Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust

Putting some heart into the fight for Cranleigh Hospital

14/02/2006

On Sunday 12th February nearly 1,000 people braved the wind and the rain to help make a human version of CVHT's logo. A helicopter flew over the site of the proposed new hospital and an aerial photo was taken to provide the picture on the front of a card for the Secretary of State for Health. This very personal Valentine message was delivered to Patricia Hewitt's office on 14th February to leave her in no doubt as to how local Cranleigh residents feel about the threat to their hospital.

The helicopter was very kindly provided by Jim McAllister of the Rutland Group and many other people gave generously of their time, energy and resources to make all this possible; to everyone we send our grateful thanks.

Click here to see a PDF of the card.
(pops up in a new window)

The Battle of The Beds has Begun.

06/12/2005

The consultation by Guildford and Waverley Primary Care Trust begins on December 1 st and will put all the community hospitals in the area, including Milford Hospital , under the spotlight.

There is only one option – No 4 – that keeps Cranleigh open.

Remember!! CVHT's mandate from the public five years ago was to build a new hospital with 14 beds. We have planning permission for a new hospital with 20 beds, six of them will be for private patients.

Write to the PCT and tell them why you believe it is imperative that the beds in Cranleigh remain open. If you/a relative/friend have used Cranleigh, use your personal experience as an example.

It is crunch time for Cranleigh – the decision will be announced on March 23 rd 2006 .

There are currently plans on display in the Hospital Shop at Oliver House in Cranleigh High Street.

These plans for detailed planning permission will be lodged with Waverley Borough Council next week.

Write to Waverley at The Burys, Godalming and support them. CVHT could then be in a position to start work on the new hospital and health centre in the Spring.

Help CVHT to help you – the healthcare of generations of people in the Cranleigh Community could depend on what we do now!

View the plans:

First Floor (PDF)

Ground Floor Plan (PDF)

Second Floor Plan (PDF)

Elavation

Hospital Deal is a Step Away

16/05/2005

CRANLEIGH Village Hospital Trust is on the verge of signing a deal that should result in new health facilities being built within two years.

A meeting gave trustees a mandate on Wedensday 11th May to go ahead with its plans to link up with a joint venture partner to turn the dream of a new hospital and health centre into reality as soon as possible.

Because of a delay in finalising negotiations with the prospective partner, the CVHT was unable to identify the company it will be working with.

The public have been assured that both companies the trust has been talking to are well-known professionals and highly experienced in building health facilities.

A deal is close to being signed, and the Trust intends to ensure it provides a first class group of buildings. CVHT predicts it will be a superb facility, maintained to a high standard and that the Trust would retain the freehold of the land forever.

The public heard it was the intention to grant the trust’s partner a 125 year lease in exchange for a large capital sum and subject to restrictive covenants.

The access road and the land all round the site would be retained when a partner was appointed over the next two to three weeks. Legal arrangements are likely to take up to a further three months, with detailed planning permission expected to take six months to obtain, and 15 months to build.

The joint venture partner will receive “quite a nominal return” on its investment as well as a rent for the health centre, effectively from the NHS. Guildford & Waverley Primary Care Trust, or whatever body succeeds it, will also buy into the new hospital’s facilities.

Exactly what will be provided has still to be determined, though the meeting heard the retention of beds would be the top priority, along with the creation of a minor injuries unit, both of which CVHT chairman, Dr Robin Fawkner-Corbett, said could be justified by the population in the wider Cranfold area.

“The message is very exciting and the turning of the first sod is becoming tantalisingly close,” he said.

Trustees stressed the importance of continuing to raise funds to ensure Cranleigh has the best possible hospital and health centre they can deliver.

It wants state of the art equipment and educational facilities to attract and keep the best quality staff. But the real importance of the partnership was to start building straight away.

Acknowledging that fundraising, although it has passed the £1 million mark, had lapsed in recent months because of uncertainty caused by the lack of firm news of progress, The Trust said: “Certainty is now returning.”

Volunteers

10/02/2005

The Shop and the fund-raising team are always in need of more volunteers.

The Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust boasts a great group of voluntary helpers. Some serve on an occasional basis in the shop – it has raised over £60,000 for the appeal.

Others work with the fund-raising team on a variety of events and some work entirely on their own or with a chosen organisation to raise funds.

You can give as much or as little time as you want and CVHT is fortunate to have a Volunteers Officer called Julie who can answer any questions you may have.

She, and the Trust Administrator Christina Pearce can be contacted on 01483 276121 or call in at Oliver House – you could make friends and influence the fundraising for your hospital

In Top Gear

10/02/2005

Sports car enthusiasts went into overdrive to help benefit the appeal.

Members of the Surrey area of the Lotus 7 Club of Great Britain held a fund-raising auction with donated lots, one of which was the offer of a half-day track day from the Rutland Group at Dunsfold Park Ltd. Bidding was enthusiastic and the lot was eventually snapped up for £1,700 by Peter Trueman. The money has been shared equally by the Leukaemia Research Fund and a cheque was handed over to a CVHT trustee recently.

A spokesman for the Trust told the press at the presentation that it was hugely grateful to the Lotus 7 Club and to the Rutland Group.

“We have benefited on more than one occasion from the Rutland Group’s generosity in common with many other local charities and we all have reason to be very grateful to it.

Cranleigh Village Hospital Shop is appealing for villagers to take their unwanted Christmas present and bric-a-brac in to sell.

With the appeal fund set just a few thousands below its target for its first million, the CVH Trust’s shop and awareness centre takings could help the fundraising to grow.

CVHT Administrator Christina Pearce admitted the shop, in common with many others, had gone through a few lean weeks since Christmas. But with Spring just around the corner there were hopes that trade would now improve. “We have been bowled over by everyone’s generosity and there was a period when lack of space forced us to stop taking items in for sale, but we are now willing to take more stock and would be so grateful for saleable goods. Since the shop in Oliver House, in Cranleigh High Street opened it has raised more than £60,000.

It sells fancy goods, jams and pickles, second hand books, cards and plants. There are bric-a-brac stalls outside and visitors are welcome to browse.