Past, present and futureKey facts celebrating 60 years

Celebrating 60 years of putting volunteering at the heart of health and social care.

Attend Chairman Pamela Morton and President Lord Fraser of Carmyllie

cut the Diamond Jubilee celebratory birthday cake.

Photo by Sean Michael.

We believe that volunteers are essential to the strength of our health services and the health of our local communities.

Our aim is to protect and expand the vital roles that volunteers play. We are proud to have been doing this for 60 years and this booklet is a chance for people to discover and celebrate our past, present and future.

The Friends of Brighton and Hove Hospitals provide additional, new and innovative equipment

and services for patients. They were founded the same year as Attend and are celebrating their

60th anniversary as well as the equivalent of £13 million raised for the hospital in that time.

Photo by Rosemary Hudson.

Our early roots lie in the hundreds of voluntary hospitals, often run by Leagues of Friends to treat the sick and the poor, who got together in the 1800s to establish the British Hospital Association.

The Friends of The Charing Cross Hospital’s ‘Fancy Fair held in May 1830 for the benefit of that

institution, at the Mansion and Grounds of John Penn Esq. Spring Gardens, St James’s Park.’ The

Friends of Charing Cross Hospital are still very much in action. They still hold fund raising events

for the hospital and have a gift shop on the site.

Image used with the kind permission of the Wellcome Library, London.

In 1948, after the devastation of the Second World War, the National Health Service was created and an organised role for volunteers was quickly realised.

On 24th March 1949, the inaugural meeting of the National Association of Leagues of Hospital Friends took place.

The League of Friends of St Mary’s Portsmouth put on a Panto for the patients in 1954.

The Friends are still going strong and their Recruiting New Friends in New Ways scheme is

bringing in young volunteers from local colleges, the police school and the probationary service.

Photo from Mrs Verrier’s archive. Her Mother can be seen standing at the back, second from the left.

From this first meeting, we have worked to provide our members with the networks, resources and expertise that they need to grow and increase their impact in a rapidly changing environment.

Christmas Tea Dance. The League of Friends of the County Hospital, Griffithstown,

provide aid and friendship to patients at the busy community hospital.

Photo by Victoria Morton.

Our members have volunteered thousands of hours in a huge range of ways such as chatting to patients who might not have visitors, assisting with administration, and running the hospital shop.

Volunteers personalise a stay in hospital, they have the time to sit and listen and can be the human face of healthcare.

The League of Friends of the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital run four shops inside the hospital,

these and many fundraising events and activities have raised more than £7 million for the Royal

Shrewsbury. They also provide arrangements of beautiful fresh flowers throughout the hospital.

Photo by Jamila Walker.

By 1995 we realised that volunteering to support health was happening far beyond the hospital doors and so we welcomed community groups to join.

The National Association of Leagues of Hospital friends changed its name to the National Association of Hospital and Community Friends.

Community Link Up promotes friendship between people with learning difficulties and the wider

community. They run a range of clubs and activities including; keep fit classes, computer lessons,

complementary therapies and a night club run by service users themselves.

Photo by Colleen Stretch.

Our membership continued to grow and reflect our communities, so in October 2006 we became Attend.

The definition of attend is to respond, to reach out and to give care.

Islington Music Forum assists in the rehabilitation of people with mental illness through music

and the arts. The Forum hold workshops for patients in the wards of the Highgate Mental Health

Centre as well as courses in local colleges and day centres. They perform at many events and

festivals around London.

Photo by Ramon Andarias.

Between 2007 and 2008, Friends groups have raised £42 million to support health and social care and have volunteered 201,000 hours worth another £60 million. That’s an overall contribution of £102 million.

The Friends of the Conquest hospital work for the benefit of health care in the community.

They raises funds through the Friends shop to buy items for the comfort of patients and staff

and equipment for the hospital.

Photo by Rosemary Hudson.

Our membership continues to grow and diversify. In 2007-2008, the number of active volunteers associated with out member groups increased by 15% to 36,000.

