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A traumatic childhood,followed by regular teenage exposure to the tortured world of mentally III patients In King George V — at a time when Gibraltar's mental hospital was almost Dickenslan in its bleakness — would probably have pushed a weaker person over the edge". But the petitely feminine exterior of Jayne MacDonald sheathes a steely strength and determination which,coupled with a powerful faith, brought her through these experiences and more, and has given her the empathy to help the Rock's less fortunate.

Jayne is something of a rarity in a society which has a reputation for generosity anci gives freely to the rattling tins of charity col lectors... but largely closes its soul to the disadvantaged — she a person who not only cares but acts on her con cerns. And though the main thrust of her voluntary work is directed towards the needs of the mentally handicapped (both in and out of the King George V) others with problems constantly draw on her time, and a boundless capacity as a listener.

"At times that's all that a lot of people really need — someone to listen to their problems," she argues. "Someone who can sympathise with them and who isn't judgmental."

But it is not all "just listening" in the inces santly caring world of Jayne MacDonald. There's the practical side, too.

She arrives for our meeting over coffee flustered, slightly late — there has been an un expected crisis, she explains. A patient has got behind with water and electricity bills and was threatened with these being cut off over Christ mas. She has been on the phone persuading the service providers not to do anything while she sorts out payment of the accounts...

The previous day there had been another phone call from the brother of a patient at KCV who could be allowed to leave the hospital un less he had a fridge in his flat — something to ensure that he would have fresh food available. It had seemed a strange request, she explains; but she had checked and found it true.

And though "Tomorrow it Could be You", the mental health charity whose establishment she spearheaded in September last year, doesn't have funds to buy fridges,Jayne has her own list of "lovely people" whom she calls on for help.

"I ask a lot from these people,but they always help. The fridge was forthcoming and, do you know, the brother is came out for Christmas... and all because of a refrigerator," she chuck les her delight and grey-flecked tawny eyes sparkle.

Refrigerators and unpaid service bills are light years away from Jayne's first steps into the charitable and volunteer activities which began when she dressed up as Tinkert>ell, the irrepressible fairy in J.M.Barrie's Peter Pan, to entertain children in the Rainbow Ward at the old St Bernard's Hospital... and they are even further from her first concerns about the problems of the mentally ill forged when she was a 16-yearold schoolgirl and visited an only brother, two years her junior, who had been diagnosed as schizophrenic and admitted to KGV — where he is still a patient.

"It was very difficultto see him so low,suicidal — especially as he was,and still is,so good-na tured and loving,"she recalls sadly."I remember thinking 'Why are they here?' as I watched patients walking aimlessly up and down the corridors smoking, or just sitting mindlessly staring at walls bare of pictures, staring into empty prospect-less lives.

"Even then, though I couldn't do anything about it at the time, I knew that someone must speak out for them.,. these were the Rock's for gotten children, whatever their ages...

"They seemed to be treated with as little respect in those bleak corridors as their counter parts —the different and the disadvantaged,the sick and the elderly — were treated in the streets ofthe town," her face darkens at the memory and delicate fingers push impatiently at a lock of hair that has fallen across her eyes."Children would throw stones at them, mock them, call them names tell them to do the chicken, or dance..."

She had seen her brother going through this sort of hell. And had been through her own hell when,as"Daddy's girl",herSpanish mother and Dockyard-worker father had separated.She and her two siblings were brought up in a Spanish- speaking environment and though her parents were later to develop an "excellent relationship" the split was"a big blow that has remained with me for a very long time."

With hindsight and the wiser head of maturity, she accepts that the separation was the right thing to happen."Some people just are not very good at living together," And again she speaks from personal experience,for her first marriage ended in separation.

But while her parents'separation and the first signs of her brother's future ill health did not break her spirit,they left scars that can still fill the tawny eyes with tears. "I think I can empathise with troubled children who are going through the trauma of a parental separation or divorce," she says.

Jayne swapped the sadness of a broken home for the happiness of the classroom. She "really enjoyed school" where her favourite subjects were English literature and drama.

