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In Sight 2017 was published on 9 May and is available on our download page. Members have received a copy by post or email, and copies are also available in the hospital reception areas.

So far this year, the Friends have paid for the following grants for the hospital:

£2,008 for a Motorised Wheelchair to transport patients more easily and safely between BEH and the BRI
£1,820 worth of training equipment for the Eye Clinic Liaison team and volunteers from the RNIB to show visually impaired or blind patients what is available to help them live safely and independently
£3,750 for a new Icare Tonometer
£4,060 for a Portable Slit Lamp
£5,600 for patients' chairs for the Theatre Ward and Gloucester Ward
£3,800 for refurbishment of a clinic in the Queen Anne Building
£1,200 for an Ophthalmic Patient Assessment Chair
£8,000 for a kitchen for staff on the Theatre Level
£180 for 50 AutoDrops for patients (kindly funded by the Burges Salmon Charitable Trust)
£690 for 3 tablets to assist vision testing of special needs children

None of these would have been possible wthout the generous support of our members and donors. Many thanks to all of you and those who bought our Christmas Cards in 2017.

Henleaze Garden Club brightens Patients' Garden

St Odilia’s Garden, the courtyard garden for patients situated in the reception area of the Eye Hospital, has a beautiful newly planted pot thanks to the work done by members of the Henleaze Garden Club.

The Friends asked the Garden Club whether they would like to design and plant a pot for the garden and were delighted when the Club’s Chairman, Andy Harrison, agreed.

Andy delivered the pot at the end of May and it was quickly receiving admiring comments - a beautiful mixture of diasca, agaranthus, cosmos, pelargoniums and calabrachoa.

In addition, when the Andy heard that we were planning to completely replant the central bed of the garden – around the statue of St Odilia – he immediately offered to clear and replant it for us. This was completed in no time at all and it is now bedding down nicely with a lovely mixture of aromatic and colourful plants; the bed is already looking lovely and will be a delight when it is fully mature.

The Friends are delighted with the results and are very grateful to the Garden Club, and particularly Andy and his family, for their generosity and hard work, which we are sure will bring much pleasure to the patients and staff at the hospital.

Fund-raising in memory of James Griffiths

On 27 May 2018, James Reddish, Helen Jenkins and Wayne Barrett will be running the Edinburgh Marathon, raising funds in memory of their dear friend James Griffiths, who sadly passed away in April 2017, aged 36, following complications after a major heart operation. James was a constant inspiration as he tackled persistent health issues and challenges, always doing so with his unique sense of positivity, humour and wit.

They are raising money for three charities that helped James through his numerous health challenges: the Harefield hospital charity, the British Heart Foundation and Friends of Bristol Eye Hospital, where James was treated for multiple eye issues over many years. They are stretching out to raise £1,500 in total. If you would care to sponsor them, you can do this at MyDonate.

James's family have also organised a Ball on 27 April to celebrate his life and to raise funds. This is now sold out.

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