A loving husband honoured the memory of his wife on the first anniversary of her untimely death.

Jackie Houlden, whose wife of 28 years, Lorraine, was a nurse at Hairmyres Hospital, has set up an annual award to recognise a student nurse who has excelled in care and compassion.

Jackie said: “At Lorraine’s funeral it literally was standing room only and even then, people were still standing outside – family, friends, doctors and nurses. We had by far exceeded the function suite capacity to the point separate rooms were being opened to accommodate us all.

“I thought to myself ‘this is just a hard working family girl’. I was astounded at the number of people who came along to pay their respect. Obviously I knew close hand of Lorraine’s wonderful qualities but I didn’t realise just how many lives she had touched – it really was a tremendous tribute.”

Lorraine, was a charge nurse in the day surgery department and worked for over 27 years at Hairmyres Hospital.

After just a few weeks of enduring some pain around her ribs, a doctor colleague advised Lorraine to attend the emergency department. It was only a matter of weeks after that Lorraine was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and, tragically, she passed away peacefully in Monklands Hospital, nine months later in June 2014.

Jackie said: “I wanted to do something in Lorraine’s honour and I wanted the hospital to be the focal point as Hairmyres had played such a significant part of her career which meant so much to her. Lorraine and charge nurse Sandra Taylor were actually the first nurses to administer chemotherapy in Hairmyres back in the nineties and it seems so ironic that the very treatment she had successfully administered upon others, just didn’t seem to work when she herself, needed it most.

With the great support of Sandra Taylor, Alison O‘Malley and Susan Friel, the ‘Hairmyres Student Nurse of the Year’ initiative was born.

Jackie Houlden said: “The Lorraine Houlden Memorial Award has turned her passing into something positive. It would be great if the award continued for five, ten or even fifteen years and we recognise 15 more Lorraines – student nurses who show great care and compassion and put the patient at the centre of everything they do.”

“I wanted to establish something that would have longevity, as our sons – Stuart and Craig – only really got to know their mum for 23 years and 17 years respectively and here was a chance for them, from time to time, to be in the company to hear a perspective from many of their mothers work colleagues, who knew Lorraine so well.

Jackie and his family, aided by the support of Elaine Weir, Val Telford, Christine Hall and all of the staff in Hairmyres decision support unit have also set up the Lorraine Houlden Tribute Fund in aid of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. In the first twelve months, the fund has raised over £10,000.

Nursing student wins award

Diane Hodge is the winner of the inaugural Lorraine Houlden Memorial Award at Hairmyres Hospital.

The final year nursing student, at the University of the West of Scotland, received the award from Lorraine’s widower Jackie.

Charge nurse Laura Shankland, who nominated Diane for the award, said: “Diane deserves this recognition. She is a kind and caring individual who provides the best care that she can for every one of her patients.”

Diane said: “I wasn’t aware that I had been nominated for this award. To get the call that I had won came as a real shock. I was doing what every good nurse does – providing the best standard of care for their patients. For this to be recognised is a real confidence boost and I will make sure I continue to provide the same level of care when I start a full-time nursing position.”