American Friends of Erskine Hospital

14/06/2026

Well done Scotland, we are off!!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎖🇺🇸 Erskine Veterans Charity

22/05/2026

Vitamin T! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎖🇺🇸

Today is International Tea Day (of course), and we wanted to use the opportunity to share a tea-themed poem that our recently-retired Director of Care, Derek Barron, wrote, which highlights that sometimes we just need a good cuppa and to be heard ☕

"Can I have a cup of tea she asked?"
Of course, I'll be with you in two minutes
But those two minutes came and went
All she wanted was a cup of tea

I'm feeling thirsty and I do love a cup of tea
What if I become dehydrated? she started to worry
But five minutes came and went
All she wanted was a cup of tea

As she worried she feels her heart start to race, it pounds loud in her ears
What if this time it stops?
But ten minutes came and went
All she wanted was a cup of tea

She started to cry, "I'm here all alone, I'd get it myself if I could"
Her anxiety starts to rise, her breathing gets shallow
Fifteen minutes came and went
All she wanted was a cup of tea

She's taken to bed, she's shaky on her feet, what if I have a fall?
My head is thumping, I'm sweating profusely, there must be something seriously wrong
Twenty minutes came and went
All she wanted was a cup of tea

The tea came, it was cold, she can't drink that, she's always drunk her tea hot
"They don't like me, I'm just in the way, I'm just a nuisance
She turns her head to the wall
All she wanted was a cup of tea

The nurse was called, there's something wrong, she is hyperventilating
The nurse tries 15 minutes relaxation techniques, but she can't concentrate
"Can I have one of my pills please?"
All she wanted was a cup of tea

14/05/2026

Please join us in wishing a happy 105th birthday to Erskine's oldest resident, Margaret Blair 🎂🎈

Margaret was born on 12th May 1921 in her granny’s house in Dumbarton and was the oldest of five siblings.

She attended College St Primary School and Dumbarton Academy before leaving school to work in the embroidery room of the United Turkey Red Works in Dalquhurn, Renton. She later worked as an overseer at the Blackburn Aircraft Factory in Dumbarton. Known locally as “The Aircraft”, the factory manufactured Sunderland Flying Boats.

In 1941, Margaret enlisted in the Women’s Land Army and was sent to work on her uncle’s farm, Southmains, in Milngavie. It was there that she met her future husband, Christie Blair, who was the son of the local gamekeeper on the Mains Estate, Milngavie.

Christie joined the RAF in 1940 and served until 1947, when he returned home from India. The couple married in August 1948. They initially moved to Bearsden in 1948, where Margaret remained until January 2024, when she moved to McKellar House at The Erskine Home.

Christie passed away at Haig House, The Erskine Home, on 3rd May 2017 after just one month there.

Margaret and Christie had one daughter, Senga, who was born in 1957. Margaret also has two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Margaret has never smoked or drunk alcohol and has always enjoyed good home-cooked food. She has also always been a “Tea Jenny” — at home, the kettle was never off. As Margaret says: “A cup of tea cures all.”

04/05/2026

May the Fourth be with you! And if it’s not… just be nice anyway. Someone out there is fighting a battle you know nothing about.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎖🇺🇸




Erskine Veterans Charity

Thanks to LMoonlight for the image.
👍

01/05/2026

🌟 We’re so excited to be joining you!🌟

We’ll be bringing an exciting project to share, some great goodies for our stall, and plenty of branded items so you can show your support for military veterans and their spouses living in Scotland 🇬🇧💙
All we’re asking for now is lovely sunshine ☀️ (we’ve ordered it… fingers crossed! 🤞😄)
Come say hello, grab some goodies, and help spread the support 💪✨
☀️😊

🌼 Happy May Day! 🌼

As we welcome the turning of the season and the promise of summer, we pause to celebrate May Day; a time of renewal, community, and tradition.

In that same spirit, we’re delighted to share the flyer for this year’s 160th Scottish Highland Gathering & Games! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Join us on Labor Day weekend as we celebrate Scottish heritage, tradition and culture with stirring pipes and drums, Highland dancing, athletics, clan camaraderie, and plenty of good cheer. Whether you're a Games regular or are thinking of coming along for the first time, this milestone year promises to be something truly special.

🎟️ Tickets + Info: TheScottishGames.com 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

01/05/2026

Awe, so cute!!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎖🇺🇸

30/04/2026

Today is Military Brats Day so we celebrate the incredible children of our service men and women — the quiet heroes who show strength, adaptability, and courage every single day.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎖🇺🇸

23/04/2026

What’s traditional to eat or drink tonight? I genuinely have no clue and don’t want to miss out.
What would you recommend trying? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎖🇺🇸
Erskine Veterans Charity

22/04/2026

https://www.erskine.org.uk/news/what-makes-erskine-so-special/?_gl=1*q7bnv4*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTA1NDQ4MDYyOC4xNzc2ODU1MjM3*_ga_NC2GLECEHW*czE3NzY4NTUyMzYkbzEkZzEkdDE3NzY4NTUyNDMkajUzJGwwJGgw

'Because I know who he is' a very moving account of living with a family member who has dementia.
Beautifully put Sarah ### 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎖🇺🇸

Erskine is just one big family and a very special place to be.

22/04/2026

We are delighted to share that The RS Macdonald Charitable Trust has awarded a fantastic grant of £7,475 to Erskine Veterans Charity.

This grant has allowed the purchase of an omiVista Mobii interactive table for use by residents at The Erskine Home. The omiVista Mobii ‘Magic Table’ is a motion activated light projection unit which projects interactive light games onto tabletops, catching the eye and capturing attention. It offers mental and physical stimulation and encourages social interaction. The ‘Magic Table’, which arrived in January, supports Erskine’s long-term strategy to improve care for those living with dementia and will allow us to offer meaningful activities of therapeutic value to both our current and future residents, complementing the services we offer at Erskine Home for many years to come. The RS Macdonald Charitable Trust is further strengthening Erskine staff development by expanding access to high‑quality training programmes. We are hugely grateful to everyone at The RS Macdonald Charitable Trust for their wonderful support of Scotland’s Veteran community.

Lesley Wylie QN, Erskine Home Manager said: “The RS Macdonald Charitable Trust have been wonderful in their support to fund our new ‘Magic Table’ in the Erskine Home. This equipment allows us to provide residents with meaningful engagement and interactions including reminiscence activities which can be tailored to be person centred and unique to an individual. It enhances the quality of care we deliver, greatly improving their well-being and overall quality of life. We cannot thank them enough for their generosity.”

Rachel Campbell, Director of RS Macdonald Charitable Trust, said: “The RS Macdonald Charitable Trust is very happy to renew our funding relationship with Erskine Veterans Charity. This is the first time we have offered a grant to help with the purchase of a ‘Magic Table’, which we hope makes a real difference to those at Erskine Home who are living with dementia, to bring residents and their families together in a fun and engaging way.”

Founded in 1978, The RS Macdonald Charitable Trust support charities that are working to benefit people who live in Scotland. For more information on their work, please visit rsmacdonald.com