Hospital Friends help with grants of more than £70k

The Friends have helped with the cost of medical equipment at the hospital

A hospital charity has distributed £72,000 to help with support ranging from surgical equipment to toys.

The 18 grants made by Friends of West Suffolk Hospital include £78 for blackout blinds to improve a birthing room, to almost £18,000 for respiratory therapy equipment.

The money, which has been raised over a year, has come from donations, legacies and sales from the charity's shop at the Bury St Edmunds hospital

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Dr Ewen Cameron said the donations would help "make a difference to patient care across the trust".

The volunteers at the shop also offer supplies to patients who arrive at hospital without their own things.