This is where to look for news from the UK Oil & Gas Chaplaincy. The News Page
changes several times a week so why not add it to your "Favourites"
and come back on a regular basis? If you have any news events relating to the UK
Oil & Gas Chaplaincy which you feel we ought to include on this page then please email
us at We
hope you enjoy your visit.
Sparrows makes £3,000 donation to Oil Chaplaincy Welfare Trust
Doug Sedge, chief executive officer of Sparrows, has presented a cheque for £3,000 to the Oil Chaplaincy Welfare Trust – the only charity exclusively dedicated to providing crisis support for current and former workers in the oil and gas industry who are prevented from working by illness or injury. The donation was received by Rev Andrew Jolly, chaplain to the UK Oil and Gas industry.
Sparrows makes this £3,000 donation annually to the Trust, with an additional £5,000 if the company achieves its UK safety objectives for the year; after some years’ success in this regard, sadly, in 2009 Sparrows missed its safety targets so the charity only benefits from the basic donation.
With over 900 permanent staff in the UK, Sparrows is one of the largest employers in the UK oil and gas sector. Doug Sedge says the company is committed to playing its part as a good citizen in the industry and in the community.
“The Chaplain meets many of our staff on his regular pastoral visits offshore; he reminds us of the important things in life – including the importance of looking after each other’s safety and welfare.” says Doug Sedge. “We all admired the dignity with which he supported families and led our industry in remembering the victims of Flight 85N, including Alex Dallas. But he helps us to mark the happy times too: in fact Andrew has conducted marriages for some of our employees.”
Accepting the donation, Rev Andrew Jolly said “The Oil Chaplaincy Welfare Trust offers crisis support to employees and former employees of the UK oil and gas industry; in my role as Chaplain, I meet some wonderful people who have had their careers shortened by illness, and donations like this from Sparrows make it possible for us to give simple, practical help which can greatly add to their quality of life.”
Looking to the future, Doug Sedge is characteristically direct.
“It’s not often I ask employees to do something which will cost the company money – but I’m doing it now,” he says “Our safety performances have slipped in the last two years. Let’s sort that right now; let’s commit ourselves to achieving our safety target for 2010. If it earns this worthwhile charity an extra £5,000 donation from the company, that is a price I will be delighted to pay. The price of the alternative, in terms of injury or worse, is one none of us can afford.”
Safety targets for Sparrows UK business units in 2010 are Zero Lost Time Incidents (LTIs), Zero high Potential Severity Incidents, and a Total Recorded Case Frequency (TRCF) of less than 3 per million man hours worked.
MV Silver Pit Plaque Handed To Chaplaincy
The Chaplaincy was delighted recently to receive a plaque which had been presented to the MV Silver Pit following its rescue of personnel following the Piper Alpha disaster. The plaque which had been mounted in the wheelhouse of the vessel was removed prior to the MV Silver Pit being scrapped. The momento was handed over by Mrs Janet Mussell of Cleethorpes whose late husband George "Cocker" Mussell had skippered the vessel on its final journey.
Recognizing the significance of the plaque he removed it when the vessel reached the breakers yard. Since then it had lain in the attic of their house until Janet decided to move in with her daughter
last year. When clearing out many of her late husband's belongings she came across the plaque and felt it ought to be returned to the industry. After searching the internet she came across the Chaplaincy's website and made contact. On a recent trip to the south of England the Chaplain called in on the Mussell family and took possession of the plaque.
The Chaplain said, "This is an important part of the history of the industry and we are delighted to receive it on behalf of those who perished and those who survived. The Silver Pit's Fast Rescue Craft is reputed to have rescued 37 people from the water following the Piper Alpha disaster. Not only was this a tremendous feat recognized by Occidental but also with the award of a George Medal to the vessel's coxswain James Clark".
Safety Awards Dinner raises funds for Oil Chaplaincy Trust
The Oil Chaplaincy Trust has again been chosen as one of two beneficiaries from a Charity collection held at this years’ IADC North Sea Chapter Safety Awards Ceremony held in May.
IADC North Sea Chapter Chairman Steve Rae, Seawell presented a cheque for £2,500 to UK Oil and Gas Chaplain, Rev. Andrew Jolly.
Steve Rae “These monies were raised through personal donations made by Chapter members and their guests at our recent Safety Awards Dinner. We are very pleased to be able to continue to support the Oil Chaplaincy Trust in their excellent work with families of those who have worked in our industry and find themselves experiencing difficult times ”.
Rev. Andrew Jolly “Once more we are indebted to the IADC North Sea Chapter for their generosity. The Oil Chaplaincy Trust provides financial support to individuals, and their families, who have worked in the UK Oil and Gas sector and who through illness or injury find themselves with pressing financial problems.
Through contributions from organisations such as the IADC North Sea Chapter, we can continue to provide this support to those in need”.
The £5,000 raised at the Annual Safety Awards was shared by the Oil Chaplaincy Trust and Cancer Link Aberdeen North (CLAN).
