research snippets • We are currently evaluating the impact of educational initiatives designed around the NHS Education for Scotland document Spiritual Care Matters (2008). This document examines why looking after your spiritual needs in times of illness and difficulty can sometimes be just as important as taking the pills! The findings of this study will be published in 2011. • Ever need a good listening to? We are working with Mowat Research on a pilot study examining the impact of a Community Chaplaincy Listening Service. This tag line for this innovative service says it all: ‘Your story. Your time. Your wellbeing.’ We’re researching the impact of the service and whether a listening ear can help people cope in challenging times. ’’ and...ACTION! Our film directors James Fleming (from Moodlight Media) and Craig Meighan (of The Retrofrets) have been planning things on large flip charts for some time. Earlier this month they battled the weather to hold a day of filming at HQ and made us feel like a regular morning TV show. With sound expertise from Ian Green (Stage Electrics) it added up to a very professional outfit and we had loads of fun experimenting with life on camera. As well as catching a number of our other events on film, they’ll be in the editing suite over the next few months turning the footage into something we can watch in 2011. Today Glasgow… tomorrow Cannes ;-) Fire.Cloud EDITION 5 / DECEMBER 2010 welcome... After a few snowy weeks here in Scotland, we are delighted to send our Christmas newsletter. Last month things were very international at Fire.Cloud; after speaking in New Zealand, we featured in EWTN’s television series My Country, My Faith which aired in the US in November. Thanks to our featured artist Tracy Milligan who is spreading the word in Bucharest we’ve also had lots of new website visitors from Romania. Hello Romania! With days to go until Christmas, our Advent projects just ended and they have been another great chance to be out in the community working with lots of inspiring people. So it’s almost time for us to relax, put our feet up for a little while and welcome in another exciting year in 2011. Have a wonderful Christmas when it comes! Suzanne Bunniss Fire.Cloud Director contact Want to know more about Fire.Cloud stuff? • There’s loads of info at www.fire-cloud.org • Follow us on Twitter (Firecloud1) and Facebook (Fire.Cloud) • Finally, If you have any ideas, thoughts, or something you think we should hear about let us know at [email protected] Suzanne Bunniss newsletter introducing... NAME: Jennifer McGuigan ROLE AT FC: Jen Of All Trades JEN’S MOST MEMORABLE F.C MOMENT: “I could simply say Claire’s experimental lemon drizzle cake that I tasted at this year’s ADVENTure - mmmmmmmmoist! However, cake aside I would say that my most memorable F.C moments are hanging out and making things happen with Suzanne and the team - seeing the F.C plans become reality and genuinely make a difference is... well, AWESOME!!” F.C SAYS: “Jennifer is an organisational dream; feisty, funny and super dooper organised, this is a woman who gets stuff done. As our F.C designer in residence she deals with all things visual and makes everything look great. Jenny brought our newsletter to life, designs our promotional material and supports much of our event planning. Her formidable talent and attention to detail is a perfect addition to the F.C team and we always need her wise opinion on all kinds of weird and wonderful questions every week. As if that was not enough, Miss McGuigan is all heart. She always goes above and beyond to make things extra special. This lady is one swell dame! ” the ADVENTurous kind It’s CHRISTMAS! Well, almost…which means our Advent projects wrap up for another year. As always there were some new twists this time around: Patrick Brown was our MC (Dermot O’Leary watch out) and we held two ADVENTure evenings in the striking oratory at St Peter the Apostle High School. A special thank you to all the ADVENTure team for their unwavering dedication – even in the snow – and the unsung hero of ADVENTure Claire Ferguson whose cakes impress us every year! We also helped St Peter’s chaplaincy team organize an Advent programme for their 1600 pupils. There were some very special moments and the pupils really made us smile. Thank you so much all those who helped for your invaluable support. intention of the month For many people Christmas can be a lonely, sad, stressful or difficult time. Please pray with and for us that we will recognise the signs of those in need and be there for them wherever possible. foreign exchange Passing through the town of Franz Josef last month (home to the famous Franz Josef glacier) Suzanne happened upon the church of Our Lady of the Alps. A chance discussion with local priest Fr Michael Mahoney led to an impromptu invitation to speak to a group of Germans, Americans, Phillipinos and NZ locals about Fire.Cloud and the work we’re doing. Thanks to Fr Mike for his kind invite and all those who gave such a warm reception! ‘‘ I’m planning to live forever; so far so good. Spotted on the back of a campervan in NZ fire.cloud HQ: Design whizkid Jennifer has created a gallery of photographs from our past events to adorn the walls of the Fire.Cloud office. They arrived from the printer to great excitement and Owen McGuigan (Jennifer’s dad) was drafted in to hang them. With Owen a photographer and handy man extraordinaire himself, this family are no strangers to a spirit level. The results look great. Thank you Mr M, you are a Fire.Cloud hero!