9 October 2009
A tea party hosted at Epsom Racecourse paid thanks to the dedicated volunteers of Epsom, St Helier and Sutton hospitals last week.
The Trust invited every hospital volunteer to the Queen's Stand at the racecourse where they enjoyed tea, sandwiches and cake - all to the relaxing sounds of a live musician who played classic songs, including hits by Frank Sinatra. A number of volunteers also received special awards for the length of their service with the Trust.
But the annual tea party is just a small token of thanks for the dedicated team of volunteers - last year alone, our 487 volunteers gave up more than 100,000 hours to work at the Trust and to date, have raised in excess of £500,000 to buy new equipment.
Deputy Chief Executive, Shane Degaris was at the tea party, along with the Chairman, John Davey and other Trust directors. He said: "We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of our volunteers. They underpin so many important areas of the care and support we provide to our patients - from befriending people on the wards, running the tea shops and staffing the hospital's two radio stations, our volunteers help us every step of the way.
"I am particularly impressed with those volunteers who received long service awards - Joan Bellevue, Paul Burns, Cliff Carter. Ted Gates, Daphne Murdoch, Colin Palmer and Kathy Workman. Jointly they have served 115 years. We owe them a tremendous thank you for their dedication and loyalty."
Voluntary services co-ordinator, Ruth Murphy said: "Our volunteers are vital to our hospitals and so we organise the tea party as a gesture of thanks for all of their hard work and selfless commitment. Our volunteers, who are aged between 17 and 92, give up so many hours of their spare time for the benefit of our patients, visitors and staff so it's incredibly important that we let them know they're appreciated.
"I think everyone there had a wonderful time - there was a real buzz in the atmosphere as everyone spent the afternoon chatting, socialising and relaxing. Some of the volunteers were really energised and were dancing to the music - one even got up to sing a beautiful rendition of the Righteous Brother's classic 'Unchained Melody'. It was a fantastic afternoon."
The volunteers who received special long service awards were:
25 years service
Joan Bellevue: Joan began her volunteering career helping in the hospital's flower shop on Sundays, and also working as relief in the tea bar. Joan says it has been a pleasure to see how the League of Friends has progressed and how much they have contributed to the hospitals over the years.
15 years
Paul Burns: Paul joined Radio St Helier in February 1994, assisting on the Monday evening request programme. The main feature of the show was the bingo game for patients. Paul got the nickname Paul 'Bingo' Burns - a nickname which has stuck with him to this day. Seven months after joining, Paul was given his own Sunday show.
Cliff Carter: Cliff spent most of his working life at Merton Borough Council. When he retired he volunteered for the League of Friends Shop on Sundays. Cliff enjoys meeting new people, making new friends and is a valued member of the team.
Ted Gate MBE: Ted began volunteering for the Trust following treatment he received in 1998. He began by organising fundraising events for the physiotherapy department and raised a staggering £5,000. Ted subsequently joined the Access and Equality Group, where he was chair for 12 years.
Daphne Murdoch: Daphne was having a drink in the League of Friends tea bar when she saw a notice saying that they were short of staff. Daphne volunteered her services at the tea bar on a temporary basis. After three years she became a permanent member of the team. Daphne likes meeting people and helping patients and hospital staff. Prior to this, Daphne worked for 40 years as a chief clerk in an insurance office.
Colin Palmer: Colin was born with cerebral palsy in 1942. He volunteers with the Disability Information Centre at Epsom (DICE), and has been a valued member of the team since 1994. For 14 years Colin was in charge of statistics at DICE, helping the team keep a track of the number and type of enquires they were receiving.
Kathy Workman: Kathy was introduced to the League of Friends by a friend who was already a volunteer and that Kathy would enjoy it too. She joined for the pleasure of helping people and hospital staff. Kathy also enjoys knitting and kindly produces a wide range of baby and children's wear which is sold in the League of Friends shop.
Despite a team of almost 500 volunteers, the Trust could always do with more helping hands. With a wide range of services suitable for volunteers, there's definitely something for everyone and not forgetting that we welcome all ages.
