Hospital Friends at North Walsham did their Santa run, laden with gifts for patients and staff.
The group delivered a sleigh-full of goody bags in an annual festive gesture that helps bring a bit of cheer to those spending Christmas in the hospital – either working or being cared for.
Each parcel contains a mix of treats including socks, chocolates, biscuits, a flannel and shower gel.
Ward sister Tracey Singleton, who received the parcels with ward house manager Helen Gwilliam, said patients were always pleased and surprised to receive the gifts which showed people other than friends and family were thinking of them at Christmas.
The Friends buy extras and treats to help hospital patients, visitors and staff all year round using publicly-donated money. The Christmas gifts, which also included hampers for hospital staff, cost around £500 this year.
Chairman Keith Jarvis said: “We have been limited on what we can do over the past couple of years due to Covid, but things are getting brighter and we can do more to support the hospital.”
A day room where patients can relax away from the wards, was refurbished through Friends funding in 2018 – and the group is set to provide a range of games and activities as part of a national Reconditioning the Nation drive. It aims to boost patients’ well-being, mental and physical health by providing a more stimulating environment, which can also be enjoyed with visiting families and friends.
The Friends are also looking into providing extra laundry trolleys and specialist recliner chairs, as well as making early plans to mark the centenary of the hospital, which was built in 1923 and opened in 1924 after a public appeal to provide a unit as a memorial to the local men who died in the First World War.
