T H E L E A G U E O F F R I E N D S R J A H - A U T U M N 2 0 1 9

LET'S BE FRIENDSCelebrating Volunteers & Fundraisers!

HORATIO'S GARDENOFFICIALLY OPENS

September saw the official opening of the incredible Horatio'sGarden at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital,making it the fourth garden to open in the country. Opened by Sir Algernon Heber-Percy the spectacular garden wasdesigned as a therapeutic space for spinal injury patients and theirloved ones spending time in the Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries.The garden has been designed by award-winning garden designerand Radio 4 Gardeners’ Question Time panelist, Bunny Guinness,who attended the opening. The League of Friends had the pleasure of working alongsideHoratio's Garden to fundraise for this amazing project andsuccessfully raised £263,000! As part of our September Branch Liaison Meeting we were delightedto be able to host a Strawberry Tea in the garden for all of ourdedicated fundraising branches and volunteers. This amazingopportunity allowed everyone to see the incredible garden createdfor the hospital’s spinal injuries unit first hand & exactly what theLeague's £263,000 helped to fund. The League is extremely grateful to each and every volunteer whohelped us far surpass our initial fundraising target of £125,000 forHoratio's Garden.

NEWSLETTER:

Volunteer FocusLeague NewsUpcoming Events

WHITCHURCH BRANCH SUCCESSA coffee morning held by Whitchurch Branchraised over £1300 for the League of Friends. The event was held at Alderford Lake andfeatured coffee, refreshments, food andplant stalls with raffle prizes, fun quizzesand an entertaining and fruitful charityAuction. The Whitchurch branch of the League ofFriends have appreciated a long history ofgenerous donations of prizes from localbusinesses and individuals in the area andthis year was no different.

A car boot sale and vintage carrally in memory of a League ofFriends stalwart took place at theend of summer. Members of the Chirk and WestonRhyn branch came together tohost the event in memory of JohnDavies who died earlier this year. John worked on the Helpdesk andwas heavily involved in bringingvintage vehicles to the annualsummer fete. The event saw an array of vintagevehicles in attendance with John'sson Steven attending to wave theflag to set them off on a circuit ofthe hospital. The hospital's restaurant,Denbigh's, put on a specialSunday lunch offer for those whoattended the event. The day was extremely successfuland well attended. Thanks go toChirk & Weston Rhyn branch for alltheir hard work!

CHIRK FRIENDSHOST CAR BOOT& CAR RALLY

DISABLED SWIMMING CLUBCHAIR RETIRES It is with great sadness that the League ofFriends inform you that our amazingDisabled Swimming Club Chair, Gill Cripps,has retired. Gill has given over 25 years of service to theTrust, having been involved with ourDisabled Swimming Club since it was firstset up in October 1992. She has spent thelast 10 of those years as its chairman, andtaking lead responsibility for its smoothrunning. 

ALICE WARD PATIENTS HAVEA MAGICAL TIMEPod Children's Charity and Magician DavidOakley and a Box of Tricks visited Alice wardover the summer to entertain the patients! Pod entertainers are providing around 3000visits a year around the UK, bringing magic,fun and laughter to thousands of children in140 hospitals and hospices, helping maketheir hospital stay a more positive one. The League of Friends are delighted to have

Branch chairman Sarah Watson Jones was happy with the level of supportfor the event, saying: “We want to thank everyone for their wonderfulsupport for the coffee morning and throughout the year."

Gill's dedication and passion for the patients attending the club will begreatly missed by all at the League of Friends!

been funding Pod Children's Charity visits at the RJAH OrthopaedicHospital for the last 20 years! That's a lot of years of smiles!

