Nurse's retirement motorhome adventure to support people of Morocco's earthquake-hit Atlas Mountains

A WOMAN who has spent her entire working life caring for others has embarked on a trip of a lifetime to mark her retirement.

But Moray nurse Trish Bury, true to her nature, will also use the journey to provide comfort and hope to people impacted by a devastating earthquake.

Trish (66) and husband John are off to Spain and Morocco for a two month adventure in their motorhome after she called time on her 48 year nursing career.

However, Trish revealed: "We have a huge box full of donations to take over for when we get to the Atlas mountains, where they had an earthquake (in September). We have lots of things like shower gel and toothpaste.

"When the earthquake happened I thought we would do something for the people affected. We will give things out as we see people."

For the last two decades Trish has been an integral part of the nurse practitioner emergency mental health team at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin, providing emergency support for people in crisis.

She bowed out on Friday, October 20 when colleagues said a fond farewell at the end of her last shift.

Trish said: "It doesn't feel like 48 years. It's time to retire but I will miss the patients and the team.

"Every day is different. I like helping people to solve their problems.

"Especially with Covid, people are speaking about mental health more and looking for help."

Trish was proud to have been the first nurse practitioner in the mental health team in Moray, which has now expanded to a team of eight.

They provide out of hours emergency cover across Moray.

"We have a great team. This is a service that has to have a good team so that it works.

"A lot of times you work on your own but with the support of the team.

"We are all friends as well and we have a laugh."

Trish started as an auxiliary at Bilbohall Hospital in Elgin in 1975 and went on to complete her enrolled nurse training.

She was born in England but her dad, who was in the Army, was posted to Zambia and her teenage years were spent growing up in Africa.

She initially started training as an accountant but realised numbers were not for her, and she switched to nursing.

She has worked across a number of specialities and settings, including a spell working in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and seven years in the NHS in England.

When the mental health pilot started in Moray in February 2004, Trish was the first to become a nurse practitioner.

She has been a key figure in the last 20 years in the development of the service and that included organising three major conferences to promote staff learning on delirium, challenging behaviour and risk management.

Through all the challenges and changes of working in the NHS, Trish said: "At the end of the day in the middle of everything is a patient and that's what we have to focus on."

Karin Howard, one of the team leaders, praised Trish for her "no nonsense, can do attitude".

"Trish has been a hard working and reliable nurse practitioner over the years.

"She has devoted 48 years to caring for folk at some of the worst times in their lives.

"Indeed Trish has been able to develop therapeutic relationships with some of the service's most complex and difficult to engage patients and has received many gifts and good wishes from those she has touched over her long career."

Trish has been the driving force behind a number of charity events during her time in the health service in Moray.

One of the most notable was the Adventure before Dementia campaign which involved Trish taking a gnome on holiday in her motorhome and making a donation to Alzheimer Scotland.

That mushroomed and staff started taking gnomes all over the world. In two years, the effort raised £10,500 for the charity.

Trish received the face of the fundraising effort, George the gnome (he was acquired from Asda), as part of her retirement. Staff also presented her with a Heart of Africa bracelet, made in Zambia.

She was also the main figure in collecting donations of toys at the hospital for the Moray Christmas Toy and Food Appeal, and easter eggs, and a number of food bank collections.

Trish played a starring role in a hilarous video produced by the team for the Dr Gray's Strictly Come Dancing competition when they acted out the Rocky Horror Time Warp video in the former ward 10. Memories were rekindled when the video was played – complete with Trish as Columbia with hot pants and a tap dancing starring role – at her leaving celebration.

As well as more adventures on the road with her husband, Trish looks forward to spending more time with her three grandchildren – Olivia (12), who lives locally, and Sophie (10) and Daniel (2) who are in Glasgow.

The couple, who live in Portgordon, have a daughter Stephanie, who lives in Moray, and sons Gareth in Glasgow and Jonathan in Edinburgh.

Trish is a keen reader and has also taken up photography after her children bought her a camera and equipment for Mother's Day.

She is looking forward to taking lots of photos from their trip to Morocco.