This in from George on behalf of the Friends of St Mary’s Hospital. Ed
The official opening of the Friends shop at the new £1.5 million Ryde Health and Wellbeing Centre, which will be dedicated to the memory of a generous benefactor of the charity, the late Leonard Francis Nicholson, takes place this week.
The opening will be performed by the Mayor of Ryde, Councillor Roi Milburn, who will be introduced by Steve Solley, chairman of the Friends’ trading company.
Mr Nicholson, former electrician in the East End of London who retired to Wootton, left a most welcome £50,000 to the Friends on his death at the age of 85.
His nephew, John Addis, of Canvey Island, agreed that part of the legacy should be linked to the new shop.
First venture outside Hospital
Costing £11,500, the shop is the charity’s first trading venture out of Newport’s St Mary’s Hospital, where it runs a well-established shop and two cafeterias.
The Ryde centre facility, a combination in a modest way of both shop and cafeteria, is already proving to be much appreciated by both patients and staff. It has a hot drinks dispenser, confectionery, cold drinks, cakes and sandwiches.
The shop manager is Lisa Brodie, who for the past two years has been a part-time assistant at the Friends shop in St Mary’s foyer. From time to time she is assisted by volunteers, also comprising a valuable element of the St Mary’s operations.
“Working here gives me a new opportunity to meet new people,” said Lisa.
New community clinic
Opened last year, the Ryde centre, at 57 Pellhurst Road, is one of six NHS community clinics manned by community teams across the Island, reducing the need for many out-patients to travel to St Mary’s.
Among services offered at Ryde are podiatry, psychological therapies, community midwives, blood tests, health visitors and a pain clinic.
The official opening takes place at 2pm on Tuesday (15th March).