Pictured left to right are Anne Fullerton the UK Oil and Gas Chaplaincy Adminitrator, John Monks IADC, the Rev Andrew Jolly and Steve Rae IADC.
Part Time Assistant Chaplain Appointed To Support The Chaplain
The UK Oil and Gas Chaplaincy is pleased to announce the appointment of the Rev Dr Ian McLean as a part-time chaplain to assist the Rev Andrew Jolly who is chaplain to the UK Oil and Gas Industry.
The Rev Dr Ian McLean, minister of Montrose Old and St Andrews, takes up this part-time appointment with immediate effect and will provide emergency offshore cover when the Chaplain is on holiday or at other times when he may be unavailable.
Dr McLean was born in Aberdeen. His teenage years were spent in Edinburgh where he graduated from the University of Edinburgh before being ordained as a Minister of the Church of Scotland.
For over 25 years he was Minister of Summerhill Parish Church in Aberdeen, serving for a time as Clerk to the Presbytery. During these years he came into contact with many in the Oil & Gas Industry and has also shared the ups and downs of everyday life with people from every walk of life.
In 2008 he moved to Montrose to become Minister of Montrose Old & St Andrew’s where he is enjoying ministering in a busy town with a rural hinterland.
He served for 10 years in the Royal Naval Reserve, mainly on minehunters, in the North Sea, all around Scotland and as far as the Mediterranean.
Following part time study Ian graduated Doctor of Ministry in 2006. He is intent on ensuring that he is prepared to meet the challenges of ministering in a rapidly changing world and looks forward to assisting in the UK Oil & Gas Chaplaincy.
Ian is married to Elaine. She and their son Gavin work in the Oil and Gas Industry and their daughter, Laura has just returned from a gap year in Australia. Ian has long been a rugby referee and continues his interest as one of the Scottish Rugby Union’s referee coaches.
Speaking following his appointment Dr McLean said, “It is a very different form of ministry going offshore but with my previous Royal Naval Reserve experience and years in parish ministry I am looking forward to this exciting development. With my wife and son already working in the Oil and Gas Industry I feel that I am playing catch up in our household”.
On Saturday 2nd May, to conincide with the last of the funerals for the victims of Flight 85N, the Rev Andrew Jolly, chaplain to the UK Oil and Gas Industry, took the floral tributes left in the Oil Chapel by the families of those who perished and members of the public, out on the Fraserburgh lifeboat. They were taken approximately 6 miles offshore where the Chaplain laid the wreaths and other tributes on the waters of the North Sea.
"It was a fitting final act of remembrance for the men, and a dignified final resting place for the mountain of flowers so kindly placed in the Chapel by the families of those who perished and members of the public," says the Reverend Andrew Jolly.
The dedication cards were removed from the floral tributes and will be bound into copies of the Book of Condolence which will be presented to the families of those lost on the flight.
The Book of Condolence closed on 2nd May as planned and the Oil Chapel has now reverted to the normal opening hours of St Nicholas Kirk. The online Book closed on Friday 8th May.
Pictured is a member of the Fraserburgh Lifeboat crew (left) assisting the Reverend Andrew Jolly, chaplain to the UK Oil and Gas Industry (right), in laying the public's and families floral tributes to those lost on Flight 85N on the waters of the North Sea.
This is where to look for news from the UK Oil & Gas Chaplaincy. The News Page
changes several times a week so why not add it to your "Favourites"
and come back on a regular basis? If you have any news events relating to the UK
Oil & Gas Chaplaincy which you feel we ought to include on this page then please email
us at We
hope you enjoy your visit. 
Doug Sedge, chief executive officer of Sparrows, has presented a cheque for £3,000 to the Oil Chaplaincy Welfare Trust – the only charity exclusively dedicated to providing crisis support for current and former workers in the oil and gas industry who are prevented from working by illness or injury. The donation was received by Rev Andrew Jolly, chaplain to the UK Oil and Gas industry.
The Chaplaincy was delighted recently to receive a plaque which had been presented to the MV Silver Pit following its rescue of personnel following the Piper Alpha disaster. The plaque which had been mounted in the wheelhouse of the vessel was removed prior to the MV Silver Pit being scrapped. The momento was handed over by Mrs Janet Mussell of Cleethorpes whose late husband George "Cocker" Mussell had skippered the vessel on its final journey.
Ceremony held in May.
The Rev Dr Ian McLean, minister of Montrose Old and St Andrews, takes up this part-time appointment with immediate effect and will provide emergency offshore cover when the Chaplain is on holiday or at other times when he may be unavailable.
On Saturday 2nd May, to conincide with the last of the funerals for the victims of Flight 85N, the Rev Andrew Jolly, chaplain to the UK Oil and Gas Industry, took the floral tributes left in the Oil Chapel by the families of those who perished and members of the public, out on the Fraserburgh lifeboat. They were taken approximately 6 miles offshore where the Chaplain laid the wreaths and other tributes on the waters of the North Sea.