Stories of volunteers supporting the health service since 1949
65 results
Margaret and Jean met as dinner ladies at the local school. They have been best of friends ever since. They got involved with the Bridgnorth Hospital League of Friends after leaving work. They talk about their time pushing trolleys around the wards w...
Julia Davies started her career as a nurse at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. In her 30s, she moved over to Bridgnorth Hospital as a Senior Enrolled Nurse. From there, the moved to another hospital and eventually ended up teaching at Staffs University.As ...
After numerous volunteering experiences, including with a youth organisation Sarah took on the role of Chair of the League of Friends at Glangwili Hospital. As Chair, her role involves a wide range of tasks: maintaining order during meetings, orga...
Linda originally became involved with the hospital following plans to close cottage hospitals in the area. Having experienced the care that the hospital provided to her close family members she realised this would be detrimental to the local communit...
Arthur Phillips, League of Friends of Glangwili HospitalArthur Phillips became a member of the League of Friends of Glangwili Hospital in Wales almost by accident, when he found his Treasurer role with the group came as part of his new role as deacon in the local chapel in Carmarthen.Volunteering hadn’t...
Bridget Foley, AttendBridget started volunteering very early on when she accompanied her Mum to Church, where they arranged flowers, handed out hymn books and mended curtains. As she got older she took on these and other tasks within the church and continued throughout h...
Richard Miller, Friends of Horse FairBorn in South Wales, Richard moved to the south of England at a young age and then spent 20 years in and around the south, firstly in Sidcup and then in Lewes, East Sussex. He met his wife in 1984 while she was doing her nurse training, and after acc...
Yvonne Frost and Carol Watson, St. Oswald’s Hospital League of FriendsRetired nurses, Yvonne Frost and Carol Watson, reflect on their years at St. Oswald’s Hospital, sharing memories of their care, community, and the close relationships they built with their patients. After retiring, they continue their involvement t...
Peter and Mary Jones, Friends of Avery PlacePeter and Mary Jones reflect on their lifelong commitment to volunteering, both through their church and in their wider community. Mary, a trained pediatrician and retired general practitioner, and Peter, a minister in the Church of England, have spe...
Pauline Smith, Business Opportunities for the Physically Handicapped (BOPH)After a difficult childhood in East London, Pauline has been working and then volunteering with disabled children, and disabled adults all of her life, as a social worker but also in multiple charities, before ending up in BOPH, where she has been fo...
Robert Fox (Kath Fox), The League of Friends of Deeside Community HospitalFollowing her death, Robert Fox talks about the life of his Mum, Kath. Robert tells of her early life as the daughter of a miner, and gives insights into both the challenges of that life, as well as Kath and her families determination to take adva...
Kevin Madge, Amman Valley Hospital League of FriendsKevin has been an active part of the community since he was 18 years old. He talks about his involvement with the Amman Valley Hospital League of Friends as well as his career full of public service.He is currently the Chair of Carmarthenshire County...
Megan Jolly, The League of Friends of the Deeside Community HospitalFrom an early age Megan helped others and this led to a life long career in nursing. Alongside this she began helping with the League of Friends, an involvement that spans over 50 years....
Sally Davies, The League of Friends of the Shrewsbury and Telford HospitalSally started volunteering at the League of Friends around 25 years ago, after 10 years of volunteering with adults who wanted to improve their literacy skills. When she started, she was mainly volunteering with the fundraising committee of the hospi...
Pamela Morton OBE, Friends of York HospitalsAt an early age Pam began volunteering to help refugees, at the end of the Second World War. Those values were to stay with her, not only in her career as a teacher but also through the many different volunteering initiatives she enthusiastically emb...
Delyth Evans MBE, League of Friends of Glangwili HospitalContributing to numerous charities since the 1980s, Delyth has been involved in her community for a long time. After some time, she saw an opportunity to volunteer at the League of Friends of Glangwili Hospital, which she took, and became the new Tre...
Barbara Wren, Brentwood Community Hospital League of FriendsBarbara started her career as a bursar at a local school. During her time there she found herself going above and beyond for the students. She took that work ethic with her to the Highwood Hospital and then to the Brentwood Community Hospital.She use...
Josephine (Jo) Geary, Business Opportunities for the Physically Handicapped (BOPH)Founder of BOPH with Joan Lythgoe, MBE, Jo was first involved with people with disabilities when her daughter was born paralysed from the waist down and, when pushed by Joan, she joined her in starting a charity that would be a free workshop for phys...
Joan Lythgoe MBE, Business Opportunities for the Physically Handicapped (BOPH)Born in London and brought up in Canvey Island, Joan worked as a supervisor for STC (Standard Telephone and Cable) before she co-created BOPH (Business Opportunities for the Physically Handicapped). Initially, she was able to travel to work locally, ...
Ken Rees, The Llanelli & District League of Hospital FriendsKen's story is a life embedded in South Wales. It's about being totally immersed in the local community from a young age. From playing rugby with Llanelli Scarletts, to raising money for equipment at the local hospital, to being Mayor....