The League of Friends of the Kent & Canterbury Hospital
This charity was founded in 1953 to support patients, staff and visitors, with 2003 being the LOFKCH Golden Jubilee. To mark this occasion, a commemorative garden was opened, outside the main entrance of the old Hospital, with flowerbeds and shrubs, five wooden seats, paved pathways and a big shell sculpture - a tranquil spot for patients and visitors.
In the early days of the NHS it was clear that all patient needs could not be provided by the Welfare State and the League was formed to help provide what was missing. In the first year some £50 was raised, rising to about £4,000 per year in the sixties, £60,000 per year in the 80s, to around £300,000 per year since 2001 - a total of about £5,000,000 in 54 years.
Our running costs are truly minimal and a substantial amount of this money has been gifted to K&CH (and other hospitals in the group prior to 2001) to purchase a variety of items from carpets, ward curtains, walking frames, chairs and trolleys to sophisticated hi-tech equipment costing tens of thousands of pounds per item and used for ever more complex investigations, diagnosis and treatment of an increasing number of patients.
The money gifted by the League for the benefit of patients, visitors and staff is mainly used to purchase equipment which the Hospital Trust itself is unable to fund so K&CH depends on the League to help maintain and improve upon its current standards.
How is this achieved? The answer is by volunteers – and numerous fundraising activities.
