Photos from our past events are available in the archive. Due to GDPR restrictions, access is now limited to requests. Please contact us for more information.

AGNAP TIMELINE

  • 1987: November 15th “The Association of Guyanese Nurses and Allied Professionals in the United Kingdom” was founded in Elstree, Hertfordshire by a group of expatriate Guyanese nurses: Tryphaena Todd, Lynette Richards-Murray [Lorde], Sybil Forrester-Gibson [Inverary], Elaine Williams, Lileth Warford, Betty Why and an adviser, Marva Williams.

  • 1988: Inaugural meeting of AGNAP UK on 26th June at Hackney Town Hall. President Lois Lady Ramphal; Vice-president: Dr Eddie Adams; Patron: Cita Pilgrim, wife of the High Commissioner for Guyana; Chairperson: Lynette Lorde; Vice Chair: Lileth Walford; Secretary: Betty Why; Asst Secretary: Sybil Forrester-Gibson; Treasurer: Elaine Williams; Asst Treasurer: Maria Downer; Organising Secretaries: Janet Campbell (Francois) and Bridget Morris: PROs: Ruth Ceres and Patsy Telford; Auditor: Mr S V McRae. Also present: Floccida Shuffler and Dorothy Turner for Trinidad and Jamaican Nurses Associations, Margaret Brayton, Secretary of the Commonwealth Nurses Federation and Sybil Phoenix. 55 members were enrolled. Annual membership fee £12. “Setting Our Course” workshop at Marsha Phoenix House. Pledge to commence paying fees to International Council of Nurses and Commonwealth Nurses’ Federation for Guyana Nurses Association.

    1988. It was awarded the Guyana Medal of Service in 1991 and granted charitable status in the UK in June 1996. It conducted its first educational visit to Guyana in 1992, which was the catalyst for the creation of the Guyana Cancer Society from which has now sprung the statutory body, the Guyana Cancer Board.

  • 1989: Held first fundraising dance. Developed programme of support for healthcare institutions in Guyana.

  • 1990: Cecil Agard ran for us in the London Marathon. We donated an incubator to PHG Neonatal unit

  • 1991: Sent: “dolls and pelvises” and other teaching aids to School of Nursing, PHG; Instruments and medications to Best, Bartica and Georgetown Hospitals; journals to PHG Medical Science Library. Child Abuse workshop held in UK, speaker: Barbara Fletchman-Smith.

  • 1992: Awarded Guyana Medal of Service. Brought Guyanese nurse to UK on a Commonwealth scholarship. Took mission of 51 health professionals to Guyana. First Tryphaena Todd award for midwifery excellence.

  • 1993: Wife of our newly appointed High Commissioner became our Patron. Medications and disposables sent to Guyana for cholera outbreakappeal; Clothing to Canje Hospital; Books and journals to the three schools of Nursing in Guyana. Held our first annual concert at Central Hall, Westminster and our third workshop in October

  • 1994: Founding member of GUYHEALTH (UK). Sent large quantity of supplies to the Waiwai at Gunstrip; Donated to Dr CC Nicholson Memorial Foundation for Nabaclis Hospital project; Second workshop: Coping With Stress.

  • 1995: Represented at a 7-day conference in London on Hypertension in Black People; Formed ties with the Beacon Foundation and Guyana Cancer Society. Sent large shipment of dental equipment to Parika Hospital.

  • 1996: BecameUK Registered Charity no 1055894. Sent: Pathology textbooks to Medical Library at UG; £1,000 to Commonwealth Society for the Deaf in Guyana; £500 reference books to Guyana clinics; Breast prostheses to Guyana; Consignments to Canje, Suddie and Georgetown Hospitals; Dental equipment to Parika Hospital; Health promotion publications on cancer and AIDS, and red ribbons for World AIDS Day in Guyana. Funded repairs to roof of Guyana Nurses Association HQ. Our Education Group held a seminar on diabetes mellitus in London which was then taken to Guyana. Presented television, cassette player and other teaching equipment to Georgetown School of Nursing.

  • 1997: Contracted to administer Croydon Low Birthweight Project on behalf of Department of Health and London Borough of Croydon.

  • 1998: Gave: £1,000 to Guyana Cancer Society; £700 to Guyana Nurses’ Association and 100+ books and journals to Faculty of Health Sciences, UG. Initiated the AGNAP Award for the BSc nursing degree course at UG and the AGNAP Cup for Canje Hospital.

