescent care for those recovering from illness - and provides hotel and support services for the Army's Personnel recovery Centre, at its Gilmerton Home in Edinburgh . [4]

By 1980, there were new departments available for ex-service people. These included a social work and speech therapy department. Erskine House, which was the original hospital building, needed extensive work to continue as a working hospital. The building was sold as part of the vision to modernize Erskine. It was then turned into a 5-star hotel called the Earl of Mar, later known as Mar Hall. It opened in 2004. [4] [6]

In 2021, Erskine completed the build of 24 apartments on the Bishopton Estate, designed to support single ex-service men and women as they transitioned back into civilian life. The apartments offer social, recreational and training facilities to help residents transition into full time employment and long-term accommodation. [7]

The charity also runs its own radio station, Erskine Veterans Radio. [8]

The current CEO is Wing Commander Ian Cumming MBE. The CEO is responsible for leading Erskine as it enhances its efficiency and profile, whilst expanding its services and outputs - as a centre of excellence in Veterans' care & holistic support across Scotland.

Erskine Home

In 2000-01, the charity moved to two new purpose built sites in the town of Erskine. The Erskine Home was opened in 2000. The new flagship building replaced the original hospital building and is situated on grounds by the Erskine Bridge. This centre cost £16m and provides nursing and dementia care on a long term and respite basis. It has 180 beds available and is the biggest unit the charity has. Prince Charles, the charity's patron, opened the unit and unveiled a stone plaque to commemorate the opening. [2] [4] [9]

Erskine Park Home

The Erskine Park Home opened in 2006. It offers care for 40 residents and specializes in dementia care. It is situated again within rural parkland by the Erskine Bridge. The Princess Royal has maintained her strong links with the charity and once again opened this Erskine based unit. [4] [9]

Erskine Edinburgh Home

The Erskine Edinburgh Home was opened in 2001. It is situated in Gilmerton and has capacity for 40 residents and additionally provides hotel accommodation and support to younger Service people passing through the British Army Personnel Recovery Centre. Other significant lodgers within this campus include Combat Stress (charitable organisation) and NHS Scotland's "Veterans 1st Point". The Edinburgh Home was the charity's first unit outside the Erskine area. This was also opened by the Princess Royal. [4] [9]

Erskine Glasgow Home

The Erskine Glasgow Home was opened by the Princess Royal in 2007. It was situated in Anniesland and had space for 46 residents. It closed in late 2022.

Veterans' Family Accommodation

Erskine has also built 44 veterans' cottages within the old hospital grounds at Erskine to house ex-service members and their families. It recently completed building 5 assisted living apartments for elderly veterans who seek to remain independent but close to expert staff. In 2021, Erskine completed a 24 apartment "Transitional Support Service" for younger Veterans and Service-leavers who lack a home or employment upon leaving the Services, or shortly afterward. [1] [4]

Erskine Reid Macewen Activities Centre (ERMAC)

This unit was first opened as a training and conference facility. It now offers "psychosocial support" via meaningful training, recreational and community activities for Veteran on the West Coast, faced by social isolation and loneliness. It is housed within the historic stable building at the charity's HQ within the Bishopton Estate. It is jointly named after Sir John Reid, who gifted the mansion and gardens to the charity, and Sir William Macewen, the surgeon who pushed through the need for the hospital. As the building is Category B listed, the charity collaborated with Historic Scotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund on the renovation. It was officially opened in June 2001 by Wendy Alexander MSP. [10]

Erskine Transitional Support Accommodation (ETSA)

The David Boyle Court facility supports Veterans who have encountered difficulties in transition from Military service to civilian life. It offers them a safe place to live for up to two years, where they can learn job skills, access support services, enjoy Erskine's leading activity centre - ERMAC, and meet others in the same position.

The Transitional Support Accommodation David Boyle Court, based within Erskine’s Veterans Village in Bishopton, features 24 single occupancy apartments that come fully furnished, complete with living and dining spaces, kitchen, bedroom, and an en-suite wet room. There are also four fully accessible apartments. The new facility features two communal spaces which are used for training, one-to-one counselling and skills development. One of these spaces can also be used as a cinema room.

Erskine Veterans Activities Centre - North (EVAC North)

In order to help Veterans live well within their communities across Scotland, Erskine is replicating ERMAC in several locations. EVAC North will start operating and delivering support in Morayshire, from a venue in Forres.

