Interviewer

Good morning. Could we start by asking your name?

Jennifer Hughes

Jennifer Hughes.

Interviewer

And what friends group are we talking about today?

Jennifer Hughes

Friends Group of Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli.

Interviewer

And could I ask your age?

Jennifer Hughes

78.

Interviewer

Thank you. So what got you involved with volunteering in life?

Jennifer Hughes

I’ve always been a volunteer. I volunteered myself for Girl Guides, Brownies, Guide Dogs, and because I belong, I believe, to the Salvation Army. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, which really gets involved with a lot of social care, and helps vulnerable people.

Interviewer

So you obviously started volunteering quite young?

Jennifer Hughes

Right.

Interviewer

And did you, did you work in life or do paid work or what was life like for you?

Jennifer Hughes

Civil servant.

Interviewer

Okay.

Jennifer Hughes

I worked in the RN Llangennech  and then in the DVLA in Swansea.

Interviewer

So again, the public service roles that you’ve done in life.

Jennifer Hughes

That’s right.

Interviewer

So what got you involved with the League of Friends?

Jennifer Hughes

My cousin, and I, bought a ticket for the strawberry tea from Ken Rees.

Interviewer

Who we will be interviewing as part of this project. So that’s great.

Jennifer Hughes

And we were impressed ,and we decided to join. Okay. And we went to the next meeting, and I’ve been there since.

Interviewer

Okay. And what sort of things have you done with the League of Friends, you personally?

Jennifer Hughes

Personally, I was Chair, I was also Secretary.

Interviewer

The League of Friends for many groups is about fundraising. So has fundraising been an important part of your life?

Jennifer Hughes

Very important part, because whatever organisation you belong, most of them are fundraising because every organisation requires more and more money. So I’ve always been involved in organising fundraising.

Interviewer

Do you have any favourite memory of fundraising?

Jennifer Hughes

Raising a large amount of money for the scanner in the prostate cancer department of Prince Philip Hospital.

Interviewer

Do you know roughly how much that was?

Jennifer Hughes

I believe it was 120,000 pound. Okay. I believe.

Interviewer

Do you have any other favourite memories of being part of the League of Friends?

Jennifer Hughes

Any favourite memories? Well, it is, it’s been lovely to meet other people on the committee. We are only a small committee, but it’s been lovely meeting them, and it’s of course, it’s been lovely as well as committee members, we’ve been invited to the Mayor’s parlour to meet the Mayor at Llanelli. So memories like that really,

Interviewer

I get the impression you’re a very social bunch,

Jennifer Hughes

Very social

Interviewer

<Laugh> As we’ve sat there outside, you seem to know everybody that walks by.

Jennifer Hughes

Well, yes, as I said, you belong to a lot of organisations, so you know a lot of people. And of course when you sit in the foyer in the hospital, again, you meet a lot of people who have come for appointments in the hospital,  and you get, you get people coming over to tell you what their problems are, <Laugh>, when they come into the hospital, even though I don’t want to know what it is.

Interviewer

I mean, it, it’s interesting, people here are very friendly. You were sitting waiting to talk to me and I’ve already managed to give my handkerchief away today to a lady who was upset and she was quite happy to share that with me and,  tell me her story.

Jennifer Hughes

They will, they will.

Interviewer

So it’s obviously a very open community, a supportive community. It’s a community where people feel safe, and that’s a real tribute to this area, I have to say. Now, when Ken asked you to come and talk to me today, was there anything that you thought you might want to tell me you haven’t had the chance to say yet?

Jennifer Hughes

I think we need more publicity to tell you the truth. Okay. You know, even this hospital, they don’t know who we are. And of course trying to get young people involved is very difficult. But again, you see in all organisations, we can’t get the youngsters to join up, and to get involved.

Interviewer

Well, hopefully, we can use this project. So part of this project will include an opportunity to do potentially a bit of an exhibition or something locally, which we can invite both the staff, and other community groups too. And so we’ll pull that together, and hopefully we can use that as a way of reaching out to people, and telling the story.

Jennifer Hughes

Where would that be? In this hospital?

Interviewer

Yes.

Jennifer Hughes

If you put it on exhibition as well, you need, you need to have refreshments.

Interviewer

That’s great. Thank you. Thank you so much.