Morning coffee club donates over £500 to Bognor Regis War Memorial Hospital

Despite not being able to meet up for their usual Thursday morning cup of coffee at the Westmeads Community Centre for more than 18 months, the Westmeads Coffee and Chat Club donated £517 to the Friends of Bognor Hospital last week.

The group’s members raised the money through a variety of channels, including the sale of secondhand books, but have now returned to their weekly meetings and were able to present the cheques in person.

This is just one part of a years long relationship between the two organisations, one which has seen the coffee group donate more than £12,000 to the friends of Bognor Hospital over the years. It’s a relationship chairman Brian Knight MBE deeply appreciates, especially after the last 18 months, when ‘The Friends’ were left £40,000 short by the loss of two annual fetes and two raffles.

“The Friends are grateful (for the coffee groups) continued support, both financial and moral. That money will go into our accounts and, as the wards or staff and patients request something to make life a bit easier for them, then we buy equipment or provide services within the hospital, using that money.”

Donations like these have funded a number of major projects in the hospital over the last few years. Mr Knight explained how the Friends used donations like these to help build a new densitometry unit and re-equip the physiotherapy and gymnasium facilities at the hospital, refurbishments which cost £350,000 to complete.

“People like to know how the money is being spent,” Mr Knight said. “So I do try and make sure that the public are well aware of what we’re doing.”

To find out more about The Friends of Bognor Hospital, click here.