Stories of volunteers supporting the health service since 1949
222 results
Maggie Linford, Friends of St Mary’sMaggie had a life of supporting people through her careers as a social worker and an occupational therapist. Once retired, she continued to make a difference in her community through volunteering. When she joined the Friends of St Mary’...
Cynthia Burton, Friends of The Royal London Hospital for Integrated MedicineReturning from time abroad, when getting involved in the community was a part of everyday life, Cynthia found herself with time on her hands. A lifelong supporter of homeopathy meant the League of Friends at the then “Royal London Homeopathic Hos...
Homeopathy, its values, and lifestyle have always been important to Sato. It's impacted not only her lifestyle, but also her career choices and now her volunteering. Her passion for complementary medicine is as infectious, as her knowledge abou...
As a great grand-daughter of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, it could have felt inevitable that Jenny Loehnis would find herself as Chairman of the League of Friends. As it was, she did inherit the role from her Aunt and was pleased to continue the fa...
Sue Rivers, Friends of St Mary’sAs the wife of a hospital consultant, Sue almost had no choice but to get involved with the Friends. Becoming Chairman near the turn of the decade, she has thoroughly involved herself in all aspects from fundraising to helping out in the café. She ...
Friends of the Royal London Hospital for Integrated MedicineThe Friends of the RLHIM have been supporting the hospital and its patients since 1975. There were two main roles for volunteers to take part in. The first was becoming a trustee, and the second was running the snack bar with a small team. In the ea...
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson HospitalThe Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Obstetric Hospital and its predecessor organisations provided healthcare to women in central London from the mid - Victorian era. It was named after Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, one of Britain's first female physicia...
The Friends of UCLHThe 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 bot...
Patricia Evans, Friends of St MarksAfter a long and successful career in the NHS, following retirement, Trish decided it was time to give something back. Initially starting her career as volunteer in the gardens, she now finds herself Chairman of the Friends Group. It is a t...
Friends of Cedar HouseThe Friends of Cedar House held their first meeting on 2nd July 2015. It came together as a response from Harefield to support its elders living in Cedar House. It was supported in its ambitions by Attend Academy. Other supporting organisations were ...
Friends of CathjaThe Cathja provides a welcoming space that provides the opportunity for people to engage in being creative. The resources are geared to using wood in all its forms and there is a range of tools and machinery to use. Sculpture also forms a big part of...
Shenna Cummins, Friends of St Mary’s HospitalShenna decided to volunteer when she had some spare time because she wasn’t working. Her warmth, and people skills meant her natural contribution was focussed towards fundraising. This, she not only enjoyed but is very good at. Unexpectedly, v...
Friends of St Mary’s HospitalThe St Mary's Ladies Association was founded in 1906 to assist patients and staff at St Mary's Hospital, and provide patients with a high standard of care, and they changed their name to the Friends of St Mary's in 1974. The Friends provide equipment...
Udo Bauer, Friends of St Mary’sFor over 25 years, Udo has been based at the German YMCA, and creating links with the local community, including the Friends of St Mary’s. Volunteers have been involved in all sorts of activities including the café and shop. ...
Connie Foster (Sue Boram) After a lifetime of living in, and service to the community, almost by accident Connie found herself volunteering for the League of Friends in the local hospital. She threw herself with enthusiasm into every aspect of the life of the friends group, a...
Beryl Carr, Ealing Hospital League of FriendsFollowing the death of her husband, and a move away from their retirement home, Beryl found herself isolated. At 80, her daughter helped her join up as a volunteer at the local hospital, where over 20 years she has found real friendships....
Following a full and rewarding career in probation work, Lynn found herself at retirement age, but she wasn’t ready to stop, and still felt she had something to offer. Having used the Friends Cafe while visiting the hospital, she asked if there wer...
Bereaved and unemployed, with Covid raging around, Louise was looking for somewhere to get a foothold back on the ladder. Ealing Hospital League of Friends were welcoming, and encouraging. Using existing skills as a ‘subject matter expert’ she ha...
Ealing Hospital League of FriendsThe original Ealing Hospital first opened in 1871, it was called the Ealing Cottage Hospital, and was located at Milton Lodge in Ealing Dene. It was enlarged in 1873, and again in 1886, it had 16 patient beds. In 1911 it was replaced by a new hospita...
Jean Howard, Friends of Cedar House Jean has volunteered for over 50 years. The organisations she has got involved with have mirrored the life-cycle of her family life, be it her children’s school or her mother’s care home. Her consistent ambition has been to add value to the l...