Heatherwood Hospital 1922-2023
The founding of the league in 1958 by the Ascot Rotary club launched the charity on a 61 year history. During this time a number of chairmen held the position.
In order of office 1958-2019
Mr John Coxwell
An Ascot solicitor by trade, he also held a number of voluntary
positions in the community,these included chairman of the Rotary club
which he along with others started,
Chairman of the Sunninghill
Parish council (1959-1972),
trustee of the Sunninghill Fuel
Allotment Trust(20 Years),
parochial church councillor Sunningdale
parish Church.
He was also honorary solicitor to the Animal Health
Trust, the Poodle Club and the Pekinese Club.
John had also been
President of the South of England Airedale Terrier Club.
John was the first chairman of the League of Friends,instrumental in the
forming of the League in 1958.
He achieved 14 years as chairman and guided the League during those
early years.
Achievements whilst on the League was the building of the hospital
chapel after a request from the then Matron Doris Howes. He also
promoted the fundraising for new day rooms to be built.
On retiring from the League in 1972 a special dinner dance was organised in his honour and a small gift was presented to him. John retired to Rhodesia, where Mr Coxwell spent his early childhood.
When John passed away in 1974 a plaque was added to the wall of the chapel near to the alter. "In Memory of founder Chairman of the League Mr John Coxwell" this was added on May 8th 1977.
(Apologies for poor quality photo)
Mr Gordon Butcher
Gordon was part of the founding members of the league in 1958. He stepped down in 1977 but his commitment to the league included organizing all the dinner dances and printing for the league. His other roles included local Sunninghill councillor,Ascot Fire Brigade Trust trustee, rotary club member and local businessman with a printing business.
Mr Ron Mason
We are unsure of when Ron joined the league but was voted in as chairman in 1974. His wife Valerie was already secretary to the league.
Ron's passion was for the radio service and after it's launch in 1976 regularly presented shows on a Thursday evening.
A more detailed of Ron's involvement in the radio can be found on the radio history website.
In 1974 the Bracknell Times published the following article,detailing Ron's professional career as well as his involvement in the League of Friends.
By Wendy Tobitt
A scientific glassblower from North Ascot had the unique task of making
a vacuum container for moon- dust recently, and became the only
glassblower in the country to come into contact with the scientifically
valuable dust.
Mr Ron Mason, of Kennel Ride. 18 the honorary secretary of the British
Society of Scientific Glass- blowers and has a small emporium in Royal
Holloway College, Egham, where he makes specialised equipment for
physicists.
But the work he enjoys most is teaching overseas. He spends about three
months each year abroad, mainly in African countries, teaching and
training scientific glass blowers.
"There are no set examinations in glassblowing. It is something that you
pick up with experience and only after about 15 to 20 years can anyone
say he knows most of it." explained Ron.
Universities
"I go abroad to universities where, academically, they were the best in
the country. but they have been importing glassblowers from other
countries. I teach them on an intensive six weeks course and then pick
out a few bright students who come back to Royal Holloway for training
with me for a year." Another of Ron's "one-off" jobs was the designing
of magnetometer for measuring the earth's magnetic field. He has also
done a great deal of work in designing the street lights that now line
most of our main roads.
There has to be a specially strong and stressed piece of glass used for
the high pressure lamps, which entails a great deal of research." he
explained
In his laboratory workshops he is constructing lasers. vacuum systems
and flash tubes. glass fibres for optical purposes and laser cells.
Sophisticated
"Physics glassblowing is a sophisticated form of glass- blowing, because
we often have to make something from the vaguest of verbal descriptions
or rough sketches, all the time bearing in mind for what purpose the
apparatus is required. and what glass would be suitable."
"This means that I have to have reasonable knowledge of chemistry,
biology and physics so that I know the piece of equipment will be used
for." Getting exactly the right thickness of glass in certain places on
a tube is not the easiest of skills to acquire and it was only after a
long apprenticeship with GEC and making oscilloscopes and television
tubes that Ron left the industry. Eight years ago he came to Royal
Holloway, to try the scientific side.
The most rewarding part of my job is the teaching aspect. The response I
get from the overseas students is tremendous. They sit absolutely glued
to the subject in hand and I cannot teach them enough while I am out
there. The English students I have just do not have the same enthusiasm.
Ron teaches in Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria and has had
students from Bombay, Singapore and Guyana for courses in England.
The University of Ibadan in Nigeria ran a course, for scientific
glassblowing recently and Ron went out there to teach the elementary
course and take examinations afterwards.
He sets up, with the Board of Examiners, external exams run on similar
lines to the London University external exams. Theory exams which the
students can do at their colleges and universities, but they come to
England or Ron will go to the countries for the very necessary practical
exams.
