The Curse of Wain... (From Salisbury Journal)

The Curse of Wain...

10:16am Monday 2nd July 2007 in Wain's World By Wain's World

… Is what my wife calls it. It is my unerring ability to get caught out by events. The most life-changing was almost exactly 50 years ago, when I joined the British Army because National Service was looming.

Anyone volunteering got double the pay, could choose a trade and was guaranteed an overseas posting. A fortnight later (when I was enduring the humiliating misery of basic training in the Sappers and thinking I’d made a terrible, terrible mistake) the end of National Service was announced. I wouldn’t have been called up.

It’s always like that. I approach a deserted T-junction and suddenly a stream of 30 cars appears. I choose one of a dozen supermarket checkouts and invariably the customer in front is the one who queries the bill or pays in pennies.

And I don a Salisbury District Hospital Stars Appeal t-shirt for the Wilton House “Walk for Wards”, and the heavens open.

I felt tremendous admiration for the hundreds who braved the rain to fulfil their sponsorship commitments. They raised over £30,000, which will go towards funding keyhole surgery and better facilities for premature babies. You can find details on the newly re-cast hospital website www.salisbury.nhs.uk.

This, by the way, is well worth visiting. When you do so, go into Foundation, Council of Governors and Public Constituency. There you’ll find your elected Governor.

I mention this because Salisbury City and Rural governors are holding a public meeting for local constituents at Salisbury Guildhall next Monday, July 9, at 6pm, and we’re hoping for a good turnout.

Hospital Governors don’t have any kind of administrative responsibility at the hospital: that’s the job of the Board of Directors. Ours is purely an advisory role. But we do act as a link between the general public and the hospital authorities.

So anything that crops up during the question-and-answer session will be very important. This meeting will be your chance to air your views, and our chance to listen. So please, do come along.