A Lanarkshire dad is working his magic to help youngsters feel at ease while receiving their Covid jabs.
When former nurse turned professional magician Roddy McGhie was forced to draw a veil over his magic career due to the pandemic, the dad-of-two signed up to be part of the NHS vaccination team as a stop gap.
Having built a reputation as one of the world’s top magic creators – inventing tricks for American firm Penguin Magic and acting as a creative consultant for a number of TV and theatre productions – Roddy has devised some of the world’s best-selling magic tricks over the last few years.
So, when the vaccines were being rolled out to the under 12s, his NHS colleagues knew who to come to for help in distracting some anxious youngsters.
Roddy, who trained as a nurse in the 1990s and worked in social care with mental health charity SAMH for 20 years, explained: “I made the leap to work full-time as a magician in 2014, but during the pandemic the entertainment industry ground to a halt as planned events were cancelled during lockdown.
"When the vaccines were being rolled out at the start of 2021, I decided to sign up to be part of the vaccination team in NHS Lanarkshire. During my time there my colleagues became aware of my magic career and would often call me over.
"I usually perform for adults in restaurants, at weddings, parties and corporate events but I had a few tricks up my sleeve to help the kids feel at ease.”
Earlier this year Roddy appeared on the hugely popular Penn & Teller’s Fool Us show on American TV, performing all of his own mind-blowing tricks on the show and making a great impression. So much so that the world renowned magicians and illusionists said they would be keen to have Roddy back on the hit show.
Despite being busy with gigs again, Roddy has continued to work in the vaccination centre at Airdrie town hall, where he is happy to come to the rescue and pull out a few tricks to help the worried youngsters.
Anyone wishing to see Roddy perform can do so on Friday evenings in the Fox & Willow restaurant in Ayr and he is available to book for private events through his social media pages or website at http://www.roddymcghiemagic.com/
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