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Dedicated hospital volunteer meets The Queen at Windsor Castle
Ron Knight, 88,
Bury St Edmunds,
a dedicated
volunteer at West
Suffolk Hospital,
accepted an
invitation to
Windsor Castle
yesterday
(Tuesday, 2 April)
where he met
Her Majesty The
Queen, The Princess Royal and The
Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
The Queen paid tribute to the nation’s
volunteers, hosting more than 200
guests from voluntary organisations
at a reception at Windsor Castle. The
event celebrated the 100th anniversary
of the National Council for Voluntary
Organisations (NCVO), of which The
Queen is a patron. Ron was born on
Christmas Day 1930, and served in the
Royal Marines during the Korean War.
He married Betty, a nurse, in 1956 and
they went on to have two children
together.
Ron has always been active, and has
for many years been a keen distance
runner – running the fi rst ever London
Marathon in 1981. In 1999 he was
diagnosed with stomach cancer, but
after only a year after fi nishing his
treatment he returned to marathon
running again, running 38 in total
over his lifetime. In 2001, Ron’s
beloved wife Betty was diagnosed
with Alzheimer’s disease. Ron cared
for her full-time at home before she
sadly passed away in 2008. Ron said:
“I was devastated when I lost Betty,
after 52 years of marriage. I felt like
I didn’t have any direction in my life,
and happened to see an opportunity to
volunteer at the West Suffolk Hospital
in the eye treatment centre.
“The rest is history – supporting
patients and staff in the eye injection
clinic has given me a new sense of
structure and purpose to my life for
the last 10 years. I offer reassurance
and comfort to all the patients during
their injection procedure, and help
them if they’re feeling anxious or
apprehensive.” During his time at the
hospital as a volunteer, Ron has also
had to cope with the tragic loss of his
grandson and daughter – again, Ron
cites the hospital staff he volunteers
with and his role at the hospital as
the support that
sustained him
through these
diffi cult times.
It was Ron’s
unwavering
dedication and
service to his local
NHS hospital that
made him stand
out to be invited
to meet The Queen
and tell her about
his role.
“Meeting The
Queen was a real
honour, and was
one of the highlights of my life. It
really was terrifi c, and I’m appreciative
to everyone who made it happen.
She was very kind and made me feel
welcome, and thought it was good
that our patients have someone to
comfort them through a diffi cult
procedure.”
“I am very proud of West Suffolk
Hospital – it was rated outstanding
in the most recent Care Quality
Commission report and I believe
it truly is. It’s so nice to be a small
part of such a successful team. I will
continue to volunteer as long as I am
able, and encourage others to do so
too. It is so rewarding and has given
me satisfaction and a feeling of self-
worth.”
Ian Mckee, voluntary services manager
at West Suffolk NHS Foundation
Trust, said: “We are so proud of Ron
and truly happy he was given such a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet
The Queen at Windsor Castle. It is
well-deserved, and both our staff and
patients appreciate Ron’s kindness and
hard work to help those around him.
He is defi nitely West Suffolk royalty in
our eyes.”
If you would like to volunteer at West
Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, please
contact the team: Tel. 01284 713169
Email: [email protected]
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