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If you thought our trip in 1999 was good, then you’ll be pleased to hear that our trip in May/June 2000 was even more successful.

     We managed to get through a ton of work and it was all done with good heart and spirit. All volunteers should justifiably feel proud of what was accomplished. The children can now enter an environment that is bright, cheerful and welcoming and not at all threatening.

     Not only did we get a lot done at the hospital, but everyone, as last year, enjoyed the 3-day overnight trip to Moscow. Our outing to the Kirov Ballet to see the ‘White Nights Performance’ was also much appreciated by all those who participated.

	Just to keep you up to date, the hospital has now completed the new flooring in the outpatients corridor		Dr Rev. Sergei Makov, who is always there to help us out, with Anne, the head of the polyclinic

     At the end of the trip we were lucky enough to have two farewell parties – the first with Dr Okunev, the head of the hospital, and Peter Annetts as they both had to leave on Friday. The second with Anne, the head of the polyclinic, was on Saturday in the outpatients department.Much to the Russian’s amazement, Peter & Charlie’s rendition of the Hovis advertising song was appreciated by all. And new recruit Albert Porter, from Liverpool, was this year’s victim of a surprise Birthday Party.

You will remember how the personnel from the various departments in the polyclinic (outpatients), turned out to thank all the volunteers on our last day and presented each one of them with a china bell as a token of their gratitude. Our efforts were further rewarded with the presentation of a much-appreciated Certificate of Thanks from the Vice Governor of St. Petersburg. We only received one document, so Bob Mathias, one of our volunteers, reproduced it with a fancy border and slowly, very slowly, retyped the text in cyrilic. (God knows what it says now!)

However, despite our success, we can't rest on our laurels and it is important that we build on our success. We must continue to raise money for the materials etc. for the next year's trip.

October 2001

     This is the date proposed for our 2001 visit. Possible tasks to complete are the refurbishment of the entrance lobby, cloakroom, staircases and possibly some wards. But we must be sure to take some more wall posters with us when we go out - there's still a lot of bare wall space to be livened up.

     It is possible that a small party will go out earlier in May/June, before the weather gets too bad, to work on the front steps and porch.

     Next year, we may drop the optional Moscow trip, stay in St Petersburg for 2/3 days and give out volunteers the opportunity to see some of the beautiful and interesting sights and places in the city - for instance...

did you know?

     ‘Aurora’ was the Roman goddess of the dawn – an apt name for the cruiser that fired the inaugural shot of the 1917 October Revolution.

     Aurora was deliberately sunk in order to protect it from the ceaseless German bombing in World War II. The ship was raised in 1948 and moored opposite the Nakhimov Naval School. Because of severe deterioration the ship was rebuilt and what you see today is a replica of the original.

Playing away

     Ken Harper again returned to the hospital in November 2000. Everything that was done by the volunteers earlier in the summer looked great and everybody at the hospital was extremely grateful.

     On his flight over, Ken fell into conversation with a guy called Adrian Terris, who runs the St Petersburg branch of Yellow Pages. Adrian, who hails from Scotland is a keen footballer, as is Ken, and over a few drinks one evening they hatched a plan for a challenge match next year – the Komso gang against Adrian’s team. As a lot of his friends in the city are also Scots we could end up with a classic England v. Scotland confrontation. The winner’s prize has yet to be decided, but the losing side will definitely be subject to an interesting forfeit – contrived to benefit the Charity.

     New volunteers are steadily coming forward, and some of our regulars have telephoned with news of enthusiastic new recruits. If you know of any volunteers who want to lend a hand, please contact Ken Harper for a database form in order that we can update our records. We need to know names and addresses etc. Also make sure you obtain enough sponsorship forms in time to raise plenty of funds for our next trip. Don’t leave it until the last minute!

…and old

     There are some of you who haven’t been on any of the last three trips, and are no longer fundraising. With a constant influx of keen new volunteers we don’t want the group to get unwieldy nor can we afford the spiralling postal costs. So, unless we hear from you by January 1st 2001 that you are still interested, we will be forced to delete your details from our database.

Achiever's award…

     The lovely Angela Murphy from Liverpool, who was this year’s winner of the Achiever’s Award (a beautiful Russian hand-made doll). She painted, swept, washed floors, shopped, prepared everyone’s lunch, and did the washing up – yet still had time to keep all the scousers under control.

