BERWICK woman Barbara Herdman will be presented with a diamond award by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, at a ceremony in London next week.
The prestigious award is recognition for Barbara's unstinting work with the League of Friends of Berwick Hospitals over the past 32 years.
She is among 200 volunteers selected by Attend, the health and social care organisation, to receive her awar
d from the Duke at St James' Palace on Monday.
"I'm thrilled to bits but you don't get something like this on your own; loads of other people have helped the League of Friends and the hospital over the years," she said.
The Diamond Awards mark Attend's diamond jubilee and honour the contribution of volunteers in health and social care throughout the UK.
More than 900 long-standing, dedicated volunteers have been recognised with a diamond award after being nominated by their organisations.
Barbara joined the League of Friends of Berwick Hospitals at its inaugural meeting at the King's Arms Hotel on February 8, 1978.
"There were lots of societies and clubs putting forward representatives so I asked if individuals could be on the committee," recalled the former teacher.
"I have been on ever since, initially as assistant secretary and for the past 30 years as secretary which I've thoroughly enjoyed."
The League of Friends is a voluntary organisation which supports the work of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust at Berwick Infirmary.
It is able to provide much needed equipment and comforts for the benefit of patients and staff through the income raised by the fundraising efforts of volunteers.
"We've raised over £750,000 which has enabled us to buy things for the hospital such as ECG and endoscopy equipment which it might not otherwise have had," said Barbara.
"We've also instigated a few other things, such as tea ladies going around the hospital at weekends which has been welcomed by patients.
"Another is the provision of personal wash bags containing a few bits and pieces for people who have come into the hospital at short notice.
"There's also the Christmas lunch for the elderly which we put on every December and our visits to the hospital to deliver cards and presents every Christmas so we are very active."
The League of Friends also provided a strong voice when concerns were raised about the perceived downgrading of the hospital.
Barbara said: "While some of the surgery procedures have been taken away, we have 53 consultants and specialists coming to the hospital every month.
"They now do chemotherapy treatment, MRI and CT scanning, deep vein thrombosis treatment and have recently started limited plastic surgery treatment - all sorts of things that people said would never happen at Berwick."
She is now looking forward to seeing the town get a new, more accessible hospital in the next two to three years.
The rebuild of community hospitals in Berwick and Haltwhistle forms part of the trust's £200 million plan that also includes a new specialist emergency hospital near Cramlington and the refurbishment of Wansbeck and North Tyneside general hospitals.
