A group has celebrated a diamond effort supplying teas, cakes and smiles at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

The League of Friends (LoF) marked 60 years of service at the infirmary at its latest AGM.

There are more than 100 local members who help the smooth running of the hospital for patients and their families in roles such as meeting and greeting at the main reception and delivering refreshments on the wards and clinics.

In the past few years equipment bought by the LoF for patients and staff has included sofas, cushions, TVs and DVD players, special toys for youngsters with hearing problems and an ice machine for the Huddersfield Birth Centre

The group enjoyed a nostalgia board showing newspaper cuttings from down the years and the guests enjoyed a celebration tea and thank-you speech from the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust chairman Andrew Haigh, with a special 60-shaped cake centre stage.

Among those attending was long-service award winner Shelia Brierley, and Elaine Wood, from Oakes, who was celebrating 50 years with the hospital.

She spent 41 years working in pharmacy and has been with the LoF for nine years in oncology outpatients and meet and greet.

She said: “I like everything about the hospital work – the people, the staff, the patients. I was here when it opened and I so enjoy being part of it so much.”

Chairman Andrew Haigh, said: “We are very proud to join in the 60th Diamond anniversary celebrations of our marvellous League of Friends.

“It’s truly been a tremendous partnership lasting all these years and we thank them very much.

“I don’t know how many teas and coffees they have sold in 60 years but I do know that they all go to help make things that little bit better for our patients and we very much appreciate their continuing support.”

Factfile: League of Friends

The leagues were were first formed in the 1800s as the British Hospital Association to support the hundreds of voluntary hospitals to treat the sick and the poor

After the creation of the NHS the National Association of Leagues of Hospital Friends (N.A.L.H.F.) was formed on March 24, 1949 - 175 local leagues attended.

One of the national founders Captain J.W. Price said the objectives were: “To mobilise, encourage, foster and maintain, the human love of the people of this Country, in the giving service to supplement the healing work of the staff and the State, and always ensure a humanising supplement to the work of the hospitals.”