Latest blog articles

Our fabulous Office Manager Sue Duffell and long-standing, invaluable volunteer Gill Conlon took to the airwaves of Seahaven FM to be interviewed on the show Community People. They talked all about the Friends and the importance of volunteers, as well as choosing the music! Put the kettle on, sit back and enjoy the show!

Thanks to a remarkable turnout and everyone bringing so much excitement and energy, the Friends’ first ever Race Night, held at Eastbourne Borough Football Club on Friday May 12, galloped its way to a glorious fundraising total of over £1,150.   Comprising eight exciting horse races, all shown on screen to the crowd, and all […]

Inviting all local schools (and individuals!) to give this a go, the Friends of Eastbourne Hospital are running their 2024 Art Competition with the theme of Hospital Superheroes. The entries are divided into two age categories:1. Children in Reception, Years 1 and 22. Children in Years 3-6 With the theme of ‘Hospital Superheroes’, the winning […]

The Friends Office will be closing at midday on Thursday 22nd December 2022, and reopening at 9am on Tuesday 3rd January 2023. The shop, with the exception of Christmas Day itself, will be open throughout the Christmas period. Please see above image for opening hours. We wish you a very Merry Christmas, and look forward […]

It was our final fundraiser of the year, and what a fabulous way to finish! Against the beautiful backdrop of twinkling Christmas lights, we Dined Around the World at the Thai Marina on December 1st.  The atmosphere was magical, the staff were superb and the food was, as always, exquisite. The evening raised £731.50 from […]

As 2022 draws to a close, we will soon announce, officially, that we achieved our Major Fundraising Project for the year – a target of £500,000 towards the replacement Da Vinci Robot in Urology. It took the entire community, and we are grateful to every single person, club or business who donated. We were delighted […]

At the appropriately celebratory occasion of an evening to mark their 20 years of fundraising, the Medi Tech Trust charity presented Friends Chairman, Dr Harry Walmsley, with a cheque for £25,000 towards the Friends 2022 Major Project of a replacement surgical robot for the Urology Department of the DGH. Receiving the generous donation, Harry spoke […]

As ever, there were controversial questions, pleas for half points and enormous amounts of fun. It was the third and final Friends Quiz of 2022 and it was a tense one! The announcement after a few rounds that there were only three points separating all 15 teams showed how evenly matched the tables were, and […]

By 10am on Saturday 4th November, the stalls were set up, the kettles were boiled, the raffle team were ready, and the doors at St John’s Parish Hall in Meads opened for our Autumn Fair. We saw sales of books, gifts, cakes, stamps, seasonal specialities, and not to mention plenty of tea and coffee. The […]

A firm favourite on the Friends’ calendar, the Autumn Art Exhibition once again went ahead this year for the 17th time, supported by 60 local artists who submitted a combined 285 paintings, and a magnificent team of volunteers who came together to help stage, and then assist throughout, the three-day event. Held at St Andrew’s […]

We’re delighted to announce that our 2022 Open Garden season raised over £18,000. An incredible team of volunteers worked tirelessly, through one of the hottest summers on record, plus a period of national mourning, to open eight glorious gardens between June to September. Enormous thanks go to the garden owners for allowing us in, and […]

With guests assembled and palates prepped for an evening of wine-tasting warfare, Henry Butler of Brighton’s Butlers Wine Cellar began his address to the room gently, with heartfelt thanks to the DGH and to the essential support the Friends gives it. Elaborating a little on his own experience of prostate cancer, Henry gave a nod […]

Thanks to Sue Hitchen for another enjoyable and successful quiz on Friday, raising £490. It was good to see some new faces and congratulations to the Willingdon Wanderers who were the winners on the night.

There were checked shirts, double denim, and cowboy hats ranging in colour from classic to fluffy white, with one all the way from Texas! What an effort everyone made to bring our 2022 Barn Dance to life. The evening was a lively, loud, laughter-filled success and with proceeds from ticket sales, plus the bar and […]

This was a Waitrose delivery with a difference! We were so grateful to hear from Helen, Branch Manager of Waitrose in Heathfield, who said that she would be making a donation to the Friends of Eastbourne Hospital on behalf of Waitrose & Partners. Every quarter, Waitrose & Partners allows each branch to donate funds to […]

Robin and Sue Weldon, life long supporters of the FoEH, recently held a tea party at East Dean Village Hall to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary, and requested ‘no gifts please, but donations to The Friends of Eastbourne Hospital would be greatly appreciated’. And guess what – their lovely friends and family donated the wonderful […]

We couldn’t have asked for a more fabulous night when we dined at Dem Shish in early May. From the phenomenal turnout which saw over 120 supporters attend the event, to the mouth-watering meze and mains brought out by the restaurant’s well-prepared and attentive staff, and finishing with the brilliant news that the evening had […]

As many of you know the Friends of Eastbourne Hospital are raising £500K towards a replacement Da Vinci Robot for the Urology Department as our major project for 2022. This will keep Eastbourne as a regional centre of excellence for the treatment of kidney, bladder, and prostate cancer. I am delighted to say that the Friends […]

There were heads in hands, deep concentration and crossings-outs all around the room, but it was the Pevensey Bay Packers who pulled clear in the final round to take the title of the Friends’ April 2022 Quiz Winners! Held at the Fishermen’s Club in Royal Parade, the event was superbly hosted with the rounds made […]

Fashionably late! The Friends of Eastbourne Hospital’s fundraising Fashion Show finally went ahead at the end of March after three prior Covid postponements. More than worth the wait, the afternoon was one of fun and fashion, with the church hall in All Saints Church on Grange Road turned into a catwalk for collections provided by […]

It was worth the wait! Originally scheduled for January but postponed due to Covid-19 concerns, our first Dine Around the World of 2022 was held at the Spice Garden on 16 March, with everyone delighted to come together over curry, raising not only their glasses but also a wonderful £794! Very special thanks go to […]

Making fundraising yummy, the brilliant bakers at Ocklynge School held a cake sale for the Friends and raised £294.35! That’s a lot of cake! To Rosie, James, Raf and Callia from Year 6 (pictured), and everyone else who baked, bought and supported, we thank you very much. It’s an amazing amount and it’s very gratefully […]