I WRITE on behalf of the committee and members of the Friends of the Princess of Wales Community Hospital.

The Friends have organised the hospital gala since the commencement 25 years ago when it became the hospital gala/carnival.

Prior to that, a series of fetes were held at various sites around Bromsgrove. Many of our members have been involved for the whole of that time.

In 2007 Sian Moule is resigning as our gala organiser which she has carried out for many years, firstly assisting her father, the late Denis Valentine, and latterly with the help of her son Christian. She has done a magnificent and admirable job and for that we give her our most grateful thanks.

The Friends is not committed to just one event a year; our work is continuous, arranging various activities, for example hospital fairs, car boot sales, quizzes, skittles and street collections.

Our greatest asset is the shop at the Princess of Wales Community Hospital and also our greatest need is for unpaid volunteers, to cover two shifts daily, five days a week.

Monies raised go to providing much-needed equipment and extra services for patients and staff at the hospital. In the last financial year the Friends contributed £17,000 from these activities.

The committee held a meeting in February to discuss our way forward. After much deliberation we reluctantly came to the decision that regretfully we will be unable to carry on organising the gala after this year, 2006, due to insufficient manpower.

However, the Friends gives the council its full support in its quest to appoint a gala/carnival organiser and will continue to give support whenever possible.

The Friends will continue to raise monies for the Princess of Wales Community Hospital in as many ways as possible.

I wish to thank the residents of Bromsgrove and surrounding districts for all their support in previous years and hope for their continued support in the future.

Barbara Armstrong, Chair of Friends of the Princess of Wales Community Hospital