  • 1999: Gave presentation at ICN conference in London. Donated £1,200 to Beacon Foundation to buy a computer.

  • 2000: Gave £1,500 to the Guyana Nurses Association. Funded shipment of 6 taxis to Guyana for the Ministry of Health. Founder member of the Confederation of Black and Ethnic Minority Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors (CBEN). Initiated the project Ear Care 2000 in partnership with the Commonwealth Society for the Deaf in Guyana. Donation to newly-formed Guyana Sickle Cell Association. Books and disposables to Guyana Nurses Association and the Ptolemy Reid Centre.

  • 2001: Specialist sickle cell nurse went to Guyana for AGNAP to assess viability of supporting sickle cell disorder in Guyana. Brought nurse from Guyana to represent the Guyana Nurses Association at the Commonwealth Nurses Conference in London. Completed renovations to upper floor of the Guyana Nurses Association building. Sent medical equipment valued at over £5,000 to Guyana. Presented a fax machine to the Guyana Nurses Association.

  • 2002: £2,500 to the Guyana Nurses Association. Sent 5 members to Global Reunion of Guyanese Nurses in Georgetown. Facilitated development of the Claudette Abrams Memorial Trust (for resuscitation of cardiac attack victims in Guyana).

  • 2003: Established and equipped Toy and Book Library for children’s wards, GPHC. Presented: binocular microscope to Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association; Braille machine to Guyana Society for the Blind; Equipment to “Lifeline” Guyana; TENS machines, wheelchairs, zimmer frames and journals to physiotherapy unit at PHG/ Allied with African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust. Joined the Federation of Guyanese Nationals UK.

  • 2004: First 3-month Fellowships for GSCA nurses to study in the UK. Brought nurse from Beacon Foundation to study palliative care in the UK. Our first annual talk at Croydon Town Hall. Death of Daphne Steele. Started subs to African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery for University of Guyana, Published the first AGNAP pocket diary.

  • 2005: Donated to the “Kids First” fund. Organised first AGNAP fundraising cruise (to East Africa). AGNAP Talk at Croydon Town Hall: Cancer Care in Men.

  • 2006: Gave a computer to University of Guyana for nursing degree programme. AGNAP Talk: Lupus at Croydon Town Hall.

  • 2007: Sent 100 books on sickle cell disease and a container of hospital equipment to Guyana. Fundraising cruise (Australasia) and Mother’s Day trip on the Orient Express. Brought 3 more nurses to study in the UK. AGNAP Talk: diabetes mellitus.

  • 2008: Brought Guyanese doctor to the UK to study sickle cell disease and thalassaemia at Central Middlesex Hospital. Proposal to University of Guyana for an AGNAP Talk: Complementary Therapies.

  • 2009: Third AGNAP cruise (Far East). AGNAP Talk: Croydon Low Birthweight Project. Presented computer, office equipment and a new Seal to the General Nursing Council, Guyana to replace losses after major fire. Gloria Noel, Guyana’s first CNO, honoured at CBEN’s Dame Nita Barrow annual lecture. Death of Pam Mittelholzer, our tireless representative in Guyana.

  • 2010: Nurses’ badges procured for the Guyana Nursing Council. AGNAP Talk: Dementia. Donation to Croydon Alzheimer’s Society.

  • 2011: Fourth AGNAP cruise (South Pacific). More zimmer frames to Physiotherapy Unit and more books and journals to libraries of UG and the Periwinkle Club.

  • 2012: Death of Dr Adams. Donation to the Mary Seacole Statue Appeal Fund. Facilitated sponsorship of two child sickle cell disease sufferers (until they reach 18 years) in Guyana by Brent (UK) support group.

  • 2013: AGNAP secures Awards For All National Lottery Funding. Decisions: (1) to launch new bursary, named the Pam Mittelholzer & Jean Fairbairn Memorial Fund, to support sickle cell disease sufferers and their carers in Guyana and (2) to extend the children’s Toy and Book Library to Linden Hospital Complex.

  • 2014: AGNAP cruise to The Americas. Commonwealth Nurses Federation conference in London, theme: “Nurses and Midwives: Agents for Change”. Launch of Daphne Steele Memorial Lectures.

  • 2020: AGNAP holds online AGM during pandemic.