Time is called at the tea bar

The remaining 80 regular voluntary helpers at the buffet in the reception hall will be serving tea, coffee, minerals, chocolate and snacks for the very last time on Friday, March 22.

That's the poignant day the 230 year-old infirmary closes after treating millions of patients during its long history.

It was also the place where the British Medical Association was founded by Worcester physician Sir Charles Hastings in 1832.

The Infirmary's Guild of Buffet Helpers will naturally be sad at this end of an era for them too. Some have served regularly at the WRI buffet bar for 30 or 40 years or more, notably Mrs Lily Hepworth of Stephenson Terrace, Worcester (45 years) and Mrs Nancy Brooks of Oldbury Road, Worcester (40 years). Both these ladies are still on regular duty at the buffet, even in these final weeks.

Mrs Doris Kershaw of Northwick Close, Worcester, has been a helper for 33 years and chairman of the Guild of Buffet Helpers for the past 20 years. "They have been a most remarkable band of women and, in more recent decades, men too, with husbands also giving voluntary service as helpers.

"In times past, women, such as myself, first volunteered as helpers when in their 30s or 40s, but the average age of the helpers today is around 70. The remaining volunteers have given, between them, a staggering total of nearly 1,000 years service as buffet helpers at the infirmary.

"Their dedication and loyalty has been unique. As an example, one of our members, 90 years-old Mrs Kath Wade of Barry Street, Worcester, made her way, despite the widespread effects of the famous flood of November 2000, to be on duty at the buffet and, after serving all morning, was among all those people and patients who had to be evacuated from the infirmary in the afternoon."

"March 22 will obviously be a sad day for us but we are naturally delighted that Worcester has a new district general hospital," says Mrs Kershaw.

Her husband and fellow helper Cyril points out that over the years the buffet volunteers have not simply served cuppas and snacks but have also offered "a listening ear" to patients and hospital visitors - "people can't talk to a machine serving plastic cups."

Mrs Kershaw stresses that she couldn't have borne the duties of buffet chairman for so long without the support of her husband, a former water engineer, first with Worcester City Council, then the South West Worcestershire Water Board and finally with the Severn Trent Water Authority.

Mrs Kershaw has provided me with a thumbnail history of the Royal Infirmary buffet, thanks partly to information given her in the past by eminent local surgeon, the late George Marshall and former Evening News woman's page editor, the late Miss Valentine Noake.

The buffet made its first appearance at the Infirmary in 1935, opening on certain days of the week when the Out-Patients Department was at its busiest.

Back in those times, the Infirmary was still a voluntary hospital, continually troubled with a huge overdraft at the bank, occasionally obliged to close a ward as a temporary economy, and relying almost entirely on voluntary contributions.

At that time of acute anxiety, the then Bishop of Worcester, the Rt. Rev Dr AW Perowne, who was also president of the Infirmary, broadcast an appeal for funds one Sunday evening on BBC radio.

This was followed by a letter of appeal, delivered next day to every household in the city and county. A prominent figure in this huge mailing operation was Lady Atkins, wife of Sir Ivor Atkins, the Worcester Cathedral prganist and a close friend of composer Sir Edward Elgar.

Lady Atkins, a great personality and an alderman, magistrate and, finally, mayor of Worcester, had a large circle of friends and supporters whom she mobilised to fold and pack the many thousands of appeal letters for mailing, with the Post Office collecting them at intervals.

Fittingly, Lady Atkins was elected as the first chairman of the Worcester Royal Infirmary Women's Auxiliary Association - a voluntary organisation born in the wake of the appeal and taking on the task of providing hospital linen and promoting fund-raising events.

But the Infirmary matron of the time, Miss Elsie Percy suggested to Lady Atkins that the association would fulfil a further vital role if it opened a buffet or tea-bar in the out-patient hall, offering cups of tea and biscuits to all-comers. Many out-patients then came from long distances, and there was no caf within easy reach of the reception hall, then a cold, draughty place.

