Lochailort charity Kirsty’s Kids, protesting against a railway yard next door, resumed respite care for a dying father during a week-long pause in works, but had to close its centre again when machines returned.
A founder of Kirsty’s Kids, John Bryden, began a hunger strike on November 1 to move the Network Rail yard, which forced it to close its respite centre for sick children and their families.
“His strength diminishes, but quit he will not,” the charity updated on November 24.
Kirsty’s Kids was founded in the name of John and his wife Jan’s 19-year-old daughter Kirsty, who lost her life in a car accident.
Members of Kirsty’s Kids, including Jan, its treasurer, have also been holding a “quiet, non-obstructive protest” at the road end, said charity administrator Sally Gardner.
Police visited on November 26, she said, following welfare concerns for John’s health. “They were greeted by a cheery John, as well as three charity trustees, and a palliative care patient who was being given respite care around the clock by John and Jan as he neared his end of life.
“The police officers were provided with cups of tea and a tour of the facilities. They then left with much opened eyes having witnessed the work here as a care facility.”
That day, the charity explained: “This week the ‘terminator machines’ have fallen silent, not to give kirstyskids.org a week’s peace, but to give the railway nightshift workers a week’s holiday.
“When this reason was disclosed John and Jan wasted no time in immediately arranging for a father of a wonderful family to attend Trust House.”
On December 2, the charity updated: “It is sad to see the ‘terminators’ are back. We had no option but to take our incredibly vulnerable resident from his palliative care and transport him away from the centre after seven days’ respite care.
“The family would have loved him to stay here for longer and have 24/7 care where they could visit.”
The charity posted a video of loud machinery working “till the wee small hours” on Monday December 4.
“John is doing well,” Sally told us that day. “He is keeping a very close check on his health daily.
“He remains as our chairman, professional, calm, and extremely composed. John’s vast experience in respect of conflict must have come from his many years in uniform serving his local communities.” John is a former policeman.
A petition calling on the yard to be moved had reached more than 3,600 signatures earlier this week.
Network Rail (NWR) said the work pause was a planned part of the work programme, as part of its workforce safety protocols, not just a week’s holiday.
A spokesperson added: “These works are vital to keeping the railway safe for colleagues and passengers.
“We’ve been in regular dialogue with the neighbours and have implemented a range of measures to reduce our impact in the area.
“We’re continuing to work with the charity to minimise disruption and noise where we can.”
NWR said a temporary compound was set-up near the charity to carry out maintenance on a section of track three miles away, with the agreement of the landowner who neighbours the charity.
Alternative compounds were explored during the planning stage, it added, but none were suitable because of the amount of space required for welfare facilities and storage.
It is in “regular dialogue” with the charity to reduce disruption where possible, it said, and as a result generators were moved behind cabins to block noise, staff were told to turn off white noise reversing alarms and use a second person as a guide, and night time work that can be done in daytime has been moved “at considerable cost”.