The Friends of Crowborough Hospital is a volunteer-led and volunteer-staffed charity that has actively promoted “excellent care at the heart of the local community” by supporting the work of Crowborough Hospital for over 65 years.
For many years the Friends have themselves provided services at the hospital site including running the hospital shop and providing patient transport for the rehabilitation day centre. The Friends have consistently raised funds to purchase medical equipment and other benefits for patients and staff based at the hospital, and in 1999 raised £1.5M towards the complete redevelopment of the hospital building without which Crowborough Hospital would no longer exist.
In January 2015 the Friends started their Social Day Service which operates on Mondays and Fridays at the Day Centre on the Hospital Site. This highly valued service not only offers a step-down opportunity for patients who have had rehabilitation at the day centre on other days of the week, but also, importantly, supports individuals who may be experiencing loneliness or other effects of social isolation. This Social Day Service is run by volunteers. From their own charitable funds the Friends employ a professional part-time manager to ensure that volunteers receive the support and training that enables them to offer an excellent service.
Background
FoCH is:
- An unincorporated association
- Registered with the Charity Commission
- Governed by its Constitution
- Managed by its Trustees
Present Activities
FoCH provides transport for the Day Centre through an accessible minibus and a wheelchair accessible Vauxhall Combo that they own, maintain and for which they manage a driver pool.
An on-site shop is managed and staffed by volunteers for the benefit of patients, staff & visitors.
Requests for financial assistance with projects or the purchase of equipment are subject to consideration by the Trustees.
The Friends of Crowborough Hospital is a registered charity led by local people, from varied backgrounds, who work voluntarily raising funds to support our local hospital and all it has to offer local people. It was originally incorporated as a League of Friends in 1948 and has a long and proud history of providing both funds and volunteers for our local hospital. Over the years the Friends have funded several major rebuilding projects at the hospital, culminating in raising £1.5 million towards the hospital redevelopment in 1999. We hope that those of you who are not already Members would be interested in joining the Friends. As a Member you can be as involved as you wish, joining one of the committees, or just supporting the work of the Friends by attending the many and varied events during the year.
How do we raise money?
The August Bank Holiday Hospital Fete is the major fund-raising event of the year, organised annually by the Friends.
The Friends also operate a small hospital shop supplying not only the hospital but also the local community.
Other sources of funding range from Legacies, through special social events through the year (organised either by the Friends or by other supporting groups) to collection boxes generously hosted in various sites around our catchment area.
Membership is just £10 a year, or you can become a life Member for a larger sum. If you would like details of this, please get in touch. If you would like to pay by standing order, we would be happy to arrange this for you and a form can be found on this site.
For those who are tax payers we can arrange (at no cost to yourselves) for the Inland Revenue to make an additional payment to us equal to the amount of tax that you would have paid on your donation or membership (Gift Aid).
How do we spend the money?
Since 1923 there has been a strong tradition in Crowborough of support for the local hospital. raising funds to provide several major purchases as well as many smaller contributions to the welfare of patients and staff. Year after year, these benefits have included items ranging from homely furnishings, to the purchase and operation of the two Day Centre Ambulances.
CROWBOROUGH WAR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL is:
A 24-bed community hospital, together with:
- 6-bed Midwife led Birthing centre
- Minor Injuries unit
- Physiotherapy
- X-ray & Ultrasound scanning
- Day Centre
- Numerous out-patients clinics.
Benefits to Patients
The Friends support all the departments on the Hospital site: the main hospital and its outpatients and minor injuries units; the Birthing Centre; the Day Centre and Grove House.
We provide facilities and home comforts beyond the basic statutory provisions to all these departments. Such donations have included Air-conditioning for the Minor Injuries Unit, Physiotherapy equipment and Profiling beds for the main ward.
We also provide smaller items that just make life more pleasant for those unfortunate enough to find themselves in hospital – a pay-phone, televisions for the day rooms, audio-loop for the hard of hearing, small presents for patients at Christmas.
We also provide volunteers to help in the hospital at meet and greet or to help with some of the administrative tasks.
If you would like further information on any aspect of the Friends or would like to become a volunteer or a Member, please get in touch with us at our address, or by phone or e-mail.