Tree-mendous effort from Biggart’s Nick
A big-hearted specialist nurse at Biggart Hospital in Prestwick raised £2,500 to help make Christmas brighter for patients and staff.
Nick Bryden, who is a Parkinson’s nurse specialist, made nearly 150 wooden Christmas trees from offcuts and raised funds by asking the public to gift what they thought they were worth.
And he enlisted the help of four local artists – Ken O’Hara, Katy Storm, Neil Sinclair and Noel Stafford – to paint some of his trees in their own unique style.
One of the painted trees featured Scots comedy legend Billy Connolly and fetched £150 on its own.
Those painted trees were recently auctioned off, with the help of The Post, and raised more than £300.
However, the combined total raised for all the trees made and distributed stands at just under £2,500.
And some of the funds have already been spent towards Bluetooth speakers for patients to help make their stay in hospital that bit more comfortable.
Nick said: “So far, I’ve already spent just under £300 on Bluetooth speakers for patients to be able to play the radio or music using voice control, as some may be physically limited.”
He added: “The main reason I make wood products is as a stress reliever. Wood working helps to get your mind on to something else.”
Rather than selling them, Nick asks people to gift what they think a tree is worth.
He said: “I use this money to buy treats and other items for mostly the patients at the Biggart Hospital but also sometimes the staff.”
Last year Nick, 49, made between 60 and 70 so he’s surpassed his 2020 total by some distance.
He added: “I’d like to issue a very special thank you to John McCallum from Glennon Brothers sawmill and timber, Troon, for the generosity to donate a massive amount of off-cuts of timber.
“These have helped make this year’s trees and will last for the next few years with future projects.
“They also decided to donate the timber to built a wood store to house all their off-cuts.”