Presentation Notes
May Ettridge was a founding member of the league. Recently uncovered were these presentation notes. Written in 1973 it details May's personal experiences in the early days of the league of friends.
In her own words:-
I suppose most of you if not all have heard of that wonderful organisation the League of hospital friends or in other words the hospital friend. And this evening I am going to tell you a few things about it.
Now to our own hospital at Heatherwood.
As far as I know Heatherwood was first opened by the Americans in the First World War. And then taken over by the LCC solely as an orthopaedic hospital for boys, which were all tubercular cases and all long term cases, some were there for years, the late Dr Aherne who some of you may remember was in charge. I can’t quite remember when the hospital was taken over as a general hospital, but it is now the main general hospital serving east Berkshire.
The new out-patients department was opened in 1961 by the late Princess royal. The waiting hall is very comfortable and has pleasant surroundings, which I am sure is helpful to patients while waiting their turn to see the doctor.
Last year the new gynaecology and Maternity block was opened, some of you already have been patients there I know. The wards are really beautifully equipped and you could almost imagine you were in a private ward except that you don’t have the expensive bill to pay at the end anyhow I expect some have visited this new block. I was lucky enough to have an invitation to the opening and was taken all over before the department was in operation.
Now our League was formed in 1958 so we are now just about 15 years old. I can well remember going along to that first meeting about ten of us I believe, not many I know and we were all out starting this service for our hospital, we all went home feeling very happy knowing that there were many people waiting to help serve their hospital. I served on the committee for 14 years and came off last year.
Now I am afraid I cant give you figures of the membership at the present, at one time we were over a 1,000, and we dropped to 866,which is natural I suppose to go up and down a bit. At present the main source of members come from Ascot North & South Ascot, Cheapside, Cranbourne, and Winkfield. Unfortunately Bracknell are not very interested, although we have tried hard to get them interested. Once or twice have managed to get somebody to serve on the committee and at one time our secretary was from Bracknell but the support doesn’t come, Bracknell being the new town as it has become, really expect to have their own hospital, and that is where the grudge is I imagine needless to say we treat a vast number of patients at the hospital from Bracknell anyhow perhaps the day will come when they will give us more support.
I wonder how many of you here tonight are members of our league. (Can I have a show of hands please?) To become a member the minimum sum is only 10p for a year there is no maximum of course.
We endeavour to cover each district by putting somebody in charge and they find their collectors to go round to the houses in the different roads etc, Now just to name some of the things the league has provided for the hospital since it was formed:-
Televisions sets for wards and the nurse’s home.
Invalid folding Chairs, plus 2 on loan through the almoner to patients on leaving the hospital.
Easy chairs for use in the wards and Day rooms.
Hot Water bottles.
Staff Canteen Trolley in the dining room.
Sani Chairs.
Day room, and of course the Chapel.
Now this just gives you some idea of what is done with some of your money. We also gave £500 toward the Nurses swimming pool.
Fort Belvedere
Fort Belvedere Page
Our two outstanding efforts for raising money have been an open day at Fort Belvedere, some few years back, which as you all know is the home of the Hon Gerald Lascelles who was our first president. (Lady Alexandra is our president now) This open day at Fort Belvedere was a great success.
I organized the teas which we had in the two big Garages. I had a wonderful team of helpers, we were ten altogether, and needless to say we were kept very busy and made a profit of just over £40, which was good in those days as things were not so expensive. .
We had a lovely surprise. Mrs Lascelles came to me about three o’clock and said Mrs Ettridge I want you and your tea helpers to come into the house for tea we had seen this lovely tea laid from the window outside and people kept looking at it commenting on it, as it had a lovely birthday cake as well, it all looked so inviting, apparently it was their son’s birthday the previous day, and to think we were to be the honoured guests, of course we had to go in two at a time it is something I shall always remember.
How envious the men folk were when we told them, however everybody was invited in for drinks at the end. Over £300 was made on that occasion.
Royal Enclosure Bazaar
Secondly our biggest fund raising effort was in 1962 when we held a Bazaar at the Royal Enclosure, which was an outstanding success, and realized a profit of £1,152.
I ran two dances a year for several years, sometimes making between £50 & £60 a time. Well this gives you some idea of how we have made some of our money.
Chapel
Our biggest achievement was providing the chapel for the hospital, this took quite a while to raise enough capital and by the time we got permission etc from the Regional Hospital Board, also could get bricks supplied for the work to commence, that cost had gone up by £2,000.
Various gifts for the furnishing of the chapel were donated. I wonder how many of you have seen the chapel, next time you are visiting, do go and have a look at it, it is open all day.
Just to put you in the picture of a few other jobs those are done personally. We have done flower arranging in the wards, Visit patients in the hospital who don’t have any visitors, sometimes visit them after they leave the hospital if they live alone, or if somebody hasn’t anybody to bring them to visit there relation who is in hospital, We take them. Before the new block was opened, several members went along every Wednesday afternoon, and made up the pre-packed sterile dressings, but now the hospital has a special department for this.
Two of us go on duty in the Outpatients Department, my colleague goes every Thursday morning, and I go Monday afternoon and all day Wednesday, this we have done for eleven years. I can’t tell you how I enjoy it, and have found it most interesting.
Trolley Shop
Our latest service to the hospital is our Trolley Shop.
It was felt as the W.R.V.S. only went round the wards once a week, this was now not sufficient, so agreed that they would do another day too, they go Tuesday & Thursday, and we do Mondays & Fridays, and also Wednesday on the Maternity Block. I was asked to run this, although I made up my mind I would not take on anything more, however I said I would and I have 22 wonderful helpers, which works out they do one afternoon every three weeks.
We are finding this very successful, not only financially, but as you go round the wards you can just have a few words to the lonely patients, and so really feel this is a wonderful service to the hospital.
I must bring my husband into the picture here, for without his help I should not be able to cope, what with buying the stock and stacking it away etc, and of course I have all the money side to attend to, so it’s great to have him by my side.
In closing may I ask you to support the League of Friends in their work, and if you are not a member I have brought my book along so shall be happy to enrol you. Your subscription will be much appreciated. If anyone has any questions they would like to ask, I shall be happy to try and answer them.
May Ettridge
No records exist of the recipients of the presentation.