St John Ambulance Cymru recently hosted the Hospitaller of the Order of St John at its national headquarters to celebrate the enduring humanitarian links between Wales and the Middle East.
A renowned consultant ophthalmologist at London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital, Mr David Verity KStJ MD MA (Oxon) BM BCh FRCOphth, addressed staff and volunteers on the critical work of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group, which has been treating patients in the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem for over 140 years, regardless of ethnicity, religion or the ability to pay.
His visit underscored the vital connection between the Welsh Priory’s local efforts and the Order’s international mission to provide life-changing eye care in some of the world’s most challenging regions.
Members of St John Ambulance Cymru’s Eye Hospital Panel presented Mr Verity with a cheque for £30,000, which has been collected via a range of fundraising activities in aid of the Eye Hospital Group, including the annual Christmas Carol Concert held at St John the Baptist City Parish Church in Cardiff, as well as donations made by The Hospitaller’s Club of Wales who were represented at the event by the President Adam Bruce and other committee members.
St John Prior for Wales and Chair of the Board of Trustees at St John Ambulance Cymru, Paul Griffiths OBE KStJ JP DL, said:
“It was a pleasure to welcome Mr Verity to Cardiff and hear about the positive impact the Eye Hospital Group is making in extremely difficult circumstances.
“We were delighted to be able to present him with a cheque towards continuing this vital work and underline the Priory for Wales’ support for work of the Order of St John globally, as well as at home.”
Mr Verity’s journey with the Order began at age 16 with a formative visit to the eye hospital in Rafah, Gaza. This early exposure to the organisation’s frontline medical work shaped his entire professional trajectory.
“The seed had been sown at an early age,” Mr Verity explained.
“After qualifying as an eye doctor, I felt I had more to offer the organisation and started to go back much more regularly.”
Since 2005, Mr Verity has served in multiple senior leadership capacities, including as a trustee on the Board of Governors for the Eye Hospital Group. In his current role as Hospitaller, he acts as a bridge between the clinical sites in Jerusalem and Gaza and the global community of supporters.
During his address, Mr Verity praised the Welsh Priory for its distinct contribution to the Order’s 1,000-year history of service. He emphasised that while each national priory provides essential local services, the Eye Hospital Group remains the “international heart” of the organisation’s charitable identity.
“It is one of the oldest organisations that has provided charitable relief, starting in about 1023,”said Mr Verity.
“That message of service is a very powerful one. It’s an Order that delivers a lot, and it delivers in a difficult part of the world.”
One of the primary objectives of Mr Verity’s visit was to provide transparency and gratitude to the Welsh supporters whose donations sustain these international medical facilities.
“It’s very difficult for people to go to Jerusalem, and impossible to go to Gaza, to see how their generous donations are used,” Mr Verity noted.
“One of my roles is to come back and describe how the site is sustained, and not least to thank them on behalf of the patients they’ll never meet.”
To find out more about the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group and support its work visit: www.stjohneyehospital.org.
To get involved with St John Ambulance Cymru, visit www.sjacymru.org.uk.
Feature image: Mr David Verity KStJ MD MA (Oxon) BM BCh FRCOphth, Hospitaller of the Order of St John (centre) receives the cheque on behalf of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Group from Dr Akram Baig CStJ (left), the outgoing Hospitaller of the Priory for Wales and Paul Griffiths OBE KStJ JP DL (right), the Prior for Wales and Chair of the Board of Trustees of St John Ambulance Cymru.
