Stories of volunteers supporting the health service since 1949
In 1949 groups of volunteers in hospitals came together under one umbrella organisation, now called Attend. There are now over 350 member groups of Attend across the country. Find out more below about the groups, their history and how you can get involved.
The Wrexham Hospital League of Friends was founded in 1968 by a group of public-spirited individuals from various local organisations, the Friends aims to raise funds for purchasing essential, often specialised equipment when hospital budgets fall short.
For 55 years, The League of Friends of the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital has helped provide care for patients of the hospital, while supporting patient relatives and staff.
The League of Friends has 4 shops, run by volunteers, selling food, drinks, and more to fundraise for the RSH and help supply hospital patients with necessary medical equipment.
The League of Friends of the Denbighshire Infirmary was founded in 1971. Volunteers assist the hospital in numerous ways, including providing a tea bar in outpatient and trolley shop for the day unit and wards as a form of patient service.
The League of Friends of the Deeside Community Hospital is a dedicated group of volunteers who work tirelessly to enhance the experience of patients and support the staff at Deeside Hospital.
The League of Friends of Bridgnorth Community Hospital is a charitable organisation, run solely by volunteers, which raises funds to support the care and wellbeing of patients, former patients, their relatives, carers and staff who are in or attending Bridgnorth Hospital. They also support the Hospital’s work within the community of the South East Shropshire Locality area, Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust (SCHT) and the work of services provided by other NHS Trusts under Service Level Agreement with SCHT. Funds are raised from donations, legacies, income from the 100+ Club, the profits from the League of Friends Coffee Shop, and fundraising activities such as coffee mornings.
The Guild of St Bartholomew’s is a group of volunteers established to ‘help the Hospital by personal service and by the provision of such amenities for the patients, staff, and students that would not be available for them under the NHS.’ While the hospital staff tend to the medical needs of the patients, the Guild tends to their spiritual ones.
The Friends of UCLH have been supporting UCLH for many years, and before that they supported the hospitals that came together to form UCLH. The aim of the group is to fund ‘extras’ that the NHS cannot provide. Extras can be for patients, staff or both, and in three years, the Friends have spent £430k on ‘extras’. The Friends see their donors as a community and keep in touch with them using newsletters and annual meetings.
The Friends of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is a voluntary organisation and registered charity founded in 1993 which supports the work of the hospital for the benefit of patients, their families and staff.
Shared Space is an expanding Christian network of charity shops spanning Southend and its surroundings, dedicated to helping transform lives through training, volunteering, and fundraising. The shop is composed of volunteer workers, and has a core mission of building a strong community through this volunteering.
The first shop opened in September of 2010 in Westcliff, including a lounge for coffee, chatting and community-building, a project room for organisations to hold activities, and a charity shop to fundraise. The second location opened in October of 2016 in Southchurch, partnering with Belle Vue Baptist Church.
With the generated revenue, Shared Space has been able to provide over 60 grants, funding homeless winter night shelters, football clubs, meal giveaways, and more for the Southend community.
Formed in 1997 as Attend’s first surgery-based Friends group in Wales, Prestatyn Central Surgery Community League of Friends has built a lifeline for patients in the rural area by providing essential transport services.
Since 1948, the League of Hospital Friends (Mansfield & Sutton) have raised funds for and given support to three local hospital: Kings Mill Hospital, Mansfield Community Hospital, and Millbrook Unit, Sutton in Ashfield.
The Friends of Middlesex, like the hospital itself, have now disappeared. But the work of the countless volunteers, spanning almost a century, should not be forgotten. The friends provided services to hospitals that you don’t see around anymore: flower sales were hosted in the entrance, and wards and nurses’ quarters were filled with greenery – library trolleys were brought to the ward so that patients had books to read.
The League of Friends of Glangwili Hospital, founded in 1949, is a charitable organisation that raises funds to support the patients and staff of Glangwili Hospital, while also encouraging public interest and involvement in their work.
Glan Clwyd League of Friends, also known as the Urdd Cyfeillion Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, is a charitable organisation dedicated to supporting patients, staff, and the overall operations of Glan Clwyd Hospital.
The Friends of York Hospitals works closely with the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The Friends of the RLHIM have been supporting the hospital and its patients since 1975.
Friends of St Mary’s Hospital is an independent voluntary organisation providing support and raising funds for St Mary’s and Western Eye hospitals.
The Friends of St Marks is a group of volunteers who support the work of the hospital in myriad ways. The group began its life as the Samaritan’s Society in 1868, and its remit was ‘for the alleviation of some of the many distresses among the patients for which no provision can be expected to be made in the parent Charity [of the Hospital]’.
The Friends of Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital officially formed in 1961, following decades of volunteering in the hospital assisting patients and hospital staff. The Friends support RJAH hospital, assisting with research and equipment funding to create a positive facility for patient care. Volunteers are recruited to support patients and make the public aware of the work being done at the hospital. The League of Friends fundraises in various ways, including retail, events, and sponsorship.