hat's your favourite way to chill out under the simmering sun? A watermelon, soft drinks or an ice cream? The most refreshing experience for some elderly living on Tap Mun Island and Ko Lau Wan Island this summer was a visit by a group of volunteers from the urban area.

A volunteer group made up of doctors and nurses from Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital joined hands with the hospital's volunteers and medical students from The Chinese University of Hong Kong to call on senior citizens living in those remote areas on 9 June.

On that day, a total of 60 volunteers gave healthcare talks and provided the elders with physical examination. They also visited their homes in pairs, listened to their needs, and tried to give appropriate assistance.

e're sure the recently-concluded London Olympics has stimulated the sporting instincts of many of our colleagues, and the HA is now preparing to perpetuate this passion with the biennial HA Sports Meet 2012.

Two new initiatives will be introduced for this year's event which will take place on Sunday, 21 October at Kowloon Tsai Sports Ground. The first will be a three-event Veteran's Category for those aged 40 or above, consisting of a Men's 5,000-metre, Women's 3,000-metre, and 4 x 100-metre Inter-Cluster Relay (Mixed) races.

The second will be a Staff and Family Members 4 x 100-metre Relay Race. Families can compete in this either as individual teams or else they can join forces with other families. However, each team must consist of two adults plus two children aged under 12.

Act now if you would like to show off your sporting talents! Obtain an application form from your cluster, and be sure to return it before the deadline of 7 September.

ife is Beautiful - Our Way, a volume that commemorates the HA's 20th anniversary, continues to extend its positive energy to everybody who reads it.

A colleague who read the book said, "I deeply appreciate the healthcare workers' selfless love for their patients, whose lives they may have helped to change." Some were so impressed by the stories in it they felt prompted to think about the meaning of life. One commented, "If you are a frontline colleague, you must have the same feelings as the protagonists in the stories. If you are a supporting staff member, it could increase your knowledge about the development of local medical services." Some colleagues have even bought 10 copies to give to their friends!

Cheung Tak-hai, a core member of the Alliance of Patient Mutual Help Organizations, passed away in May 2012.

Tak-hai strived to enhance the healthcare worker-patient partnership and contributed to improving public healthcare service in many ways. He won the respect of healthcare workers and patients alike.