Friends of Wisbech Hospitals charity is set to fold after 70 years plus years

A charity that has raised £100,000s for a local hospital over the years has announced it is to close after 70 plus years.

The Friends of Wisbech Hospitals was launched in 1953 to provide extras that the then newly formed NHS could not fund.

In a post to the group’s Facebook page current chair of the trustees Malcolm Bruce said: “It is with regret I must inform you that at our last meeting in January, the Trustees agreed to shut the Friends of the Wisbech Hospitals Charity down. This decision was not made lightly.”

He said the Trustees have worked tirelessly to meet its aims and over the last 20 years have been asked to fund more and more projects, which would normally be met by the central government.

Mr Bruce said: “The day-to-day management of the charity has increased dramatically over the past few years with myself and the treasurer spending a huge amount of our retirement time volunteering for the Friends.

“We had both given notice of our intention to retire from our roles. After a lengthy discussion, no one is prepared to take on these positions.”

He said that was partly behind the decision to close. the other was the North Cambs Hospital itself and its organisation.

Mr Bruce said: “In days gone by you had a single directorate for a hospital. Presently there are six providers within the hospital complex which makes communication nearly impossible.

“We have agreed to fund requested projects up to the end of December 2025. We aim to dissolve completely by late summer 2026.

“My sincere thanks to all Trustees and officers who have worked so hard for the past 72 years.”

According to the Charity Commission’s records the charity raised £57,066 in the year ending March last year, with expenditure totalling £195,345 in the same period. In 2022 the charity raised a whopping £154,520, spending £32,640 over the same period.