With a £150,000 donation from a local charity, the NHS Forth Valley matched this as part of a “wider £2 million investment programme to upgrade the outpatient clinic and main reception areas.”
As such, the café, which sees 28 volunteers cater for visitors, patients and staff each day, has moved to a ‘larger, more prominent’ area under its new name of Tea & Co.
Sheila Pheely, who runs Tea & Co at Stirling Community Hospital, said: “I’ve been a Royal Voluntary Service volunteer for 22 years and love running the café, which I’ve been doing for 20 years.
“It’s extremely busy so time flies by and we get lovely feedback from customers who enjoy the lovely bright, modern environment.”
Director of retail for Royal Voluntary Service, Mark Olliver, added: “This generous donation made to Royal Voluntary Service by the Friends of the Stirling Community Hospital has enabled us to transform the café.
“We’ve made it a brighter, more attractive space for customers to spend time in and, more importantly, a place where visitors can find out more about the services Royal Voluntary Service provides to people in hospital and in the local community.
“To be supported in such a way by the Friends of Stirling Community Hospital and NHS Forth Valley is a wonderful compliment to the hard work and dedication shown by our team of volunteers and staff.”
To thank the local organisation, the Stirling Community Hospital recently held a ceremony and awarded four Royal Voluntary Service volunteers their long service medals, including Barbara Maak (20 years), Barbara Shanks (20 years), Clementine Campbell (20 years) and Pat Middleton (five years).
Chair of the Friends of Stirling Community Hospital, Allan Dewar, commented: “The Friends of Stirling Community Hospital is delighted to contribute to such a worthwhile project, which has made such a difference to patients, visitors and staff and created a much better environment for Royal Voluntary Service volunteers.”