Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
We are humbled by award nod
Charity boss Patrick talks of joy he and screen star David feel at nomination
An Airdrie charity director has been nominated for a prestigious humanitarian award in recognition of his work with Spirit Aid.
Patrick Rolink has been jointly shortlisted, alongside charity founder David Hayman, for the annual Robert Burns humanitarian award.
It is described as “a globallyrespected [and] much sought-after honour... [ which] applauds the efforts of people who bring hope and inspiration, often in desperate situations, and help change lives for the better”.
Spirit Aid’s duo are among three nominees, alongside Palestinian doctor Izzeldein Abuelaish, who has spent years promoting IsraeliPalestinian reconciliation, and Josh Littlejohn, the co-founder of coffee shop chain Social Bite, which offers 100 per cent of its profits to good causes.
The winner of the award will be announced tonight at a special dinner and celebration to be held at the historic Burns Cottage in Alloway and they will receive a handcrafted trophy and £1800 – the equivalent of 1759 guineas, signifying the year of the Bard’s birth and the coinage in circulation at the time.
Patrick, of Thrashbush, says he was “absolutely shocked” when he was informed two weeks ago that he and actor and director David had been shortlisted from among 100 nominees put forward by members of the public for this year’s award.
He told the Advertiser: “It’s very humbling – this is a very well-known award internationally and the list of previous winners is quite extensive and substantial, so we’re really delighted that Spirit Aid has been nominated.
“So many people in Scotland get out of bed every day and go out to make a difference; it was quite a shock to be nominated by members of the public.
“I’m a great lover of Burns and his poetry, and his work shone a great light on Scotland all over the world, so this is quite a unique award, and it’s a great honour to be nominated.
“Dr Abuelaish is incredible, and has had an amazing life – with a bit of tragedy – and has turned that round and done very impressive work and Social Bite is an excellent charity which is making inroads into poverty.”
Patrick added: “This is great recognition and makes people aware of what we do, which is important as we rely on public donations – we don’t receive government funding and wouldn’t have a penny if not for the people of Scotland making donations.”
Spirit Aid works at home and abroad on projects “dedicated to alleviating the suffering of children and young people whose lives have been affected by poverty, neglect, abuse, lack of opportunity, humanitarian crisis or war”.
The organisation works locally and across Scotland distributing food parcels to families in need, and is a vital partner in the Advertiser’s annual Christmas toy appeal, which has been running for the past seven years.
Patrick said: “We run schools in Afghanistan, which is very precarious, and run a school in Malawi, which is a wonderful project and has been going for 14 years.
“It’s in Mulanje, on the border with Mozambique. We’ve been able to put in solar panels, new classrooms and science labs and feed the children in 14 villages there each day.
“Every year we also join with a couple of charities to bring over nurses from Palestine to train in trauma at Glasgow hospitals, who are then able to work back home as trauma specialists.”
Patrick first became involved with the charity of which he is now a director 15 years ago after a chance meeting in a Glasgow pub with actor David, who had founded Spirit Aid in 2001.
The Airdrie man, a popular stand-up comedian, said: “I’d gone for a drink and ended up sitting beside him; I didn’t recognise him as he wears a skip cap and didn’t look like a TV celebrity!
“At that time I had a company making websites, and he told me about Spirit Aid and asked if I could make one for nothing – and I just got more and more involved from there.
“It’s a great grassroots charity – we spend 90p out of every pound on projects as we have a very low cost base – and it’s a privilege to be part of.
“We’re often dumbstruck at the support we get in terms of donations and volunteering. I can’t stress enough that we can’t do a thing without people supporting us and the generosity of the people of Scotland.”