Staff and local volunteers enjoyed a welcome cup of tea at Falkirk Community Hospital to celebrate a donation of almost £20,000 from the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS).

The money will be used to continue helping patients in four wards at the hospital who already benefit from a variety of services provided by the RVS. These include befriending, reading to patients, playing games such as dominoes and bingo, arts and crafts activities and hand massage. The 33 volunteers who work at the hospital are also involved in coffee mornings and reminiscing. In addition, they take patients to the hospital’s sensory garden to enjoy the scented plants, outdoor seating and fresh air. The garden was one of a number of developments funded from previous donations from the national charity which aims to improve the lives of older people.

The cheque for £19,899 was received by NHS Forth Valley Chairman Alex Linkston who said: “We cannot thank the RVS enough for their amazing generosity. Some of our elderly patients spend a long time in hospital and being able to involve them a wide range of recreational and social activities makes a huge difference to their overall health and wellbeing.”

Nigel Green, RVS Operations Manager, added: “We are delighted to be able to make this donation to support our ongoing partnership with NHS Forth Valley. The services provided by our local volunteers at Falkirk Community Hospital is helping to increase patient confidence and self esteem, reduce social isolation and encourage people to interact and communicate with others. This is very much in line with the overall aims of the RVS as we believe that every older person should have the opportunity and choice to get more out of life.”

The WRVS was originally founded in 1938 as the Women’s Voluntary Services for Air Raid Precautions. Now known as the Royal Voluntary Service, with the help of more than 40,000 volunteers, they are a major charity giving practical help, particularly for older people so they can enjoy an improved quality of life. The organisation has already donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to health services in Forth Valley and much of this money is raised through the RVS cafes which operate in a number of local hospitals.