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A ‘JOLLY’ GOOD OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY CHAPLAIN The next time you feel tempted to complain about traffic on your way to work, you can think about Andrew Jolly who spends a chunk of his working time flying in a helicopter across the North Sea. Andrew, a good friend to all at St Andrew’s, is the only chaplain to the UK oil and gas industry and, with help from the chaplaincy administrator, Anne Fullerton, provides pastoral support to those who work offshore, onshore and their families. Originally ordained as a Church of Scotland minister, he offers support and care for people with personal or family difficulties. This job, however, has its own particular issues. Many workers have short term contracts, something which can bring its own problems for families, and working two to three weeks offshore at a time can lead to feeling isolated from what’s happening at home. Phone calls and emails are free, but, as Andrew says, its not easy to pop home if a problem arises! Onshore, some of the issues are related to ill health or injury through work. Chaplaincy administers a small Trust which can provide financial relief to workers and their dependents where necessary. Everyone who applies to the Trust for support is visited by the chaplain. The UK Oil & Gas Industry Chaplaincy was founded in the late 1980’s. It is entirely funded by the industry itself through its association, Oil & Gas UK, and its accommodation is provided by the member companies. Originally the Church of Scotland’s Home Board put forward the idea that there should be some form of support for those working offshore, and Rev Andrew Wylie volunteered to set up a pilot scheme, funded by the Church, to identify needs. Through his efforts he built up considerable trust and confidence in the industry, and the chaplaincy position was at the point of being established when, first the Chinook helicopter crash in Shetland, then the Piper Alpha tragedy, occurred. These highlighted the need for a dedicated chaplain to the industry, and the Aberdeen Oil Industry Chaplaincy Trust was set up. The industry marked the importance of the chaplaincy and the 25th anniversary of North Sea oil in 1990 by creating St John’s Aisle, the ‘Oil Chapel’, in the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting in Aberdeen. It is used by the industry and personnel for special services, such as the annual Service of Remembrance in October, as well as baptisms and marriages. Andrew spends around a third of his time visiting offshore installations. In nearly two years as chaplain, he has visited about 45 mostly in the North Sea, although he covers the whole of the UK, which includes installations of Great Yarmouth, Norwich, Morecambe Bay and Liverpool Bay. Travelling is usually by industry helicopters on scheduled flights which replace crews and supplies. He has to book slots on flights so can spend a few hours or a couple of days on installations, depending on the timings. Unusually, he has never been stranded due to weather conditions, only delayed for a few hours, but it happens to many people. It’s well known that holidays should not be booked for the day after coming onshore, just in case. Travelling onshore can also be considerable. Andrew has contact with many families, and although much is done by email, he can cover over 150 miles in a day throughout Aberdeenshire and beyond. He can be out of the office for two weeks at a time. Luckily Anne organises the travel arrangements and provides administrative support in the chaplaincy office.
Andrew also works closely with counterparts who cover the Norwegian
installations. Whereas he has all of the UK to cover on his own, there
are five chaplains in Norway, who each have their own group of
installations. They came to Scotland earlier last year, and Andrew will
visit them this year to discuss their work and common issues. visit the website - The Oil
& Gas Chaplaincy |
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