Funding

Erskine is first and foremost a charity. Local Authorities make a contribution to its operating costs of caring for their elderly citizens. However, Erskine must fundraise around £10M a year, to achieve the outstanding levels of care, support and meaningful community activities, which the charity believes Veterans deserve. It does this independently and receives no funding from the Earl Haig Fund ( Poppyscotland ) or the Poppy Appeal.  Fundraising schemes are active throughout the year and in 2017, Erskine was rated as Scotland's most effective fundraising charity by Civil Society Magazine. 92% of its expenditure is care and/or care-support related. The charity hosts many events including an annual motorbike meet and Military Ball. Veterans also partake in various entertainment, physical, art and craft activities on a daily basis in "The Bunker". [11] [12] The charity will accept the help of volunteers from the public. [13]

Artificial limbs

There was a huge influx of injured military personnel returning from the First World War with missing limbs due to the fighting. Britain at this time was wholly dependent on foreign imports of artificial limbs. Sir William Macewen, the chief surgeon at the hospital, thought that this was intolerable. A dispensary and operating theatre were fitted out as workshops making artificial limbs. Macewen also enlisted the help of a local shipbuilding company called Yarrow Shipbuilders. The company not only lent their yard but chose to have some of their best craftsmen working on the design and construction of the limbs. McEwan and Yarrows subsequently designed a new concept artificial limb known as the Erskine Artificial Limb. By December 1917 the hospital had treated 1,613 patients and of that number 1,126 required a new limb. And by 1920, there had been 9,500 artificial limbs fitted. Most of these were manufactured at the hospital’s workshops. [4] [5]

Listed buildings

The original hospital building is called Erskine House and is a Category A listed building. It is now the Mar Hall Hotel. There is a piggery, a stables yard and some other small buildings which also have listed status. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erskine</span> Post town in Renfrewshire, Scotland

Erskine is a town in the council area of Renfrewshire, and historic county of the same name, situated in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the southern bank of the River Clyde, providing the lowest crossing to the north bank of the river at the Erskine Bridge, connecting the town to Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire. Erskine is a commuter town at the western extent of the Greater Glasgow conurbation, bordering Bishopton to the west and Renfrew, Inchinnan, Paisley and Glasgow Airport to the south. Originally a small village settlement, the town has expanded since the 1960s as the site of development as an overspill town, boosting the population to over 15,000. In 2014, it was rated one of the most attractive postcode areas to live in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishopton, Renfrewshire</span> Village in Renfrewshire, Scotland

Bishopton (/bɪʃəptən/) is a village in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is located around 2 miles (3 km) west of Erskine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Macewen</span> Scottish neurosurgeon (1848 - 1924)

Sir William Macewen, was a Scottish surgeon. He was a pioneer in modern brain surgery, considered the father of neurosurgery and contributed to the development of bone graft surgery, the surgical treatment of hernia and of pneumonectomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maggie's</span> Drop-in centres for those affected by cancer

Maggie's centres are a network of drop-in centres across the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, which aim to help anyone who has been affected by cancer. They are not intended as a replacement for conventional cancer therapy, but as a caring environment that can provide support, information and practical advice. They are located near, but are detached from, existing NHS hospitals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarrow Shipbuilders</span> Former shipbuilding firm based in Glasgow, Scotland

Yarrow Shipbuilders Limited (YSL), often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde. It is now part of BAE Systems Surface Ships, owned by BAE Systems, which has also operated the nearby Govan shipyard since 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raigmore Hospital</span> Hospital in Highland, Scotland

Raigmore Hospital is a health facility located in Inverness, Scotland. It serves patients from the local area as well as providing specialist services to patients from across the Highland area. It is a teaching hospital, educating a range of healthcare professionals in association with the Universities of Aberdeen and Stirling. It is managed by NHS Highland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SSAFA</span> Charity of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, the Soldiers', Sailors', and Airmen's Families Association, is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents. Anyone who is currently serving or has ever served in the Royal Navy, British Army or Royal Air Force and their families, both regulars and reserves, is eligible for their help.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow Royal Infirmary</span> Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland

The Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) is a large teaching hospital. With a capacity of around 1,000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around 8 hectares, and straddles the Townhead and Dennistoun districts on the north-eastern fringe of the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It was originally opened in 1794, with the present main building dating from 1914.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Infirmary</span> Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland

The Western Infirmary was a teaching hospital situated in Yorkhill in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland, that was managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It was opened in 1874 and closed in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Glasgow Ambulatory Care Hospital</span> Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland

The West Glasgow Ambulatory Care Hospital is a healthcare facility in Yorkhill, Glasgow. The new ambulatory care facility was created in December 2015 to house the remaining outpatient services and the minor injury unit previously housed at the Western Infirmary. It is managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blind Veterans UK</span>

