The League of Friends at Nevill Hall Hospital welcomed a new recruit for a recent shift at their dedicated coffee shop, raising vital money to help the various departments across the site.

Catherine Fookes, the MP for Monmouthshire, worked a shift at the coffee shop in the main waiting area. It is run by volunteers who step up for a range of reasons, from giving back to the teams that have looked after them to getting out of the house and socialising with each other. The benefit it has within the hospital and wider community is felt by most people who have ever had to access health services in Abergavenny.

Last year, partly thanks to funds raised through the coffee shop, the League of Friends were able to donate over £100,000’s worth of specialist equipment to departments across the hospital. The ophthalmology department received two new chairs and an ocular response analyser, while the oral surgery department also received a new dental chair.

During the shift, Ms Fookes worked alongside the café's team, serving customers and learning more about the vital role the café plays in supporting the hospital. A key element of the café’s role includes offering affordable food and drinks to people who could be spending hours at a time in the waiting area and a place for inpatients to gather away from the wards if they can.

"When I last visited Nevill Hall, I promised I would come back and do a volunteering shift in the cafe,” said Ms Fookes.

“It was fantastic to meet the other volunteers and see first-hand the incredible work they do. The cafe not only provides affordable food and drinks for patients, visitors and staff, but every purchase also helps raise money for equipment that makes a real difference at the hospital.”

“I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who volunteers their time. They're a brilliant example of the difference community volunteers make, and I would encourage anyone who is interested to consider getting involved."

The coffee shop venture started out with a tea trolley in in the late 1960s before moving to an outpatients corridor, and eventually finding their current home inside the outpatients unit in 2003.

Now, with an army of 120 supporters of the League’s cause manning the coffee shop every month, the operation has grown to be able to use its six-figure turnover to support the different departments in the hospital.

A representative from Friends of Nevill Hall said, "It was a pleasure to welcome Catherine back to Nevill Hall to volunteer in the cafe.”

“It’s good to get an MPs support for our work. We're always looking for new volunteers to join the team, and we'd be delighted to hear from anyone who would like to get involved." Anyone interested in volunteering or finding out more about the work they do, can visit the Nevill Hall League of Friends website: https://nhleagueoffriends.org.uk/.”