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23
Nov 2022
Hospital fundraiser extraordinaire Andy Wilkinson steps down after 45 years
A fundraiser who has helped raise more than £2.7m for Harrogate District Hospital has stood down as chairman of a volunteer group.
The Friends of Harrogate Hospital have generated more than £2.7m over the last 56 years to buy thousands of pieces of equipment for the hospital that could not be purchased through the NHS budget.
Wing commander Andy Wilkinson has been an active volunteer with the friends for nearly 45 years, with the majority of years as the group’s chairman.
Mr Wilkinson has been at the heart of everything from coffee mornings to major events like the Big Picnic. He said:
In recent years, the friends have funded relatives’ rooms on the children’s wards so parents of sick children have somewhere to stay, as well as on the intensive therapy unit and the stroke unit.
The group has also paid for a light sensory unit, a friends’ garden, and a paediatric outpatients waiting room.
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One of its biggest campaigns saw it raise £330,000 to house an MRI scanner in 2005. More than 1,000 patients have benefited from that every year since. Mr Wilkinson said:
Greatest achievement
Mr Wilkinson said his greatest achievement with the friends was helping to set up a volunteer scheme at the hospital, securing a grant in 2008 to employ someone for three years to recruit volunteers.
He has now passed the reins to new chairman John Fox but will stay on as a volunteer. He said:
Mr Fox said:
For more information about the Friends of Harrogate Hospital, contact friendsofhdft@gmail.com
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