League of Friends hospital efforts celebrated

Jul 3 2009 by Julie Watt, Dumfries Standard Friday

THERE is a reason why volunteers are called the nation’s unsung heroes.

They dedicate their time to make sure that others — our friends, family and neighbours — can lead richer and fuller lifes.

Inside the region’s flagship hospital ,an army of 74 men and women — without the aid of money or glory — know their time and dedication is enough to make a difference to those who need it most.

They volunteer for the League of Friends which is a voluntary organisation within the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.

Their sole aim is to provide much-needed equipment and comforts for the benefit of patients and staff through the income raised by the work of volunteers.

The league, which was founded in 1955, runs the hospital shop and trolley service.

Secretary Tony Lee has been a member since 2001. He told the Standard: “Our volunteers are worth their weight in gold. They provide a fantastic service which often goes unrecognised.”

All the proceeds from the shop and trolley service go to provide equipment for the local health service and in the past five years the league has spent almost £92,000 on over 20 different departments and wards.

“The equipment provided has varied from items for patient comfort such as chairs, tables and mugs, to items of medical equipment such as renal monitors and ECG machines,” Mr Lee said.

“The services provided by the league, and the equipment paid for by the league, are for the benefit of people from all over Dumfries and Galloway, not just for those living in the local Dumfries area.”

In 2004, the league spent £4,376 on hospital equipment however that figure has grown to almost £25,000 being spent in 2008.

Mr Lee said: “There are a lot of people who have never heard of the League of Friends and we would like that to change. We want members of the public to be aware of what we do and hopefully that will encourage them to donate money to our cause or donate their time by joining the band of volunteers.

“We would also like to see more requests for equipment from different hospital departments or wards who are perhaps not aware that we exist.

“We can provide anything from mugs and glasses which only cost a couple of pounds to an ECG machine which costs around £6,000.”

Many of the volunteers give years of service. For instance, Alf McKenna, who died on June 27, gave about 20 years of valuable service, both as hospital visitor and committee member.

Mr Lee added: “Alf will be sadly missed, but will always be remembered for the work he did for the hospital. We are always looking for new volunteers and are hoping people will offer some of their time to what is a great cause.

“This is a rewarding and worthwhile cause, and if you can spare a couple of hours each week, it would be greatly appreciated.”

Fact file

The League of Friends was founded in January 1955.

The league has over 70 members, all of whom are volunteers.

The league runs the hospital shop and the trolley service.

All the profits from the shop and trolley service go to provide equipment for the local health service.

In the past five years the league has provided equipment to over 20 different departments and wards to a value of almost £92,000.

SWEET GESTURES: Ethel Inglis (pictured left with Annie Urquhart and Joan McCall), has been volunteering at the hospital since the 80s, soon after she retired. She said: “I have been volunteering for more than 20 years for the League of Friends. I get a lot of pleasure from working in the shop because I meet some lovely people and the atmosphere is always very nice. I like to contribute and do my bit to help the hospital. It is very worthwhile volunteering and people can work as little or as much as they want.” The League relies solely on money made from their shop and trolley service and are therefore appealing to members of the public for donations. League of Friends secretary, Tony Lee, added: “Legacies and donations are minimal, thus virtually all the money that the League gets comes from the profits of the Shop and Trolley Service.”