Message from the Chair
Dear friends,
I am thrilled to be taking over the role of Chair of the Friends of East Surrey Hospital charity.
As we move forward, there are a number of exciting developments that I would like to share with you.
Firstly, we have seen a movement in our Board of Trustees with the addition of new members. We are also delighted to have welcomed a number of new volunteers to our team, who have already been making a positive impact.
One of our initiatives in 2023 is to encourage youth volunteering, and we have already started by enlisting the help of Reigate Grammar’s U18 Rugby team who assisted with manning the Spring stalls. We want to make it even easier for anyone to become involved, whether as a Trustee, volunteer, member, or through making a donation – and we hope our new website reflects that ambition!
We also want to ensure that you are kept up to date with upcoming events and news. You can visit our news page or subscribe to our member newsletter which will be emailed on a monthly basis.
At our charity, fundraising plays a crucial role. All profits raised are returned to East Surrey Hospital in the form of grants, financing essential equipment and services for staff and patients that the NHS cannot fund itself.
With over £4.3 million pounds already contributed by the Friends, we are excited to continue ramping up our donations.
Our coffee shop is not only important because they contribute a significant portion of the funds raised, but because they offer a welcoming environment for patients, staff, and visitors to take a break, socialise, and recharge with the help of our volunteers.
In 2019, due to the COVID pandemic, our café shop at the East Entrance had to be closed – transformed into the hospital’s PPE hood testing hub. This hub remains a vital part of infection control and is still operating out of our old store room and shop.
We are thrilled to announce that we have reopened our charity’s tea and coffee bar from our original East Entrance Counter. While a new purpose-built café is under construction and scheduled to be completed by April 2024, we will continue to operate a scaled-down version of our beloved coffee shop.
Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Jo Sadler, Chair, Friends of East Surrey Hospital charity