Bright future for Rainbows with community’s support
A Rainbows group have some bright days ahead of them after bouncing back from the brink of closure.
A lack of volunteers meant that the 1st Rutherglen Rainbows, who meet at the Clincarthill Girl Guiding hall, were set to shut down.
However a new group of locals stepped forward, kick-started the Rainbows again and eager youngsters have happily joined in.
The group had been running since 1986, but faced closure.
Katie Broadfoot is one of the new leaders at the Rainbows, and told the Reformer she’s been thrilled by the turnaround in fortunes.
She explained: “The Rainbow unit has been going since 1986 and was on the verge of closing this year. We only had three existing Rainbows and if someone had not volunteered for the position the only alternative was a twoyear waiting list for another Rainbow unit in the Rutherglen area.
“All the other units have unfortunately closed due to a lack of volunteers. It would have been devastating if the unit had to close. There were two former leaders but one had decided to retire while the other had chosen to go back to university.
“Luckily when I heard this, for the community I felt I had to step in. Amanda, Jen, Rosie, Marie-Ann and I are now taking the 1st Rutherglen Rainbows in the Girl Guiding hall at Clincarthill. We now have 16 Girl Guiding Rainbows and a waiting list of 30 so we will be taking on more girls as the list continues to grow.
“The hall was dull and dreich looking and needed an uplift, so we have put the Rainbow colours in the Rainbow room, which is making it very welcoming for the girls.”
Paula at Rain and Shine in Rutherglen has helped out the group too, by donating Art and Craft and Rainbow uniforms to help get the unit going again. The group recently held their Christmas party and are continuing to meet every Monday.
18.01.2023
With the rewarding career she’d always dreamed of, a loving husband and even her own pony, animal-loving veterinary nurse Jayne McGarvie was living her best life.
Then, when driving home from work, she was involved in a horror road smash that had devastating consequences. The impact of the two-car collision resulted in a brain injury for Jayne and, at the age of just 29, a debilitating stroke.
With no recollection of that evening in May 2014 when her world turned upside down, horse-crazy Jayne found herself in a hospital bed, trying desperately to come to terms with the heart-breaking realisation that she may never ride again.
“The ambulance people were saying I was more worried about my dog, Cleveland, who’d been with me in the car, than myself,” she said.
“They got the dog to the vet, so everyone at my work knew about my accident before anybody else. I woke up in hospital and knew nothing. I was so sedated, it took a long time to understand the severity of what was going on.
“My husband, Steven, was on the left of my bed and my mum was on the right. My mum is a nurse, and she was on it, observing the whole time. She realised I couldn’t see out of my left side. My poor husband. I hadn’t realised he was there – because I couldn’t see him.”
A further scan revealed blood clots on the right side of Jayne’s brain, which medics managed to control without the need for surgery.
Jayne’s mum’s professional insight armed them with knowledge of the full picture, and they moved her to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary’s heart and stroke unit, before being transferred to the city’s Woodend Hospital – a unit that primarily provides care for elderly people.
“I was the youngest person on the ward,” said Jayne, who struggled with fine motor skills following her accident and had to learn how to walk again. “You are seeing everyone in a much worse state than yourself, and your heart goes out to them. The nurses and doctors were superb. They said: ‘We have to get you out of here.’
“I was very keen to get going. I was determined. I always have been. I took any slots that became available for physio. Physically, I was very tired and the strength had gone from my left side due to muscle wastage. Everything was shutting down.”
Jayne’s mum and the rest of her family threw themselves into her rehabilitation programme, sitting by her side, opening and closing her left hand and encouraging her to clutch