"I was good at drama and liked it... because you can become somebody else, let go of your emotions.And its often therapeutic. We hope to have a small stage at the Drop in Centre which Tomorrow it Could be You is hoping to establish; and we'll encourage people to act — it can all contribute to your self-confidence."

School was followed by some two decades in the civil service, initially as a counter clerk at the Post Office and later in a clerical post with the Health Department where she worked for ten years, leaving before the birth of her third child.

"I spent two months sitting at home and realised 1 had to do something...so 1 started vol untary work with visits to the Rainbow Ward."

Jayne skates over her own tragedies,an abusive husband;a miscarriage;herown spellsofintense depression from which she talks herselfout;and the sorrow of her brother's mental illness.

How did she survive all this, one wonders?

"You may laugh at this — but I believe in angels. That everyone has his or her personal angels who,along with God ofcourse,look after one in times of crisis.I've touched one..."and the delicately expressive hands gesture towards her rightshoulder. There's as sincere a beliefin these words as there is in everything she says.

"Even when things have been really bad Cod has held me there, never let me reach the bottom." And a restless hand gestures uncon sciously towards the small diamond cross at her throat.

"I not only believe in God, but I believe that he has created us all equal... Everyone should be treated as equals,"she says with determined passion."Alcoholics, people with drug problems and the mentally disturbed — they're all human beings,too. People like you and 1. There's a dif ference between 'bad'and 'mad',and we've all got a bit of the'mad'in us."

We've all got a bit of'bad' in us, too, I sug gest.

"Yes," she nods reflectively — and recalls a recent incident in which she took a small group of mentally handicapped people into a Burger King for coffee. She gave them cash to pay for their drinks while she"powdered her nose"and returned to find one of them in tears and the others agitated and upset. acting is something I love doing. I was cast as a young boy growing up in the 16th Century,and I immersed myself totally in the role.

"A customer had abused them verbally and told th§m they should not be there," her eyes flare in remembered anger. "I was fdrious and wentand told the woman so.That'ssymptomatic of an attitude that is widespread and that we as a society must begin to tackle."

With this in her mind, two years ago, Jayne approached Emily Olivero of the Psychologi cal Support Group and suggested they stage a 'big walk' to raise awareness of mental health issues.

"Conditions have sinceimproved enormously — though there is still much to be done and both the Mental Health authorities and society have a long way to go."

The first walk was a disappointment for the two organizers. Only 20 members of the public turned up to join 20 mental health patients. "I think a lot of people didn't wantto be seen walk ing with patients — that's the sort of attitude we have to cope with and one we are working so desperately to overcome," Jaync explains bluntly.

Butneither she nor Emily Olivera are'quitters' — "My grandfather used to say you are only a failure if you haven't tried," says Jayne — and they persisted. The second march drew 200 in support... and the next will see even more.

It will be a slow process, but with Jayne's grit and determination, attitudes and conditions will change.

"Shooting this film has been one of the best experiences I have ever had.I learned a lot about how films are shot and experienced what acting is like. I loved pretending to be someone else and to portray this in front of a camera. I was amazed with all he stuff that goeson behind the scenes and realised that everything is so much more complicated than I thought. Since then 1 watch films very differently. It was an amazing experience and I would definitely repeat it,"

When pressed to highlight an aspect of his personality that people always comment on, Adnan smiles.In fact he seems to be smiling and laughing constantly and he confesses that often, there is no particular reason for him to smile or laugh."Sometimes it can happen in situations that are awkward. 1 still remember my seventh birthday when I was going to the beach with my older sister on one of the old buses when we stopped at a zebra crossing, and as a man was trying to change seats onto the other side of the bus we moved and he fell to the floor! I have never laughed so hard in my life since then and it sure made my birthday a good one! My sister wasso embarrassed she had to pretend she wasn't with me and it still makes me laugh now every time I remember it! Having said that i am notan insensitive person but 1 just respond with laughter to nearly everything that happens."

Adnan's hopes and aspirations are simple. He hopes to be an independent and successful career man with a family.

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