Prince Charles finds out about oxygen therapy as he officially opens Wick's Healing Hub
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Prince Charles was told about the benefits of oxygen therapy for long Covid and a range of other health conditions on a visit to Wick this afternoon.
The prince, who is known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, officially opened the refurbished Healing Hub at the town's Braehead with invited guests and members of the public looking on in glorious sunshine.
A blunt pair of scissors caused a brief delay to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, but the royal visitor duly completed the task with a big smile to an impromptu round of applause.
The prince spent more than half an hour chatting to volunteers, users and others associated with the centre which is run by MS Therapy Centre Wick.
The barochamber within the Healing Hub can help people with a range of health issues, from multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis to sports injuries.
He was keen to know how the chamber works mechanically and how the oxygen is supplied to users, as well as learning about the health benefits.
Jan Farrington, the group's treasurer and secretary, said: "He was a charming gentleman, and knowledgeable – he wanted to know more about it and he was willing to listen to users.
“He was so interested in it, and he also said that he was trying to establish a clinic in Norfolk and could he contact us for any information. He said it is so interesting and so beneficial, if you are prepared to give it time."
The Duke of Rothesay opened the original facility in 2005 when the building still belonged to Highland Council. It has since been acquired by the group through an asset transfer and has undergone a major refurbishment.
Mrs Farrington (75) explained: “I was diagnosed with MS in 1982. The doctor suggested I should try the chamber, I had nothing to lose – and I have used it ever since.
“I use it once a week. I was wheelchair-bound and I was also on sticks, and in 1988 I had cancer and I had chemotherapy and radiotherapy. They couldn't believe how quickly my bloods came back. Breathing pure oxygen helps the blood regenerate, so that helped me.
“Without it I don't think I'd still be walking. People have to realise that they can help themselves, that's the main point. Give it a chance.
"His Royal Highness opened this originally in 2005. We've been totally refurbished, we had an asset transfer from the council and we raised £76,000 with the help of the community. Now His Royal Highness has opened it for us officially."
Sharon Florence, of Watten, has been using the Healing Hub after suffering from long Covid.
She contracted the virus in April this year and had been off work until starting a phased return last week.
After meeting the Duke of Rothesay, Mrs Florence (46) said: “I just explained to him why I was using it and how much it has helped me and that I had returned to work. He certainly seemed really interested in what I had to say.
“I've been coming twice a week for the last couple of months after having long Covid, and I've got lung problems as well.
“I had read an article about a year ago and I thought I must look into it. I was always meaning to ask my respiratory consultant about using it for lungs, but then once I got long Covid I was looking at alternative therapies. I read the article and I thought it's not going to harm, I'm going to try.
“After a couple of weeks I started noticing I was getting less dizziness and the headaches were getting less frequent. The dizziness was the worst because you can't function.
“Certainly it has been worth it. I am back to work this week. I had been off since April.
“Last week I felt a bit more energised than I have done for a long time now.”
Centre user Stephen Lay, who has ME and fibromyalgia, also spoke to the Duke of Rothesay.
Mr Lay (60), a retired civil servant who lives in Thurso, said: “I've been coming for over two years now. Prior to that I had very little energy, I was getting quite a lot of pain, it was disturbing my sleep, so that compounded the problem.
“When I started my treatment here I was told to come for six weeks, see how you get on – you may not find any difference at first, you may actually feel more tired, because you're not used to the routine and the travelling.
“After I started doing it regularly, and I got six weeks in, I did notice there was a difference. I was less lethargic. I found that although my condition still had ups and downs, it seemed to actually smooth them out. So when I'm feeling uncomfortable and with pain, it's not quite as intense.
“With the energy levels, prior to the treatment I'd been to Wick once in two years and not had the energy to drive across. Now I have the energy to drive across back and forth twice a week for treatment and also do other things.
“But I still have to be careful and I have to manage it.
“With the treatment I have more options. It has given me more of an outlook. I feel I'm actually living more now than I was prior to having the treatment.
“It was an existence before, whereas now I am doing some things which I enjoy doing and I can do it for slightly longer than before.
“Anybody who has got conditions like ME, MS, fibromyalgia, pain conditions, it's worth a try.”
The Healing Hub currently has 50 users. The volunteer chamber operators are Christine Gunn, David Gunn, Carolyn Swanson, Mary Thain and Alan Mowat.
Mrs Swanson, who has been volunteering for about a year, told Prince Charles how the oxygen mask works.
“He had a lot to say to everybody,” Mrs Swanson said. "It was nice."
She added: “At the moment we are running okay, but if we got any busier we would definitely need more volunteers.”
For more than 40 years, local haulage company D Steven & Son has transported used oxygen cylinders from the chamber down to Aberdeen and brought full cylinders up – at no cost.
David Steven, managing director of D Steven & Son, attended the event with driver Alex Martin.
After speaking to the prince, Mr Steven explained: “He said it's very good of us, what we're doing. He was very interested and said he was really impressed with the whole set-up here.”
Mr Martin said: “It was nice to see how interested he was – he wanted to know the whole thing."
Caithness Voluntary Group (CVG) provided support with funding applications and the asset transfer. CVG's Allan Tait and Yvonne Hendry were among the guests, along with David Dunnett who carried out the building work.
The building was originally the Old Men’s Rest.
The Duke of Rothesay arrived at the Braehead shortly before 2pm. Accompanied by Willie Watt, Vice-Lieutenant of the county, the royal visitor first viewed the Pilot House and met Peter Sutherland, who refurbished the 114-year-old building and is custodian of it.
The prince went on to meet volunteers from Caithness Foodbank at their base in the town's former Carnegie library, along with representatives of 17 other community groups from the east of the county.
Mr Watt said later: “We are so lucky and privileged in Caithness that we get so many royal visits, especially through Prince Charles, and he has obviously got a huge affection for the place. It was nice to say 'welcome back' to him today.
“I would like to thank everybody for their efforts and for showing Caithness in such a wonderful light. It really is invigorating to see it all. It puts a feelgood factor across the whole voluntary sector.
“They are doing such marvellous work and quite rightly they were recognised.
“Unfortunately not every voluntary group was represented today, but over the next few years we'll hopefully get round them and just say thank-you to everybody.”
- Anyone wishing to find out more about the Healing Hub can text or call treasurer/secretary Jan Farrington on 07775 683300. The centre’s phone number is 01955 604586.
