Since the lockdown began the League of Friends RSH have continued to provide a service and since March has kept one of its main hospital shops in the Ward block open for the benefit of hospital NHS staff, plus providing an extra daily service of pre-order food hampers to help the staff after a long and exhausting day; this service proved to be a great success and very much appreciated.
With the restrictions now being slightly lifted and clinics starting to re-open once again a second Friends shop has now been opened in the Outpatients area for hospital staff, patients and visitors alike.
Friends Shop Manager Lee Herkes said, “We have tried very hard to keep our shops open while making sure our staff and customers are as safe as possible and following the strict guidelines of installing screens, wearing face masks and operating a card/contactless payment only policy as well as introducing one way systems with floor markings to remind people to social distance. Hearing the gratitude of hospital staff and patients using the shops make it all worthwhile and of course we wouldn’t have been able to carry on offering this service without the tremendous help from our marvellous helpers and volunteers.”
Sue Hurdiss, Organising Secretary of the League of Friends said, “As a charity it has been important for us to keep supporting our hospital and during this terrible pandemic we have fast-tracked urgent requests to provide the funding for much needed equipment; this has only been possible because of the generosity and kindness of so many of our supporters and I would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to everyone”
Pictured is young volunteer Charlotte Hope serving a member of the hospital staff. 17 year old Charlotte is a former student of Thomas Adams College and at the end of the summer will be starting a University Teacher’s training Course.