Blind Veterans UK, formerly St Dunstan's, is a large British charity, providing free support and services to vision-impaired ex-servicemen and women and National Service personnel. Blind Veterans UK is a registered charity in England and Scotland and operates throughout the United Kingdom. It has its head office in London and centres in Llandudno and Rustington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stobhill Hospital</span> Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland

Stobhill Hospital is located in Springburn in the north of Glasgow, Scotland. It serves the population of North Glasgow and part of East Dunbartonshire. It is managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gartnavel Royal Hospital</span> Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland

Gartnavel Royal Hospital is a mental health facility based in the west end of Glasgow, Scotland. It provides inpatient psychiatric care for the population of the West of the City. It used to house the regional adolescent psychiatric unit but this has recently moved to a new psychiatric unit at Stobhill Hospital. The Hospital is a venue used by the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland. Some parts of the hospital are classified as a category A building and are also deemed at risk.

Blesma, The Limbless Veterans is a British charity that helps all serving and ex-Service men and women who have lost limbs, or lost the use of limbs or eyes, to rebuild their lives by providing rehabilitation activities and welfare support. It operates throughout the United Kingdom and is a registered charity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children's Hospices Across Scotland</span> Scottish charity

Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) is a registered charity that provides the country's only hospice services for children and young people with life-shortening conditions, and services across children’s homes and hospitals. The first hospice was built thanks to the late editor-in chief of the Daily Record and Sunday Mail, Endell Laird, who launched a reader appeal which raised £4million. CHAS offers children’s hospice services, free of charge, to every child, young person and their families who needs and wants them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mar Hall</span> Baronial Mansion in Bishopton, Scotland

Mar Hall is a 5-star hotel and golf resort in Bishopton, Renfrewshire. It is situated in Erskine House, a category A listed building. Formerly the building was the Erskine Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erskine Ferry</span>

Erskine Ferry sailed across the River Clyde from Erskine to Old Kilpatrick. The ferry was also referred to as East Ferry of Erskine as there was another ferry to Dumbarton a few miles down river, known as West Ferry. It is reputed to be the oldest ferry crossing of the Clyde. The crossing was part of the A740 route from Paisley to Old Kilpatrick. It was established in 1777 and replaced by the Erskine Bridge in 1971.

Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) is a charity based in the UK that helps Armed Forces veterans, disabled people and people who are unemployed. It runs a social enterprise, Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company, a UK-wide employment support programme for Armed Forces veterans, Lifeworks, a variety of housing for veterans and their families, as well as running back-to-work support for people who have been long-term unemployed or have a disability/health condition. RBLI's headquarters are in Aylesford, Kent, however they support the Armed Forces community nationwide. RBLI is a separate charity from The Royal British Legion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bravehound</span>

Bravehound is a Scottish charity that supports former servicemen, women and their families. They provide training and dogs to support veterans, some of whom have post-traumatic stress, other mental health issues as well as physical injury. Weekly individual and group training sessions are provided free of charge. Bravehound is funded by the Chancellor using Libor funds, The Covenant Trust Fund and public fundraising initiatives

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Art</span> Scottish charity for ex-service personnel

Glen Art is a Scottish charity helping those from a military background return to civilian life. Their projects and artistic events aim to bring people together and strengthen relationships between ex-service personnel and their communities. Their facility at Erskine provides both dogs and training for veterans and their families.

References

  1. 1 2 "Domesday Reloaded: Erskine Hospital". BBC. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Erskine Hospital receives 16m royal relaunch Prince opens country's biggest ex-services facility". Herald Scotland. 12 October 2000. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  3. ↑ erskine100 (12 May 2016). "The First Matron at Erskine". University of Glasgow Library Blog. Retrieved 7 October 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The history of Erskine". Rememberingscotlandatwar.org.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  5. 1 2 "History of Erskine House: Former World War 1 hospital, now 5-star Mar Hall Hotel - Clyde Waterfront Heritage". Clydewaterfront.com. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "Erskine - Renfrewshire Council". Renfrewshire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "Erskine's Transitional Supported Accommodation". Erskine.
  8. ↑ "Veterans charity in Scotland first with 24-hour online radio station". The National. 10 May 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 "Care homes". Erskine. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Wendy Alexander opens Erskine hospital's new training and conference facility". Scotland.gov.uk. 20 June 2001. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "Social & Fundraising Events". Erskine. 24 October 2013. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  12. ↑ "Go purple for Erskine Week". Erskine. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  13. ↑ "Volunteering". Erskine. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "Site Record for Erskine House, Erskine Hospital & War Memorial". Canmore.rcahms.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.