HALLOWEEN COMES TO THERJAH

Box of Goodness, who selldelicious fruit and vegetables,have been helping hospital staff,patients and visitors get their 5 aday for over 12 months! The local business who are basedin Shrewsbury are at the RJAHevery Monday to Thursday. The company was set up in 2013by Dimitar Marinov and Amy Fordwho noticed a gap in the marketfor a fruit and vegetable deliveryservice. They have since become one ofShrewsbury's best known fruit &veg delivery companies. Their aim is to source locally andadd seasonal produce into yourbox. They have a great systemwhere their customers can givetheir preferences and dislikes toavoid food waste. They try to beas eco friendly as possible,reducing the use of plastic andnon recyclable waste and deliverin either polystyrene or cardboardboxes. Catch them Monday to Thursdayfrom 8am until 4pm.

GET YOUR 5 ADAY!

The League of Friends Shop windows have undergone aspooktacular Halloween transformation! Each year the League's shop windows receive a seasonal makeover andthis year is no different with a spooky pumpkin theme runningthroughout. Retail Manager, Toniann Darlington, and her sister and League of Friendsvolunteer, Joanne Williams, added a splash of colour to the windows togo that extra mile. "It's just that extra thing that's for thehospital," said Toniann. "It just brightens it up. My sister worksfull-time as a teacher so has used herweekend to help me paint the display. Ittook us all weekend. "We always have amazing commentsand we're always asked about ourChristmas window displays too!" Keep your eyes peeled for the League'sfestive windows in November! PAEDIATRIC BAKE SALE

A fantastic team from PaediatricRecovery held a bake sale in aid of theLeague of Friends last month. The League have recently agreed tofund a mural in Paediatric Recovery. Theartwork will be done in the anaestheticroom and theatre area to make thesespaces a more child friendlyenvironment. As a thank you to League they held abake sale which raised an amazing £230!

UPCOMING FESTIVE SEASON FUNDRAISERS Everyone is very welcome to join us at any of our fundraising events. Further information on any of these events canbe obtained by emailing rjah.leagueoffriends@nhs.net. We would love to see you there! TUESDAY 12th NOVEMBER 2019

Ludlow Branch Christmas Fair - 25th Anniversary 10am - 4pm at Ludlow Racecourse Entrance fee £5 Thursday 14th November 2019

Chirk & Weston Rhyn Branch Valuation Evening - Meet the experts and have one antique item valued!6.30pm onwards in the League of Friends Coffee Shop at the RJAHTickets £10 to include canapes and a glass of wine Thursday 28th November 2019

Shrewsbury Branch Christmas Drinks Party - All that glitters!7.30pm - 9.30pm at Pimhill Barns Tickets £25 Saturday 30th November 2019

Newtown Branch Christmas Coffee Morning - stalls, refreshments and raffle10 - 11.30am at Northside Centre, Newtown Entrance fee £1.50 Thursday 5th December 2019

League of Friends Christmas Bazaar - festive stalls, entertainment and refreshments!10am - 4pm in the main entrance of the RJAH Free admission

HOW YOU CAN HELP...VOLUNTEER There are numerous opportunities &roles to get involved with at The RJAHHospital. If you fancy supporting the hospitaland joining our award winning teamcontact us on: 01691 404401 or E-mail:rjah.leagueoffriends@nhs.net. Betterstill pop in for a friendly, informal chatat Location 20, RJAH. It is fun, rewarding, and a wonderful place to find friendship and fellowship!

make a donation If you would like to support thework of our Charity a donationcan be sent to our central office:The League of Friends, Location20, The Robert Jones & AgnesHunt Orthopaedic Hospital,Gobowen, Shropshire, SY11 3NZ.

If your donation can be ‘giftaided’ this will significantlyincrease the value to the Charity.Please contact us if you wouldlike a Gift Aid form.

or just have acoffee! The League of Friends Coffee Shop islocated in the main entrance of theRJAH Hospital and is open 7 days aweek! All profits from the Coffee Shop go tosupporting our causes. So grab a cuppaand a slice of cake in a lovely relaxedatmosphere. Opening hours:Monday-Friday 7am-5pmSaturday 9am-2.30pmSunday 12pm-5.30pm

WWW.FRIENDSRJAH.ORG.UK

Registered Charity No. 249346