We all need an Annie's Place

Yesterday I sat within earshot of Heathrow Airport in a cold impersonal hotel ready to start one of our many medical meetings. By common consent we all stood in silence as a homage to those who had been touched by the horror at Dunblane three days before. Many of us around the table knew the area well. We had worked, trained, and socialised with many of the professionals who were now trying to bring love and care out of chaos and horror. During the silence my mind went back to the warmth and comfort of Annie's Place. For nearly 17 years it had been my privilege to serve as medical adviser and crew member to our local lifeboat. It was luckily not a busy station, but we did have our share of excitement and disasters. These affected each of the crew in different ways. Like many of our friends in the lifeboat service, however, we also had our secret resource, Annie and Bill. They ran a small pub that sat beside the lifeboat shed and was always known as Annie's Place.

It was a typical harbour pub used by travellers and fishermen over the years. The …