WRVS is revamping all its hospital shops and cafés over the next two years and the first new look shop is up and running, thanks to a great partnership with the Borders Health Board and a £140,000 refurbishment of the main entrance of Borders General Hospital, funded entirely by our volunteers at the WRVS shop and café.
We have around 200 volunteers at the hospital who make sure patients, staff and visitors have somewhere bright and cheerful to relax amidst the hectic and sometimes stressful atmosphere of the busy hospital.
One of these many caring people is Dot Murdie from Hawick who has been with WRVS since 2003 and volunteers four days a week. She is in no doubt why she’s there – volunteering gets her out and about meeting people and lets her make a difference in her local area in Borders. She knows that the WRVS café is special and she and the other volunteers do what they can to make people’s time in hospital easier. As she said herself: “What would they do without us?”
Ralph Roberts, who is director of integrated health services for NHS Borders, was unequivocal in his praise for the volunteers. The work that WRVS volunteers do within the hospital is really appreciated. As well as providing much needed services like the café, they are tireless in their fundraising efforts, and all of this with a friendly, caring outlook. The commitment of the volunteers cannot be underestimated and is greatly appreciated by patients, visitors and staff.
It’s good to see what can be done when our vision is shared and where people come so clearly before profit.
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