The ophthalmology service at Weston General Hospital (WGH) includes paediatric ophthalmology clinics. Expanding the service in Weston means families don’t have to travel up to Bristol for their care and allows precious resources to be used at the BEH for Bristol-area patients.

The WGH service wanted to install additional digital vision testing charts in the Seashore (paediatric) outpatient department, which would ensure that all clinical rooms can be utilised for ophthalmology clinics. The Friends have purchased three Thomson charts, complete with mini PCs and 24″ clinical quality LCD monitors including infrared control and wall mounting brackets.

This grant cost £4,785.

2 October 2024

The Friends recently held a fund-raising wine-tasting evening, which those attending said was a ‘great success’. Held in the prestigious Clifton Club, the event was a complete sell-out, with over a thousand pounds raised for the charity.

Hosted by Clifton wine merchants DBM Wines, six different wines were tasted – three white, and three red – from countries including Lebanon, Georgia and Romania. DBM Wines director Richard Davis related the history of each of the wines being tasted, which added enormously to the evening’s enjoyment.

There was also a raffle of prizes that had been generously donated. This, together with the sale of the charity’s Christmas cards, all added up to the final sum of money that was raised.

24 September 2024

The Friends had last refurbished the Queen Anne Building’s staffroom kitchen in 2009, so it was not surprisingly showing signs of general wear. It had also suffered from two major water leaks and some of the kitchen cupboards had been damaged beyond repair.

The room is used by a much higher number of staff members than previously and was no longer fit for purpose. With the hospital trust currently only supporting urgent requests (and predominantly those relating to clinical areas), FBEH approved a request for new equipment, cabinets and wipe-clean worktops, a wipeable sofa and the removal and replacement of tiles with hygienic wall cladding.

26 September 2024

Good news for chocaholics – but only those who enjoy plain chocolate.

Italian researchers discovered that eating six small squares of dark chocolate a day can boost blood flow to the retina.

The retina is the delicate layer of tissue at the back of the eye, which converts light into signals for the optic nerve to send to the brain. It needs a constant flow of oxygen-rich blood to remain healthy. Retinal diseases are a major cause of sight loss, including age-related macular degeneration, a condition that affects one and a half million people in the UK.

The research, which was published in the journal Scientific Reports, says that “a reasonable amount of flavanols-rich chocolate in healthy subjects has benefic functional short-term effects in retinal vessels.”

3 October 2024

As a charity we do not normally suggest to members and friends that they might like to support an online petition.

However, we recently saw one on the change.org website that we felt worth sharing.

The petition, which was started by Jessica Powell, explains that at the age of just four, her daughter was diagnosed with myopia and astigmatism in both eyes.

Please click the button below for the full story and a link to the petition.

5 October 2024

We have paid for the repair and decoration of facilities for staff in the Bristol Eye Hospital Diagnostic Assessment Centre which opened in the old Post Office in the Galleries Shopping Centre in 2023.

Staff working in the diagnostic service provide an excellent service which has been highly praised in feedback from patients.  The improved ‘back of house’ facilities provide a welcoming and comfortable area for staff to relax in during their breaks, enabling them to return to work suitably refreshed.

This grant cost £5,610.

26 January 2024

We strive to thank all our donors promptly – unless we are specifically asked not to thank them.

We receive many donations from people who choose to remain anonymous or who do not give us any means of contacting them to say thank you.  We regret being unable to thank such donors other than by expressing our grateful appreciation here.

There are also currently over 60 people who donate regularly – and some have done so for very many years.  Our longest regular donor made their first payment in June 1983!  The number of regular donors and the total they donate increases steadily every year.  We do not thank you regularly but please be assured that your donations are very warmly received and we are most grateful for your ongoing support.

27 September 2021, updated 17 January 2024

Our promotional leaflet “PLEASE LOOK INSIDE” is on display in the hospital.  The leaflet briefly describes what we do, with some examples of grants we’ve made.  It also encourages people to join us, setting out different ways of donating and how to request information.

The leaflet also contains a loose stand-alone form to join or donate to the Friends.

9 November 2022, updated 20 October 2023