Volunteer workers at Airedale Hospital have been thanked for their efforts

A special gathering was staged in a marquee at the hospital grounds on Tuesday to pay tribute to the unpaid team.

Andrew Catto, executive medical director of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: “More people than ever before came forward to work as volunteers in the hospital last year.

“They dedicate an enormous number of hours of their free time to support the hospital, and we can never thank them enough for the work they do.”

Most of the 350-plus volunteers belong to either the Friends of Airedale or Airedale New Venture, which run shops in the hospital.

Others help with feeding patients and support the real-time patient survey, which seeks people’s views about the care they’ve received.

Shirley Banks, 75, a volunteer at the hospital for the past eight years, helped get the survey off the ground four years ago.

“I’ve seen the patient survey develop and lots of improvements made as a result of it,” she said.

The great-grandmother has been involved in volunteering for much of her life, serving in the Scout and Guide movements before beginning work at the hospital following the death of her husband, George.

“I’ve met so many ordinary people with amazing stories to tell about the things they have done,” she said. “It gives me something to get up for in a morning.”

Contact Gurmit Jauhal on (01535) 295316 or via Gurmit.Jauhal@anhst.nhs for further information about volunteering.