League of Friends of Crawley Hospitals
Left to right: Margaret Warrington, street collection organiser, Maria Hains, fund raising officer, Celia Putland, Treasurer, Mark Putland membership secretary and IT specialist and at the back is Lesley Marginson, President.
Since the early 1950s the League of Friends has been based at Crawley Hospital, providing constant and beneficial support to the patients, visitors and staff. Since then the scope of their services and fundraising events has grown and grown and they have become an integral part of the hospital.
The Friends organise fundraising and promotion events at least once a month with all of the money raised being put towards the hospitals. These include quizzes, fairs and the annual Christmas Ball. They even frequently take to the streets with their fundraising tins, in all weather conditions. Each month the Friends sit down with staff from across the hospital to discuss uses for the money they have raised and to put it towards the best possible causes. ‘The volunteers put in so much time and effort, we want every penny they raise to be spent in the best possible way, for the well-being of patients, visitors and staff,’ says Laura Moffatt, Chairman of the League of Friends of Crawley Hospitals. Recent donations from the Friends have been used to purchase a scanner, a Wii fit for the rehabilitation unit and a coffee machine for when the shops are closed, as well as the refurbishment of the child development facility.
Due to their success and dedication the Friends were invited to fundraise for Langley Green Hospital, a mental health hospital in Crawley, when it opened 5 years ago. Whilst still continuing with the tradition of purchasing medical equipment, the Friends found that they could help the patients at Langley Green Hospital in a different way to those at Crawley Hospital. Many patients begin to feel isolated and disassociated from the outside world during a hospital stay and so the Friends took out newspaper subscriptions to keep patients up-to-date with events. They also put £500 towards games and entertainment activities for the alcohol and drugs unit to help alleviate the feelings of boredom associated with a hospital stay and the detoxification process.
The Friends are very much an established part of these two hospitals and form an integral part of the running of both Crawley Hospital and Langley Green Hospital. The organisation is extremely grateful to its volunteers in particular for the continued effort they make to the success of the Friends.
The League of Friends of Crawley Hospitals has been a member of Attend for over 50 years. ‘We really appreciate the information that is provided and the collectiveness of being part of a national umbrella organisation. We value our Attend membership and the opportunity to attend regional get-togethers,’ says Laura Moffatt.
Created prior to 2011
The League of Friends of Crawley Hospitals benefits from Attend membership, which includes comprehensive charity insurance cover. For more information, or to join, please click here.
