AGM - Friends of Farnham Hospital and Centre for Health - Tuesday, 16th April at 6pm for 6.30pm. A nice opportunity for anyone to come along and listen to what the Friends have been up to throughout the last year. We look forward to seeing you.
Health and Wellbeing day - Saturday 23rd March at Farnham Maltings - please pop along whilst the Cyclathon is taking place to see how you could improve your health. There will be plenty of information and advice for everyone...……...
Taking place at the same time as the Wellbeing Event between 8am and 8pm is the Farnham Rotary Cyclathon - Raising Funds for Charities - The main purpose of this event is to raise funds for the Rotary Charities in the Farnham area and abroad. These include charities such as Bells Piece, Woodlarks, Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice,the new Brightwells Centre now located in West Street and The Friends of Farnham Hospital and Centre for Health. Please pop along and support the four teams taking part from the Hospital and GPs and donate to your favourite!
Celebrating 70 years of the NHS - birthday party at Farnham Hospital and Centre for Health
Each year the Friends provide a strawberry cream tea for in-patients at Farnham Hospital, usually during Wimbledon week. This year it is scheduled for 5th July which is the 70th birthday of the NHS and so we plan to extend this to the staff.
We are looking for partners to enable this birthday party to thank our NHS workers and provide their patients with a summer treat.
Interested organisations or individuals should contact the Friends via their website email address farnhamhospitalfriends@gmail.com. Pictures taken on this special day are featured below.
George Alford
Chairman, Friends of Farnham of Hospital and Centre for Health
18th March, Health and Wellbeing Event / Farnham Rotary's Cyclathon
Due to heavy snow falling overnight in Farnham, the decision was sadly taken to cancel the Health and Wellbeing event. However the Rotary Cyclathon continued running from 8am until 8pm when stoical teams braved the weather to take part and raise funds for their adopted charities. The Friends of Farnham Hospital (George and Hugh) along with VirginCare and several GP practices cycled their allotted times in style and can be seen taking part. Well done to everyone and thanks to those who rode for the Friends.
Health and Wellbeing Day, Saturday 14 October 2017
Our Health and Wellbeing event took place at Farnham Hospital on Saturday. We wish to thank Stephanie Spence of Farnham Town Council, Practice Manager Jenny Partridge, Matron Sue Anderson and George Alford, Chairman of the Friends for their hard work in organising and promoting the morning. The stallholders pulled out all the stops by advertising their charities and promoting their organisations as well as networking, distributing literature and some like Specsavers... giving out the most delicious apples! A huge thank you to everyone involved and hopefully from this small beginning, we shall repeat the venture next year. We attach a selection of photos from the morning.......Cruse, Surrey Age UK Surrey, Durham House, Farnham Maltings, The Leisure Centre, Heart Start. Macular Society, Nuffield Health, Assist, Action for Carers Surrey, Baker Law, Right at Home, Phyllis Tuckwell, Hoppa, Just Wellbeing, Specsavers, Healthy Eating, Farnham Town Council. We thank our speakers, Peter a Paramedic, Lucy Elderly Care Consultant and Bo a Pharmacist for their time and commitment. The Mayor, Councillor Mike Hodge visited and other photos include President and Chairman of the Friends Mary Probert and George Alford and Stephanie Spence, Jenny Partridge and Sue Anderson.
Farnham Rotary Club Cyclathon 2017
On 25th February, the Friends of Farnham Hospital and Centre for Health took part in the Rotary Cyclathon, raising funds for Surrey Young Carers, Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice and Chiks, the Indian orphanage which provides care for 200 children in Kerala. President of Rotary Farnham George Alford, who is also President of the Friends helped organise the event. Taking part from the Friends - Pam Easey, Agnes Ibrahim, Mary Probert and Diana Martin. The Friends who didn't break any records, were just happy to take part and raise funds for the various charities.
Working alongside Rushmoor Male Voice Choir has been a joy........Last evening Chairman Diana headed in the direction of Rushmoor Male Voice Choir’s rehearsal evening when they presented a cheque for £1750 plus £100 from their Christmas concert held at the Maltings. They kindly asked me to stay on to listen to their rehearsals and I must say it was enlightening to see just how much work goes into organising a concert. They intend to be at the Princes Hall Aldershot in June raising funds for Help the Heroes, so please look our for the adverts in the local press.
Organisations, like Rushmoor Male Voice Choir, make a huge contribution to the local community when they hold concerts and donate funds to local charities and we are extremely grateful that their hardwork, commitment and support have helped the Friends this year. Thank you once again, the Friends wish you continued success with your adventures and community fundraising!
Christmas Cheer for the hospital
December Concert
Thank you Rushmoor Male Voice choir for making the concert last evening at the Maltings so very special for the Friends of Farnham Hospital. From the ladies dressed with their red sashes greeting everyone at the door with programmes, the beautiful flowers at the front of the stage, to your lovely performance and that of your guests Weydon School Choir.............as well as the saucy jokes, the evening was relaxed and entertaining.
Funds raised during the evening will be purchasing specialist equipment for those patients who come into hospital with Dementia and for the Integrated Care Hub.
The Friends could not have asked for more. Our sincere thanks go to everyone, front of house, behind the scenes and all those who planned the event.
