History
The Friends of the Stamford Hospitals was established following a public meeting in the Town Hall of Stamford on October 11th, 1962. It was not though till December 1963 that it was registered as a charity and started to undertake its main task of providing amenities and comforts for the patients and staff of the Hospital. At this time the NHS was only 15 years old, and there were still many gaps in what was available to make the Hospital more comfortable for patients.
The objects of the Friends are listed in the Constitution and remain as relevant today as they did in 1963. Particularly the Friends work hard to foster and reflect the support of local people in the work of the Hospital, for example by encouraging membership, providing regular information and holding meetings. They are also active in raising funds, which have been used for a wide variety of purposes, and increasingly to fund extra pieces of equipment to help develop further the services offered at the Hospital.
The patrons of the Friends in 1963 were the Marquess of Exeter and the Earl of Ancaster, and their successors have kindly agreed to continue this role, the patrons today being Miranda Rock and Lady Jane Willoughby.
You may see our Constitution by using the link below.
Trustees
The trustees of the Friends meets four times a year to discuss fund raising, to receive requests for funding and discuss any other issues affecting the Hospital. The current Matron, Caroline Wood, attends these meetings and gives invaluable advice about services that deserve support, and often other members of staff attend to make their case.
| Kay Hircock | Interim Chair and Secretary |
| Trish Mason | |
| Viv Mitchell | Membership Secretary |
| Douglas Matthew | Treasurer |
| David Baxter | |
| Jonathan Jones | |
| Fiona Ruddick | |
| Marion Pitt | |
| Anne Banner |
Kay Hircock, Interim Chair and Secretary
I moved to Stamford with my family in 1966 and now feel qualified to be a “local”. I started working at Stamford Hospital in 1974 and stayed until 2000 when I moved to Peterborough Hospitals Trust working in their Service Improvement Team. After four years I moved on to Peterborough PCT and then to Peterborough Community Services as lead for strategic development in Long Term Conditions.
The draw to move back to Stamford became overwhelming and I became a practice manager at a surgery in Stamford. I retired after working for the Health Service for 42 years. My working life has been dedicated to the NHS and I am passionate about helping to make it work. I have a very keen interest in golf, being a member and past ladies captain at Burghley Park.
Trish Mason
As a former nurse I have worked at various hospitals in the U.K. including Stamford. I held the post of President of the British Ladies’ Association in Madrid, an organised body of some 200 ladies who raised money for Spanish Charities, amongst them a Leper Colony in Valencia. Returning from Madrid to West Sussex I then became the Regional Manager of the British Red Cross in West Sussex primarily concerned with the distribution of medical aid equipment but also involved with the West Sussex Council run of the ‘Books for the Housebound’. I was a Public Governor for the North West Anglia Foundation Trust for seven years and a Stamford Hospital Volunteer for fourteen years. I am an active member of the Friends’ of Stamford Hospital and oversee the donated book sales at the Hospital raising some £3000 per year (6000 Books) for the Friends.
Viv Mitchell, Membership Secretary
I came to live in Stamford in 1979 when my husband was appointed as a GP principal in the Sheepmarket Surgery. Only a few weeks after arriving I was asked to work in Stamford hospital as a Clinical Assistant in both the Emergency Department and the Anaesthetics Department often taking my baby to work with me! I then became a part time Associate Specialist in Anaesthetics for Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals and as part of that job I worked one day each week in Stamford Hospital operating theatre.
Douglas Matthew
I am a Chartered Accountant and moved to Stamford in 1982 taking up the post of Chief Accountant and Company Secretary at Mirrlees Blackstone (Stamford) Ltd, Stamford’s largest employer at that time. Immediately prior to retiring at the end of 2014 I had worked with a large national educational charity for over 20 years and I am currently a member of the Lincolnshire Police independent audit committee. My three children were all brought up in Stamford, the second of whom was born in Stamford Hospital, and my wife works for an almshouse charity in Oakham. My leisure activities include golfing and cycling.
Stamford hospital is a great facility within the town and I wish to play even a small part in maintaining and, if possible, strengthening its vital role for the local community.
David Baxter
I joined the staff at Stamford Hospital in 1969 and had 30 years in technical charge of the Pathology Laboratory before secondment to the Education Department at the East Anglian Region for the last 5 years of my NHS career. While working at Stamford I became interested in the hospital’s historic archives and used many in hospital displays. I am a member of the Hospital Heritage Committee which, with the support of the Friends and the Trust, has been able to open a Hospital Museum. I also help with the changing displays in the Hospital corridors.
Jonathan Jones
I am a Consultant Orthopaedic & Trauma Surgeon with a subspecialty interest in Hand surgery & Reconstruction and live local to Stamford. I was appointed to Peterborough & Stamford Hospitals Trust in 2003 and set up the Combined Hand Clinic at Stamford Hospital in 2005. I have strong links with the staff and do a weekly multidisciplinary hand clinic and a regular Local Anaesthetic surgery list in the procedure room.
I am proud to be one of the members of staff at a Hospital which is so popular with patients and which enjoys such a wealth of local support. I still firmly believe the Hospital has a bright future in providing Healthcare to the local community and is still a valuable asset to the Trust.
Fiona Ruddick
I do not have a background as a medical professional, but have been a recipient of life saving care from the NHS throughout my life, sadly more often than I would have chosen! For much of my adult life I taught English, history and drama. When I left teaching in 1995, I became a recruitment consultant, Careers Development Advisor and subsequently an OFSTED inspector.
I have lived in Stamford since 1977 and have been involved in many local activities – CAB volunteer, Stamford Choral Society, Burghley Park Golf Club committee member for eight years and Ladies Captain in 1994. I was on the committee and eventually Chairman of STADFAS. I was also a Stamford Hospital volunteer for about five years. This gave me an insight into just how much patients appreciate our local hospital. I would like to help keep Stamford Hospital as a thriving, happy and thoroughly professional facility on our doorstep.
Marion Pitt
I moved to the Stamford area in 1996 after my husband retired from the Royal Air force. I am a secondary school teacher by profession, but after working at a local school in the area I was offered a job teaching adult male prisoners – a job I loved and did for 13 years. In preparation for retirement I became the Treasurer on the PPG, a caseworker for SAFFA and a committee member for a Cadets Royal Air Force Squadron in Leicester. I am also a Stamford Town Councillor.
Last year I had a medical condition that has made me cut back and I will be eternally grateful to the NHS for my care. I have an interest in Stamford Hospital as I feel it is an important part of the town – both its history and ongoing service to local people. I continue as a town councillor.
Anne Banner
After completing my GP training locally I have worked as a GP in the Peterborough and Stamford area for 30 years until I retired from clinical practice in 2021.
I live in Stamford and am proud to have longstanding connections with the hospital over the years both professionally and as a patient and parent. It is a privilege to work with the FOSH committee to support our hospital which has so much to offer and is so important to the local community.
Mike Lumb
I came to Peterborough as a consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in 1996 and started doing some sessions at Stamford Hospital two years later. I specialised in high-risk pregnancy and women with complex needs, including perinatal mental health. I stopped doing gynaecology clinics at Stamford when I became the first Chief Clinical Information Officer at NWAFT in 2017 and worked on the project to replace old computer systems at Peterborough, Stamford and Hinchingbrooke, having led on a new Maternity system prior to that. Having grown up in Northamptonshire and visited Stamford many times it was a pleasure to work here. The highlight of my week was my Friday morning antenatal clinic in Stamford and having retired in 2021, it is good to be able to support the hospital with exciting developments ahead.