	This little patient's smiling face is obvious evidence of her delight with her new-found rabbit friend		In one of the orphanages near St Petersburg, these delighted kids examine their toys

THANKS… all round

     It seems that this may well be the longest entry in the Newsletter – but without the efforts of those mentioned, and a thousand unsung others working behind the scenes, we could not possibly carry on the good work at the hospital that is so much appreciated. We are grateful to all our volunteers for their hard work and efforts on behalf of the charity.

     Pete Annetts for turning up three days early – at his own expense. Pete, in turn, would like to take this opportunity to thank those who helped him raise funds, namely – De Stafford College who raised over £200 (each student paid 50p for the privilege of wearing their own clothes for a day – instead of the regulation school uniform). Gale Barker and her sister-in-law, Valery Mills, who raised over £180 at a car boot sale. Also the staff and clients at the Driscol Centre who raised over £400 by having a Sale-of-Goods fair and many thanks must go to Daphne for her constant enthusiasm and tireless hard work. Peter would like to thank his employers, Surrey Oaklands National Health Service Trust, who have offered their continual support by sponsoring his trips to the hospital.

     Barry Sweeting – which are well overdue. Not only for his selfless help at the airport, but also for his quiet on-going help and support. His efforts never flag but they have often gone unnoticed.

     Candice Veal, one of our new volunteers, who unfortunately could not join us on our last trip. Despite missing the trip she still managed to raise over £120 for the charity by taking part in a sponsored swim. Many thanks Candice.

     Dr Dennis for his all-round efforts and much-appreciated speeches, and to Dr Rev Sergei Makov for his continued help and assistance.

…and finally

     Thanks to anansi:internet services for setting up our website. Also Bob Mathias Publishing Workshop for his design work and the production of our newsletter.

Santa's Ark

	The Ryder truck parked up for a break in the snow on the way to Russia. Ken's son Ben, wisely prefers to stay warm rather than taking photographs

     In November 1999 we told you about an idea for a trip that Ken Harper and his son Ben were planning. This was to deliver a truck load of sorely needed clothes, equipment and toys to three orphanages.

     Well, braving snow and ice at –18°C, they left the UK on Boxing Day and returned three and a half weeks later after visiting three orphanages and the hospital, and successfully off-loading a truck load of clothes, equipment and Christmas goodies for the children. Ken would like to thank all those people who contributed material, cash and services to make the trip possible.

His thanks go to…

     Orleans Park School and Sheen Mount School for donating clothes and toys etc. Max and Susie O'Shea, Rob Barlett, Dave, Sandra, Ian and Sharon Doran for van loads of equipment. Robert Prinn for contributing a sterilizing unit. Mike Lee, Mick Ferrier and Max and his sons, for their willing help loading up the truck. Peter Campbell, Charlie Wiltshire, John Darling and all the other St Margarets shopkeepers who collected over £500 towards the trip. Viking Direct for generously supplying pens and pencils and much-needed stationery.

…and finally to Ryder Trucks for so generously risking their vehicle in the ice and snow of a Russian winter.

Something to think about...

     Some of you may remember Katya, a 12-year-old girl we met in June. Well, Katya, who is trying to learn English, has only 20% hearing and when Ken saw her in November she was dragging around a huge antiquated hearing aid. We’d like to know if anyone can lay their hands on a modern appliance. Maybe we can dip our hands in our pockets to help her out which will greatly improve her quality of life.

     Another girl from the hospital who we know could benefit from some help is Nastia. She has a 6-month old baby and is desperate for help. If anyone has any baby clothes that they have finished with, please let us know. We’ll give you her address so you can send them direct to her.

     Now here’s a tricky one. We need socks and underwear for the kids at the orphanages, but not second-hand – we need new clothing. If anyone has contact with a manufacturer or retail outlet where seconds or surplus stock can be had, please let us know. We also need shoes and trainers suitable for 10-18-year-olds.

     A lady originating from Hampton Hill, West London, is working hard in St Petersburg to help the street kids. There are hundreds in the city with neither home nor chance of a normal life. Deborah Miller is trying to set up a refuge for the kids. She has her sights set on a particular building but it is not in very good shape and could well benefit from our help and experience. Let us know what you think – they’re all kids, after all.

	A few of the young orphan teenagers who benefitted from clothes and sports equipment taken out on Ken's trip

Finally

     We would like to extend our congratulations to Katrina Miller on the birth of her baby boy and Alison Cavey on the birth of her baby girl.

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