Risk Assessments In line with good practice, the Pilgrimage Committee creates Risk Assessments which are used to inform and guide the organisation of the Pilgrimage in relation to the mitigation of risk. The updated Risk Assessments are detailed in the document below.

Helper Information Friday 10th to Friday 17th July 2026 ALL HELPERS All helpers are required to do the following: 1. Complete a helper declaration - click here 2. Tell us what group(s) you want to be in 3. Complete a set of Lourdes-related online 'BLMA' modules 4. Attend a Practical Preparation session NEW HELPERS In addition to the requirements detailed above for all helpers, new helpers are also required to undertake Safeguarding checks: Being a helper in Lourdes is considered to be 'regulated' work. This means that volunteer helpers are required to gain clearances from the Catholic Church. This consists of: Completion of an Archdiocesan Application Form (and provision of 2 references) Completion of a PVG Application Form and a PVG Check Undertake Safeguarding Training - this can be done online or face-to-face The Safeguarding Office from the Archdiocese will contact new helpers and arrange for these checks to be completed. New helpers should also read the Risk Assessments and Code of Conduct . EXISTING HELPERS In addition to the requirements listed above for ALL HELPERS, existing helpers may be required to update their Safeguarding checks, if any of them are due for renewal. If this is the case then the Safeguarding Office from the Archdiocese will be in touch. Existing helpers may also only have to do a shorter version of the Lourdes-related online 'BLMA' modules. We will let you know which modules you are required to do. Existing helpers should also remind themselves of the Risk Assessments and Code of Conduct . Summary of Helper Requirements Below are the requirements for helpers, however some of these may already be in place so may not be required. We will advise you further on your own individual requirements once we learn of your intention to be a helper. Church Checks: PVG Check for Vulnerable Adults (updated every 5 years) Archdiocesan Application Form & References (once only) Safeguarding Induction Training Lourdes Pilgrimage Checks: Practical Preparation attended Risk Assessments and Code of Conduct read BLMA online training completed

Lourdes 2026 Travel Package 2026 Travel Package Return to Lourdes 2026 Page The Travel package is provided by the Pilgrimage Travel Agent (Tangney Tours) and we will signpost the package from this page when it is available. Return to Lourdes 2026 Page

Acerca de Mass at the Esplanade Altar Click on images to enlarge them Return to Gallery Page

Mairi Allan receives King’s Badge of Honour One of our Lourdes volunteers has received a special honour from King Charles for her exceptional work with the British Red Cross. Mairi Allan was presented with the King’s Badge of Honour at a recent ceremony at Windsor Castle. The King’s Badge of Honour is the British Red Cross’s most prestigious award, and it recognises her decades of service supporting people in crisis. Mairi, a British Red Cross Youth Engagement Leader, is also a long-time helper on the Archdiocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. She has dedicated 31 years to helping young people, pioneering innovative programmes and securing significant funding and forging partnerships that have transformed youth engagement. Mairi was instrumental in ensuring the British Red Cross achieved the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Volunteering Award in 2022 for its work with young people. She said: “I am really humbled and honoured to receive the King’s Badge of Honour. “I believe passionately in the humanitarian power of young people to make a positive difference to our communities. I see their resilience and readiness to help every day." “I’m grateful to the many colleagues and young people over the years who have shaped British Red Cross work with young people as truly inclusive, dynamic, courageous, and compassionate.” King Charles III, Patron of the British Red Cross, presented awards to Mairi, Gill Moffat, Wendy Solesbury MBE, and Grahame Roberts, recognising their exceptional work supporting people during emergencies" Béatrice Butsana-Sita, Chief Executive Officer of the charity, said: “Congratulations to our staff and volunteers who have received the King’s Badge of Honour. “Mairi exemplifies the values of humanity, impartiality, and voluntary service."