The Board of Examiners works closely with the Inter-University Council
and British Council, but although the status of scientific glassblowers
is highly respected by them, it is not by many universities up and down
the country.
"The universities just do not realise the value of the skills of a
glassblower, or engineer as I prefer to be called. There are only a
handful who do pay according to the skills, but on the whole the
glassblowers are not well-paid."
Methods
The methods used in glassblowing have not changed over hundreds of
years. The heat from some of the burners Ron uses is quite fierce and
even having overcome the difficulties of working with natural gas the
flames thrown out look rather dangerous.
One burner which he uses was given to him by some Japanese glassblowers
and throws a characteristic flame. But times change and methods change
with them. The latest trend is to work with cold methods, which means a
greater use of ultrasonic and diamond tools, and lasers.
The laser could become the blow-torch of the future, he explained and
the glass blowers have to accept this, although they may be reluctant to
leave the old conventional methods.
Fear
One of Ron's greatest fears is that the glassblowing profession will die
because it does not receive the attention it ought to.
In some workshops proper ventilation has not yet been put in after the
change over to natural gas. Greater skills are required and more
experience needed by the glassblower to cope with the changes. "Unless
true recognition of this profession is given. I fear that glassblowing
will become a dying profession." he said. "It is not a profession that
can be taken over by some mechanical system, so the loss would be
tremendous." he said.
Apart from the extensive work with glassblowing. Ron is chairman of the
League of Friends of Heatherwood Hospital, and his wife Valerie is
secretary.
Involved
He first became involved with the League while he was in Heatherwood
with illness and when he is in England he spends part of each week in
the hospital talking to nurses and patients and maintaining a close
relationship between the League and the hospital.
Ron spends what spare time he has swimming.
"Underwater swimming is my favourite, and I usually do more of that in
African countries than in England. I am also a keen practical motorist,
with now quite a lot of experience from driving on African roads in Land
Rovers!"
His wife Valerie and he have much the same interests as she teaches
maths and physics to girls at Heathfield School. Ascot, and acts as his
secretary for the British Society of Scientific Glassblowers work.
The society was founded in 1960 mainly by members from GEC and now there
is complete European atmosphere about it. "We immediately started
communicating with European societies, and there is a totally fluid
situation between the Common Market countries now. We also have close
liaison with Japanese and Australian societies," he said.
Money
Ron may soon be widening his circle of work with a studio in South Hill
Park. "We have already been round a studio and said what equipment would
be needed. Now it remains for the money to be forthcoming.
"I know there are plenty of glassblowers in the area who would be able
to give some time for teaching. The people who will be coming to the
classes will be taught a wide variety of techniques, because each blower
will teach them something different."
Ron's glassblowing work does not stop at the scientific uses. As he was
collapsing some glass and burning off the shoulder of a vacuum flask he
said. "Look, there could be a wine glass made out of that.
When we
have got a lot of scientific work over and done with then there is the
time to make other things just for fun."
Extract Bracknell Times
21/11/1974
Comment:- The above article was accompanied by two photos of Ron in his
Workshop.
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photos here.
Ron stepped down from the league in 1987 as personnel commitments prevented him from continuing.His wife Valerie had also stepped down the year before.
Mr Gavin Fawkes
We know very little about Gavin's public life outside of his work on the League of Friends.
He first appeared on the minutes for the league in 1984.
He took over chairmanship from Ron Mason when he stepped down in 1987.
After an incident at the AGM in 1991,he refrained from attending any further meetings and was replaced by a new chairman in 1992.
Mr Roy Ryman
Roy joined the league committee in 1979 and was with the league until 2019 having completed 40 years voluntary service, 27 years as Chairman.
He was very approachable and would always champion the work of the volunteers and staff at Heatherwood. Roy's wife Muriel worked in the Ante-Natal clinic in the maternity unit and his daughter Jane went into nursing.
Roy had a varied career, worked for the police force at Ascot and later he was part of the security at Windsor Castle and during Royal Meetings at the racecourse.
The league underwent some difficult times during Roy's tenure as chairman,local threats in the press that hospital would close and reduction in services, all had an effect on the voluntary support for the hospital/league.
The opening of the discharge lounge in 2006 after £48,000 from the league was one of the high spots and Roy was so pleased this had come to fruition.
The loss of the radio service, after the lease was not renewed in 2016, caused Roy and the remaining members of the league to accept that the days of the charity at the hospital would be short lived.
When the league folded in 2019 with Roy still at the helm, Roy and the remaining members were presented with long service awards.
Roy's final words as chairman and his obituary can be found here:-
Roy's Final Words