Between 2001 and 2008, the percentage of black, Asian and minority ethnic volunteers increased from 1.5% to 6%.

Since 2007, the number of volunteers under 25 years of age has increased 4%.

The Pepper Pot Day Centre works within the community to meet the social, cultural, physical,

emotional and psychological needs of African and Caribbean elders, allowing them to live

independently in their own homes.

Photo by Ewa Kaziermczak.

Our vision for the next 60 years is to keep on putting volunteering at the heart of health and social care.

We want to be a representative voice, lead by example, always find a way to succeed and to put partnerships and relationships at our core.

The Vibe project at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup encourages volunteering in health

and social care with opportunities and training for those aged between 16 and 25. This project

was funded by youth volunteering organisation v. We have been working with v on a variety of

initiatives involving young volunteers.

Photo by Sarah Matthews.

The Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital was founded in 1963, their primary aim is to provide

supplementary services and equipment for the comfort and well-being of patients and their

visitors. They support staff and raise funds for refurbishments and equipment.

Photo by Krisztina Kovacs.

Our mission for the next 60 years has three main activities:

• Supporting our members with services and benefits

• Promoting new membership to make sure we represent the community we serve

• Developing new, innovative volunteering schemes and projects.

Jeanette Hill of Ronald McDonald House worked with us to recruit volunteers to help at the

charity providing accommodation and support for parents visiting their children in hospital.

Photo by Dara Herlihy.

We want to support members by listening to what they need and continuing to respond with services and benefits that allow their volunteering to reach its full potential.

We want to promote the benefits of membership with us to make sure that those who need our support know we are there and that we continue to represent the changing faces of our communities.

And we want to be a positive voice for volunteering to those who can influence the future, from potential volunteers to the Government.

The League of Friends of Nuffield Orthopaedic gave their Hospital shop a new lease

of life with a beautiful mural by artist Susannah Brough.

Photo by Roger Askew.

We want to develop volunteering by piloting new ways to volunteer, by enhancing the quality of volunteering whenever possible and by constantly searching for ways that make volunteering effective and enjoyable.

‘The Future of Major Trauma and Stroke Care in London’, A Healthcare for London

Consultation. Attend regularly provides workshops, conferences and training to volunteers

and health care professionals.

Photo by Gary Meyer.

It is with the greatest excitement and pride that we celebrate our 60th birthday and it’s the perfect time to be grateful to all those who have played their part in our past and those who will shape our future.

The open top bus ride to celebrate the 15 Attend volunteers who received the prestigious

Order of Mercy in a special ceremony hosted by the Department of Health in recognition

of our important contribution to health and social care in Britain.

Peter Green, holding the banner, has volunteered for a local Friends Group for over 55 years

and was Attend Deputy Chairman from 1999-2003.

Photo by Sean Michael.

To find out more about Attend and the work that we do and for information on our 60th anniversary celebrations visit our website at www.attend.org.uk.

The lavish spread of food put on by the League of Friends of the County Hospital

Griffithstown, at their Christmas Tea Dance.

Photo by Victoria Morton.

© 2009 Attend. 11-13 Cavendish Square, London, W1G 0AN Tel: 0845 450 0285 | Email: info@attend.org.uk | Web: www.attend.org.ukAttend is a charity registered in England under no. 1113067 and in Scotland under No. SC039237. Registered Company no. 5713403.

Sponsored by Barclays Commercial Charities team – for details of the services offered to Attend members from Barclays, contact Andy Rosamond on Tel: 0777 554 5583 | Email: andrew.rosamond@barclayscorporate.com.

With thanks to all of our volunteer photographers whose time and hard work made this publication possible.

“The Barclays charities team is proud to support both Attend and its member groups, and would like to offer our congratulations on this fantastic milestone. We also look forward to continuing and improving the relationship in the future.”Andy Rosamond, Relationship Director Charities Team, Barclays Commercial Bank.

Design by Attend Creative – creative@attend.org.uk.