19 October 2010
A tea party to celebrate and thank the 428 volunteers who regularly give up their time to support Epsom, St Helier and Sutton hospitals was held at Epsom Racecourse recently.
Every hospital volunteer was invited by the Trust to the annual event, which took place in the prestigious Queen's Stand at the racecourse. There they enjoyed tea, sandwiches and cake, while local musician Steve Bradford performed classic songs, including hits from Frank Sinatra.
The celebrations also recognised those volunteers who have been donating their time to our hospitals for many years, with long service awards presented to eight people who have been volunteering for 15 or 25 years.
Chief Executive Samantha Jones was at the event to say a personal thank you and to present awards to the long-serving volunteers. She said: "Every year, we hold the tea party as a small way of saying thank you to each and every one of our wonderful volunteers. Their contribution to our hospitals is invaluable.
"Our volunteers help us in so many ways - from befriending people on the wards to running the tea shops and staffing the hospital's two radio stations. Their support is constant and unwavering, and we are incredibly grateful for their commitment.
"We estimate that our volunteers donated more than 82,100 hours last year. The tea party is a celebration of their dedication to our organisation, and an opportunity for us to publically thank them for all of their hard work.
"I was particularly proud to be able to present long service awards to eight of the volunteers, who together have served a staggering 150 years with us. Those awards included one for our eldest volunteer, Phyllis Long, who at the age of 93 and after 15 years of service in the League of Friends shop at St Helier, is now retiring."
Voluntary services manager, Lesley Scott said: "I'm pleased to say that the tea party was a great success. All of the volunteers had a nice time and it was really enjoyable to watch them relax, chat with one another and even get up for a dance. Even the heavy rain couldn't dampen their spirits."
Receiving 15 year long service awards were:
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Shirley Broughton - League of Friends, St Helier and Sutton
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Phyllis Long - League of Friends (93 and retiring), St Helier and Sutton
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Pamela Barnard - Friends of Epsom
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Russell Smith - Friends of Epsom
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Helen Davies - Epsom Medical Equipment Fund
Receiving 25 year long service awards were:
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Gladys Lester - League of Friends, St Helier and Sutton
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Maureen Blyth - Friends of Epsom
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Peter Davies - Radio St Helier
