VOLUNTEERS at Rugby’s hospital have been praised at an annual meeting.
The Friends of St Cross welcomed some 60 members and guests to their 68th Annual General Meeting to celebrate another year of support for the Hospital of St Cross.
The first guest speaker was Mayor Maggie O’Rourke, who told the meeting how St Cross had a special place in my heart as her father worked in theatres, her mother in the dining room for consultants, and she herself worked in the Pharmacy Department for 22 years.
She said: “I am passionate about the Friends. I would like to thank all the volunteers for their hard work and dedication and acknowledge that they help to provide a culture of tangible patient care.”
Robert White, General and Ultrasound Superintendent Radiographer at St Cross, then spoke about the wide range of imaging services that are offered at the hospital. He thanked the Friends for the donation of equipment costing £70,000, including a new Ultrasound machine which will increase the hospital’s capacity for carrying out scans.
Friends President Willy Goldschmidt said: “We are always delighted to support the expansion of the services offered at the hospital. We can only do this thanks to the tremendous support we receive from the community in Rugby and in particular, on this occasion, from the Hinckley and Rugby Building Society which donated £10,000 towards the cost of this project.”
The final guest speaker was Dame Stella Manzie DBE, outgoing Chair of the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, who said: “It gives me great pleasure to be able to attend and express thanks for all the hard work and dedication given to the hospital – and in particular the important role volunteers play in bringing the local community of Rugby into the hospital.
“It makes a massive difference in positive ways to the patient experience. Without the volunteers the hospital in Rugby would be a lesser place.”
Mr Goldschmidt presented Dame Stella with a bouquet and a “Friends of St Cross / Thank You NHS” mug as a memento from her time working with the charity.
Coun O’Rourke and Friends Chair Doug Jones presented Long Service Awards to Mr Goldschmidt and Ann Purcell, who had both served as volunteers for 10 years.
The meeting closed with the presentation of a bouquet to Karen Tomlinson, who works to support the Friends Board and the team of Service Co-ordinators who lead the team of over 170 volunteers.