Michael Johnston - RIP 7 August 2022 It is with great sadness that we let you know that Michael died this week after a short illness. He travelled to Lourdes with us for many years since 1981, he was an active Hospitalité member and our Chief Brancardier in the 1990's. Along with his sister, Patricia Edie, they passed on their love of Lourdes to his daughters, Paula & Lisa who have also travelled on Pilgrimage as part of our Youth for Lourdes group pre-pandemic. His funeral mass will take place in Our Lady of Loretto, Musselburgh on 25th August at 10:15am. All welcome. Rest in Peace, Michael 🙏🏻 Requiescat in pace

Acerca de Committee Members Please find below a list of Committee Members and Office Bearers of both Committees The Hospitalité Co mmittee Chaplain: The Very Reverend Monsignor Jeremy Milne VG President: D Bald Vice-President: K Thomas Secretary: L Reid Treasurer: P Barry Committee member: P Shearer Committee member: C Banks Committee member: M Gilhooley Committee member: R Newton Committee member: B Barry Committee member: M Allan Committee member: S Mackenzie Should you wish to contact a member of the Hospitalité committee, please get in touch via the " Contact Us " page. Return to About Us page The Pilgrimage Committee Pilgrimage Director: The Very Reverend Canon James G Tracey Treasurer & Chief Lady Helper: B Barry Chief Doctor: Dr M Bald Chief Nurse: C Banks Chief Brancardier: D Bald Head of Youth & Music: K Thomas Secretary, Helper Data & Safeguarding: S Mackenzie Should you wish to contact a member of the Hospitalité committee, please get in touch via the " Contact Us " page. Return to About Us page

Liam Gillon RIP We were very sad to hear about the passing of Rosemary Gillon's son - Liam. Our prayers are with the whole family. Liam's funeral will be held on Tuesday 27th August 2024 at 12:00 in the Church of St Mary, Star of the Sea, Leith. Thereafter to Mount Vernon Cemetery. Rosemary would like to thank everyone from the Lourdes community for their prayers and support at this very difficult time. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for him St Bernadette, pray for him

Acerca de Communications Click on the links below to go to each section: SUBSCRIBE UNSUBSCRIBE PRIVACY COOKIES SUBSCRIBE If you wish to receive any Emails and/or text messages from us then please click here back to top UNSUBSCRIBE If you wish to unsubscribe from Emails then you can click on the "unsubscribe" button at the bottom of the Email updates. If you wish to unsubscribe from text messages then - click here back to top PRIVACY The Hospitalite and Pilgrimage Committees take your privacy seriously. There are two privacy policies - one for the Hospitalite and one for the Pilgrimage Committee. The Hospitalite is an independent charity with its own Privacy Policy. The Pilgrimage Committee operates under the auspices of the Church and therefore is covered by the Church Privacy Policy. You can view each of the Privacy Policies by clicking on the links below: Hospitalite Pilgrimage Committee back to top COOKIES The "Contact Us" page of our website uses a Cookie called "PHPSESSID". This is a cookie which stores enquiry information so that it can be sent to us. It generally expires when you close your browser. Some of our pages link to an external site (Google Forms) which we use to gather information from helpers and other Pilgrims; these forms do use Cookies and this is fully explained in Google's Privacy Policy - click here to see full information. If you would like to know more about Cookies, the BBC has this helpful guide - click here back to top SUSCRIBE Unsubscribe Privacy Cookies Back to Top

The relics of Saint Bernadette This autumn, the UK will host a visit of the relics of St Bernadette. They will be brought to Scotland from Saturday 24 September to Saturday 1 October; and will be situated in Carfin Grotto which is Scotland's national shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes. A National Pilgrimage will take place on Sunday 25 September, starting at 3pm. Then, each Diocese in Scotland will lead a day of Masses, ceremonies and events. The allocated day for the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh (along with the Diocese of Aberdeen) is Thursday 29 September . The programme for the day on Thursday 29 September is detailed below. We hope that you will be able to join us in Carfin Shrine for this unique celebration Preparation for the visit In preparation for the visit of the relics to Scotland we invite you to view a few short videos. These are detailed below: You can view the UK trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFRMIvD9AiI Watch this film about the life of St Bernadette: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QiJ9nvup_U You can also visit the official UK relics tour website at: https://stbernadette.org.uk Programme for Thursday 29 September