Mrs WG Bennett, the Women's Auxiliary vice-chairman, together with Mrs Louisa Newman and Mrs H Watson were the first ladies to organise a rota of helpers - and so the buffet was born.

For the modest sum of one old penny, patients and their waiting friends could buy a cup of tea and a biscuit. There were no frills about the initial buffet - just a table with crocks and a teapot. No water nor heat was laid on and, when more tea was required, a helper had to dash to the main hospital kitchen to make another pot.

Mrs Lily Hepworth, a helper now for 45 years, says only tea was served for a good number of years, though she remembers the introduction of pop, served from the old lever-top bottles. Matron provided the helpers with a washing-up bowl filled with boiling water, and they were issued with a pair of rubber gloves and a pair of tongs and requested to immerse the cups for at least two minutes to sterilise them.

Gipsies camping on Pitchcroft would also take their babies' bottles to the buffet to be filled with milk and warmed in the washing-up bowl.

At some stage, however, a proper bar for the buffet was constructed in the reception hall, and the next milestone was reached in 1948, with the arrival of the National Health Service. This led to the Womens' Auxiliary Association being disbanded, but the buffet was then taken under the wing of the newly-formed Friends of Worcester Royal Infirmary.

Mrs Kershaw says that for some years now, the buffet has been "a pleasant place to work". It was refurbished by the Friends in 1986, with the help of the hospital engineers, and new equipment was installed. For most of its life too, the buffet has been totally self-supporting, with helpers ordering and transporting all its stock.

But, above all, Mrs Kershaw says personal contact with patients and visitors has always been the helpers' priority. "For more than 66 years, thousands of patients and visitors have benefited from a sympathetic ear when needed."

However, as a significant spin-off, the buffet has also raised worthy sums for Worcester's hospitals. The profit in the first year of trading - 1935-36 - was £35 but for a considerable time now the buffet has donated between £4,000 and £5,000 annually to the city's hospitals.

In 1995, the Friends of WRI received a prestigious national Sapphire Award in recognition of "outstanding voluntary work for patients" at the Castle Street buffet.

The following year, the helpers supported the NHS Trust by serving refreshments after the Worcester Cathedral service to celebrate "250 years of caring" by Worcester Royal Infirmary, first opened at Silver Street in 1746, before moving to Castle Street in 1771.

And in 1998, Cyril and Doris Kershaw represented the Friends and the Infirmary buffet at the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, celebrating 50 years of the NHS. They were introduced to the Queen who expressed particular interest in the 250-year history of the Royal Infirmary.

"Her Majesty wished us well and said the district deserved a new hospital," adds Mrs Kershaw, who is delighted the new multi-million-pound complex at Newtown is being named the Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Last October, a farewell gathering for the buffet helpers was held in the Infirmary Board Room where the BMA was founded. About 70 past and present helpers attended.

* It must be emphasised that, though the buffet helpers guild is being disbanded, the Friends of Worcester Royal Infirmary certainly isn't going out of existence - far from it.

* Since 1948, the Friends have raised at least £700,000 for the Newtown, Ronkswood and Castle Street hospitals through fund-raising events such as bazaars, coffee mornings, collections at supermarkets, a stall at the Worcester Victorian Christmas fayre and through the Infirmary buffet.

* Two years ago, for instance, the Friends made grants totalling £163,884 to the three hospitals for patient care, and also gave £100,000 to the Charles Hastings Education Centre.

* Mrs Glen Williams, Chairman of the Friends, stresses that the organisation will continue raising funds for equipment and other items required in future by the new district hospital and also by the continuing Newtown hospital. However, a name change to the Friends of the Worcestershire Royal Infirmary may well be necessary.

* Some of the Castle Street buffet helpers, such as Mrs Kershaw, are also members of the Friends and will continue helping with their fund-raising events.