We Bid Farewell to an Old Friend

Alex Burrough decides it’s time to move on. 

It has been a difficult decision but I am bidding adieu to my position as Fundraising & Marketing Officer at the Eye Hospital’s London office, and am off to live and work in Zambia for a while.  I will continue to do fundraising work, but this time I will be helping to pay for underprivileged children to attend a group of 22 schools in Lusaka, called the Zambian Open Community Schools. 

In writing this article for Jerusalem Scene, I wanted to share some of the highlights of my three year tenure with the Hospital.  Prime, of course, was my baptism of fire, four days after I joined St John, when I was privileged enough to meet Her Majesty The Queen at The Lord Vestey’s Reception in 2008.  All I can remember now of the occasion is her being a lot smaller than I had imagined, and my being very embarrassed that she asked me a question rather than any of my new colleagues, who had all been with St John far longer than me!  

I also had the opportunity to visit both No 10 Downing Street and Kensington Palace, both of which occasions I will remember fondly. 

During my time at the Hospital, I began to take an interest in taking on personal challenges.  First of all, with our Head of Fundraising, Nicky Wynne, I decided that it would be a great idea to run the London Marathon on behalf of our charity.  Our training for the 2009 event got off to a shaky start, but steadily Nicky and I spent more and more time pounding the streets of London.  In the end, we both completed the feat - much to our surprise! 

For my next challenge, I decided that I would conquer Kilimanjaro.  With the support of my best friend to keep me going, we did, indeed, accomplish this in October last year.  The satisfaction of having completed both of these amazing challenges – and of raising over £11,000 for the Hospital in doing so – has been incredible.

Finally, of course, working for The St John Eye Hospital has meant that I’ve been lucky enough to go out to the West Bank and meet everyone in Jerusalem and in Hebron, and to experience Outreach for myself: Life changing experiences. 

I have learnt so much about both fundraising and the Middle East since working for the Hospital Group, and it has been such a pleasure working with everybody – both in Jerusalem and London.  I am really going to miss everyone.  We all talk about it, but it is not until you’re leaving that you begin to surmise what it really means to be part of the ‘St John Family’.

Thank you to everyone who has made my three years at St John such fun!

Alex Burrough

Fundraising & Marketing Officer