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Before 1948, when the National Health Service was formed by Aneurin Bevan, a great many hospitals relied on voluntary contributions to maintain them. Each of these voluntary hospitals had groups of people willing to give their time and energy in raising money. With the advent of the new NHS there was a great feeling that this was Utopia and voluntary help would no longer be needed. But, of course, there was no bottomless pit of money and with more procedures, expensive operations and larger hospitals, something had to be done.
In the early 1950s, the formation of Leagues Of Friends of hospitals was suggested. In Warwick, the League was formed in 1953 with the Earl of Warwick as President. Dr Stephen Whittaker was a founder member and with his help, a Committee began the work of the League. Throughout the years, with the immense rise in costs, we have tried to provide equipment to help both patients and staff. During the 45 years of our existence, we have raised and spent more than £2 million. We are a registered charity and our overhead expenses are minimal. We rely on the goodwill of the public who give generously to maintain the help we can provide.
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