A memorable occasion in the history of the Friends
Diana Martin, Chairman Friends of Farnham Hospital and Centre for Health
Pictures courtesy of Paul Osborne and VirginCare
St Andrew's Farnham Christmas Tree Event 2015 - Friends tree
Christmas Presents
Several committee members of the Friends of Farnham Hospital spent a happy morning wrapping Christmas presents for all inpatients in readiness for distribution next week. The Deputy Mayor of Farnham Councillor John Beal and his wife Gillian will be helping to distribute the parcels and stopping to chat to patients along way on Tuesday 22 December. It is always a difficult time of the year if you are in hospital and not celebrating with family and friends, so a visit from the Friends and the Mayor with a present is most welcome and appreciated. The Farnham Herald have been invited to attend and record the event for their newspaper. The Friends shall be adding a photo and article on Facebook and on this website.
Charity Tea Tent - Music in the Meadow 2015
On Sunday, 16th August the Friends ran the charity tea tent at Farnham Town Council's Music in the Meadow event. Aldershot Brass Band played a medley of lovely tunes for two hours and the Friends busily sold tea and cakes to those present, raising funds for our charity. The sun shone brilliantly on what was a fun afternoon and we plan to repeat the event next year.
Strawberries 2015
The annual cream tea is a well held tradition the Friends of the Hospital have provided over many years and this year, on the hottest day so far, the Friends (Mary, Michael, Diana and Agnes) again served Strawberries and Cream to all in-patients. Always a very welcome treat for the patients, they were able to enjoy their tea whilst watching tennis from Wimbledon.
60th Anniversary of the Friends 1954 - 2014
Around 100 Friends, patients, relatives and guests along with the Mayor and Mayoress of Farnham, Councillor Jeremy Ricketts and his wife Debbie attended a 60th Anniversary Concert on Sunday, 30th November. The concert was to celebrate 60 years of the Friends support to the Farnham Hospital and Centre for Health.
Entertaining everyone during the afternoon was Rushmoor ‘Oddfellows’ Male Voice Choir who provided a medley of songs; some sensitive and emotional and others raising the roof, all delivered with much humour. Musical Director, Steven Petch performed a beautiful solo of the ‘Liverpool Anthem’ – You’ll Never Walk Alone, which brought tears to many people’s eyes.
Following the Oddfellows, classically trained Chloe Smith from Camberley, who likes to play pop and folk, gave a beautiful and confident performance, singing and playing many of her own songs. Her rendition of Hallelujah was excellent. She plans to continue her education studying music and entertaining at every opportunity.
Tea and delicious cakes followed their excellent performances which rounded the afternoon off nicely.
The Chairman said in her speech “I cannot begin to tell you all the equipment that has been purchased over the years but a general estimate is that well over the equivalent of 1 million pounds has passed through our hands.............
I should like to take this opportunity of thanking the current committee and all hospital staff for their continued loyal support and dedication. I also wish to acknowledge the hard work of those who went before us and to wish continued success for the future.”
VirginCare press release:
"'Sweet treats' for Farnham Hospital patients
The Friends of Farnham Hospital and Centre for Health (FoFHCH) held a Strawberry cream tea on Tuesday for inpatients and their visitors.at their annual summer treat. The event, which is organised for July each year, saw patients surprised and delighted as the Friends’ chair Diana Martin along with members Michael Cox, Agnes Ibrahim, Margaret Nicholls and Pam Easy, arrived at the hospital with strawberries and cream for their afternoon tea.
The FoFHCH is a local charity which supports the hospital and GPs in delivering high standard of care for the community. It produces a newsletter twice yearly and regularly holds fundraising events.
Diana Martin, Chair of Farnham Community Hospital League of Friends said: “The delicious, plump strawberries went down well with all patients who were surprised and delighted by our visit.
“The Friends would like to express their gratitude to Waitrose Farnham for the donation of the strawberries.”
Sue Deane, Virgin Care’s Community Hospital Matron at Farnham Hospital, who accompanied the friends as they went around the wards, said: “Patients really enjoyed the friends’ visit. The strawberry and cream tea is an annual event that all of the staff look forward to as we see the cheer it brings to the inpatients.”
The strawberries for this year’s event were donated by Waitrose Farnham. Earlier in the year The Friends also supported the purchase of new garden furniture for the Day Assessment Unit at Farnham Hospital."
Christmas 2013
Following a grand wrapping session on Tuesday 17th December, the Mayor of Farnham, Councillor Paddy Blagdon helped the Friends distribute Christmas parcels to all inpatients on Friday, 20th December. It was a happy occasion and the smiles and looks of surprise on patients faces was very rewarding. The Mayor and Friends spent time talking to patients, many of whom will be spending their Christmas at the hospital. The Friends, at this time of year, also purchase other festive merchandise for the wards such as tablecloths, crackers, centre-pieces etc.
Celebrating 10 years
Celebrating 10 years in the new building September 2013. The concert to celebrate this special occasion took place on Sunday 29th September 2013. Rushmoor Male Voice Choir and Professor Graham Smith, pianist and a consultant at the Hospital and Frimley Park provided a wonderful medley of songs and musical entertainment during the afternoon to patients, staff, visitors and guests. Thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who attended, the concert was followed by the Mayor of Farnham, Patrick Blagden, cutting the celebratory cake. Amongst the guests there were several of the original people who helped with the build - Chris Martin, Maureen Murrell and Mary Probert. A lovely picture and article was featured in the Friday 11th October edition of the Farnham Herald and also on VirginCare's website.