Changes to Helper Structures In 2025, we’re making some changes to the structure of our helper teams. These changes are based on feedback from helpers and are designed to better meet the needs of our supported pilgrims. We will be transitioning from our current arrangements to a role-based structure. There will be several new teams, and all helpers will be asked to consider which team they feel they are best suited to. Click on the buttons below to see a description of the duties for each role. Once you've reviewed the information, kindly click the button below to complete a form which lets the organising committee know your helper group preferences: If you have any questions or would like to discuss the options further, please don’t hesitate to contact David Bald at 07816 761922. Transport Team Healthcare Team Saint Frai Team Other Information Submit my Group Preferences Top Transport Team There will be two groups working within the Transport Team. The first group, which will be a larger team will concentrate on transporting supported pilgrims to and from wherever they need to go. This may be to a Mass or ceremony, to a social event, cafe, or shopping. Helpers on this team will work around the pilgrimage programme so the daily shift pattern will vary depending on the programme. The main duty is pushing wheelchairs and pulling voitures (purpose build carriages). This task requires helpers to be able to cope with the physical demands of this work. The second group will be a smaller team and will involve supporting the helpers who are transporting pilgrims by coordinating the movement in and out of the Saint Frai centre. This may involve reserving a lift, or matching up helpers with supported pilgrims in the loading bay. Back to Top Transport Team Healthcare Team The Healthcare Team is comprised of registered doctors, nurses and care assistants and provide care to our supported pilgrims. Back to Top Healthcare Team Saint Frai Team The Saint Frai team supports the work that is done in caring for our supported pilgrims in the Saint Frai Centre The work may involve assisting the medical team with personal care, cleaning of the wards and related areas, or assisting pilgrims in the refectory. Helpers on this team may choose to be involved in one or more of these duties (care, cleaning or refectory) depending on their skills and preferences. The rota structure on this team will likely be more fixed than the Transport Team, for example: Day 1 early to 1pm & 8pm to end of day Day 2 1pm until 8pm Please note that work in the Saint Frai does not restrict people on this team to the Saint Frai itself as they would also take part in the full pilgrimage experience and so may get involved in others tasks - for example assisting pilgrims at Mass, and socialising with pilgrims in cafes and at the excursion. Back to Top Saint Frai Team Other Information Helpers will be asked to stipulate their first and second preference for the team that they would like to be part of. The organising committees will do their best to accommodate all helper preferences but may also need to assign helpers to a different team in order to ensure appropriate care for supported pilgrims. It is envisaged that most young helpers will be involved in the Transport team but it may also be possible for helpers to gain experience in other teams should they wish to do so. It is also important to note that helpers who are part of one team will also be involved in the wider range of general duties - for example, socialising with supported pilgrims, helping at the airport, and giving out water at Mass. Back to Top Other Information

Veronica Laidlaw - "Ronnie" - RIP 9 August 2022 It is with deepest sadness that we advise of the death of Ronnie Laidlaw on Tuesday, 9th August. Ronnie travelled to Lourdes as a lady helper with the Archdiocesan Pilgrimage for over 55 years. Ronnie was an integral part of the Lady Helper Team and we have fond memories of the time we spent with Ronnie in Lourdes. You could always find Ronnie at her favourite place behind the counter of the tisanerie in the Saint Frai Centre, managing a smooth and continuous flow of tea, coffee and biscuits to our supported pilgrims, helpers and visitors. In addition to being a helper in Lourdes, Ronnie was also a dedicated member of our Hospitalite Committee and served as Treasurer for many years. Ronnie's devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes was an example to us all. Ronnie will be sadly missed. The funeral will take place on 30th August at 12:00 in St Mark's Church, Oxgangs, Edinburgh then 13:00 at Mortonhall Crematorium. Anyone who knew Ronnie is welcome to come along. Requiescat in pace 1/1