More than 50 volunteers honoured by hospital as part of coronation celebrations

The volunteers were celebrated at an event outside the hospital's emergency department, where they were presented with a certificate and a commemorative King's coronation badge in recognition of their efforts.

Among the volunteers whose efforts were celebrated was Lisa Wright, a 50-year-old mother of one from Penkridge.

Lisa has been happily giving two days a week of her time for the last three months on Wards A5 and A6 Orthopaedics, and says she owes her life to RWT staff.

The 50-year-old's life was saved by surgeon Deepak Singh-Granger after she was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer and given two hours to live before a tumour the size of a bag of sugar was removed from under her ribs.

Another volunteer who was honoured was Lasanthi Wawalage, a 40-year-old who settled permanently in the UK from Sri Lanka in 2015.

Lasanthi volunteers two days a week on Ward C18: Women and Elderly Care. She decided to join her husband Philip Weaver, who became a volunteer after an accident left him with a physical disability.

The event, which was organised by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Charity and supported by the Trust’s Patient Experience Team, was held partly to recognise The Big Help Out.

Celebrated on Monday, The Big Help Out was a national day of volunteering which was part of a campaign led by King Charles III to showcase how volunteering benefits both communities and the people who take part.

The monarch was represented at the event by Professor Martin Levermore MBE, Deputy Lieutenant for the West Midlands and Non-Executive Director of RWT.

Professor Levermore said he was honoured to read the King’s speech, adding that the volunteers were the first to hear it. He said: “Each one of our volunteers is an exemplar to our cause.”

Sir David Nicholson, RWT and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Joint Chair, gave each of the volunteers their certificate and commemorative King's coronation badge.

Sir Nicholson said: “One of the reasons why this Trust is regarded as one of the top five in the country is that it’s deeply connected to the local community.

“Volunteering is a fantastic and selfless thing to do and we absolutely recognise it dearly. People have calculated how much money all of the things volunteers do would cost but I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.

“It’s about those individual moments that you have with patients and their loved ones, that they will remember forever. That’s why we’re particularly thankful for the incredible work you do.

“This is our small way of recognising the contribution you make to the community and our patients.

"The coronation of King Charles III is an opportunity for us to think about our place in society and think about how we can improve things and make them better through the Big Help Out.

“As part of that, we want to genuinely recognise the contribution our volunteers make to this wonderful institution.”

Professor David Loughton CBE, Group Chief Executive, added: “It really is a privilege to see so many volunteers because I see the work you all do and I’m very proud of it – you contribute so much and it’s very much appreciated.

“Some of the letters of appreciation we get are astounding, it’s incredible how often volunteers are mentioned in terms of interacting with patients and their families.

“I’m also pleased that our volunteer numbers are getting back to what we had pre-covid-19, but we’re always on the lookout for more.”

Amanda Winwood, The RWT Charity Development Manager, said: “We’re delighted to see so many volunteers being recognised as part of the Big Help Out.

“Their contributions provide outstanding help and support to the care we provide for our patients – we couldn’t do what we do without them.”

Eleanor Morris, Deputy Head of Patient Experience (Strategy and Engagement) at RWT said: “It’s a lovely day to celebrate our volunteers and we’re proud to recognise their value and contribution.

“In keeping with the theme of Big Help Out, we’re also appealing to the wider community to join us because there’s never a better time to volunteer to help your local hospital.”