About us
Time, Talents and Funds for the NHS.
Our Vision: We want to see patients and former patients of King George Hospital supported by their local community.
Our Mission: To support a community that the NHS genuinely belongs to.
Our Strategy: We are an independent charity with trustees that have lived, worked in, and made use of ‘our local’ hospital.
- We raise funds for the added extras that just make a patient’s day a little better. Over the years, we have funded specialist equipment, identified by care professionals, to ensure local residents can be treated more effectively and nearer their homes.
- We recruit, train and support volunteers to act as friendly faces from the local community.
- Please click on the link to explore how to get involved with our work.
The Friends sharing stories and exploring future plans...
History
We at the League of King George Hospital have our origins in the early 1970s. It was all about three couples, Pam & Gerry, Marie & Cecil, Louise & Don, seeing a need and working out that by giving their time, they could make a difference. League of Friends have a long history of funding not only the ‘extras’ for the NHS. It’s about paying for items, both large and small, at our local NHS hospitals that their budget will not extend to, and we all know that these small things can make all the difference to treatment and recovery, which in turn helps bring a smile.
As with many hospitals, out story at the League of Friends of King George Hospital is synonymous with running the shop. This has been the case right from their earliest days in the old King George Hospital up until Covid.
The aim of the shop has always been about providing a service to patients, their visitors, and staff alike.
It isn’t about charging commercial prices but ensuring that patients and staff could easily get the things they need within the hospital grounds at an affordable price. The shop acted as a beacon to people who were interested in the hospital and keen to support it.
Through shop profits and legacies, all have contributed to the funds raised.
By 2024, we are pleased to say that we have donated nearly £2 million to buy both essential equipment, and those extras.
Covid definitely stopped the League of Friends’ usual and regular activities. However, a faithful core of volunteers has kept the League going throughout the pandemic by responding to hospital requests, and now they are determined to breathe new life into it, and perhaps, even re-open a shop.
More recently, we have recommenced providing emergency toiletry packs for patients admitted suddenly via A&E, and specialist packs in the wards, supporting families at very challenging times.