Saints stars prove handy for good cause

Nov 17 2009 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express

ST MIRREN aces Hugh Murray and Stephen McGinn took time out from their football duties yesterday to lend a ‘hand’ at the launch of a charity drive at Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital.

The Buddies kicked off a new health initiative which aims to lead to a greater awareness of hygiene within the RAH, as well as raising lots of cash for the Children in Need appeal.

Hugh and Stephen were among the first people to add their handprints to a mural which event organiser John Heron hopes will stretch the length of a glass corridor.

The event runs until Friday and it’s hoped the eye-catching artwork will help spread the hygiene message – and prevent infection from spreading.

John, who works as a catering services manager at the RAH, said: “Infection control is a real issue and, despite having bottles of cleanser positioned throughout the hospital, a lot of people are still ignoring them.

“We hit on the idea of getting lots of folk to ‘donate’ their handprints to the mural to help raise awareness of the health issue.

“Cleanliness is paramount when it comes to fighting infection in hospitals, so the more people who take heed of this and start washing their hands going in and out of wards, the better.

“We want to try to eradicate menaces such as MRSA and C Diff.”

John and his team are also using the project to raise cash for Children in Need.

He added: “When people leave their handprint, they will be asked to make a donation for Children in Need.

“The initiative will run until Friday and anyone coming up to the hospital to visit friends and family are more than welcome to take part.

“We’ve arranged for local nurseries and pre-school groups to come along and find out all about infection control.

“The younger we can get kids to listen, the better.”

John is hoping the mural will eventually stretch the entire length of the glass corridor – a whopping 350 metres.

There is room for around 10,000 handprints and the team will be working flat out to get as many as possible.

Saints star Hugh is delighted to lend his support to the worthy cause.

The long-serving midfielder laughed: “The only thing I’m worried about is getting yellow paint on the steering wheel of my car, although I’ve been assured the paint does come off quite easily.”

Team-mate Stephen added: “Visiting your local hospital is a humbling experience. It’s important that, as players, we do all we can to support kids and their parents when given the opportunity.”