Awards and recognition for the Charity and our Volunteers
Members of the Board are elected annually at the AGM but may be co-opted throughout the year.
The members of the Board proposed for election on 10th September 2025 are
Willy Goldschmidt
President and Communications Lead
Elected to the Board 2013
Willy has served as Communications Lead since 2013 and is a member of the Financial Strategy Group. He was Chair of the Charity between 2016 and 2021.
When COVID lockdown was eased he lead the restoration of Volunteer services and recruitment for the Charity.
After retiring from a career as a senior manager in the textile, transport and IT industries, Willy spent 2 years as a Non-exec Director of the George Elliot Hospital.
His motivation in joining the Friends is to give back to the Trust which supported him and his late wife during periods of poor health. He is also a Research Champion for the UHCW Trust.
Garth Murphy
Chair and Patient represenative
Brian Cheney
Treasurer
Elected to the Board 2022
Brian has served as Treasurer and as a member of the Financial Strategy Group since joining the Board as a Trustee in October 2022
Since qualifying as a Chartered Cost and Management Accountant in 1988, Brian has had an extensive career in finance, having worked for many years in the engineering, automotive and education sectors.
In addition to his role as a Trustee of The Friends, Brian has been a school governor in Rugby for over 25 years. He is currently Vice Chair of Governors at the Avon Valley School in Newbold on Avon.
Brian has lived in Rugby for his entire life.
Hilary Parry
Secretary
Co-opted August 2025 - Standing for Election in September 2025
Hilary spent a number of years growing up in Rugby and has retained links to the town whilst working and living in other parts of the Midlands.
She has recently retired from managing her own business and a long career in Customer Operations, primarily in the Energy Sector.
Having been involved in volunteering activities during COVID and seeing at first hand the positive impact volunteers make in the NHS, Hilary welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the invaluable work undertaken by The Friends.
Adele Bull
Governance Support
Co-opted August 2025 - Standing for Election in September 2025
Recently retired qualified School Business Manager with a background in Finance and Admin management in business and education. Lived in Rugby since childhood.
A volunteer member of the social fundraising team since 2022.
Elizabeth Burnett
Volunteer Support
Elected to the Board 2020
Elizabeth has enjoyed being a volunteer at St Cross since 2018. She is the Service Coordinator for the Ward Trolley Service and the Tea Bar.
She has lived in Rugby for over 50 years but was born and raised in Newcastle on Tyne. She was a primary School teacher in Rugby and Coventry for over forty years and was a Head Teacher in Coventry for 23 years before retiring.
Doug Jones
Governance Lead
Elected to the Board 2018
Doug has served as the Governance Lead and as a member of the Financial Strategy Group since becoming a Trustee. He was elected as Chair at the 2021 AGM and stands down from the Chair in September 2025.
He has an extensive background across both Private and Public Sector bodies at a senior level with a wide range of experience within Retail Banking and Local Government.
Doug and family moved to Rugby in 1995 and he and his wife have been actively involved with the Charity as volunteers within the Social Fundraising Committee for a number of years and have been supporters for in excess of 20 years.
Tracey Lennard
Social Fundraising Lead
Elected to the Board 1999
Tracey was born and grew up in Rugby. She is part of a large family that was looked after on many occasions by the Hospital of St Cross.
She was persuaded to join the board of trustees by her former school teacher and one of the charities former trustees Isabel Liddle.
Tracey leads the Social Fundraising Team and has a wealth of experience in organising and running very successful social fundraising events. She is also a strong advocate of the hospital, working tirelessly to raise the profile of St Cross.
Gita Natarajan BEM
Community Fund Raising
Elected to the Board 2023
Gita is a highly experienced project manager and specialises in social engineering/innovation, community cohesion and volunteer management. She has worked alongside Rugby Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council and The Benn Partnership Centre for over 20 years to help regenerate various deprived council wards in Rugby and transformed them into productive, thriving, cohesive and resilient communities.
During COVID she managed the Locke House Vaccination Centre, leading a team of over 80 healthcare professionals and 120 volunteers to deliver a regional record of more than 160,000 vaccinations.
Gita is currently working as the Transformation Project Manager with the Rugby Primary Care Network, leading on the management and delivery of Enhanced Access to GP Services with a focus on addressing health inequalities across the region.
Collette O’Connor
Elected to the Board October 2024
Collette has a strong interest in helping the marginalised and the vulnerable in our community
and helps to oversee our Befriending Scheme, which The Friends offers all year round.
Collette has previously worked in Private Practice as a Solicitor, has extensive experience in the Third Sector and currently sits on a number of Boards.
She joined The Friends as she has a strong interest in healthcare and wanted to help with the important work that The Friends undertake.
Supriya Pattanayak
Communications Support
Co-opted August 2025 - Standing for Election in September 2025
Supriya brings many years of experience from a career in the IT industry, with expertise in delivering strategic, value-driven solutions for customers across North Europe.
She has lived in Warwickshire for the last 17 years and is passionate about supporting and making a difference in the local community. She is committed to helping the Friends and aims to contribute towards a practical and forward-looking approach to the charity’s work, with a particular focus on amplifying awareness through an enhanced social media presence and communication.
Stephen Walshaw
Purchasing Lead
Elected to the Board 2019
Stephen has served as the Purchasing Lead since becoming a Trustee and more recently became a member of the Financial Strategy Group.
Now retired, he has an extensive background in Energy Procurement and Infrastructure Projects, across both Private and ex-Public Industries.
Stephen and family moved to the area in 1990, he and his wife have been actively involved with charitable activities from before that time. He joined the Friends through the Daily Mail’s Helpforce Campaign, to help staff and patients by making a difference in local healthcare.
Awards and Recognition for the Charity and our volunteers
Trustees of the charity, the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, the Mayor of Rugby and other invited guests are pictured in front of a portrait of Richard Henry Wood, the founder of the hospital, when the Charity was honoured with the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in June 2014. Read more about this award
The Charity and our Volunteers have been recognised for their contribution to the community in Rugby in a number of other ways over the years.
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Joe Greenwell CBE DL, The High Sheriff of Warwickshire, attended the Friends Board meeting, on Zoom on the 8th of March 2021, and presented the Charity with a High Sheriff's Award. View a recording of the presentation or read more about the award. |
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The Rugby PPE Response Team won the Volunteer Team Outstanding Service and Care Award presented by the UHCW Trust in December 2014. Some 20 Friends volunteers formed the core of the Rugby PPE Response which helped to bridge the gap between the supply and demand for PPE when the pandemic struck! Read more about the Friends involvement in the Rugby PPE Response. |
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In the autumn of 2020 the Friends received notes and certifications of appreciation from Tim Cox, Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Councillor Bill Lewis, The Mayor of Rugby and the Rokeby Lions Club in recognition of our contribution to the Rugby PPE Response and the resumption of volunteering at the Hospital of St Cross.
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Councillor Tom Mahoney, The Mayor of Rugby, presented a Simple Thank You certificate to the Charity at our AGM in 2018. Read a full report of the meeting. |
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Friends Volunteers Mike Rigby, Doris Froggatt and John Lynch have been recognised with Long Service Volunteer Awards at the annual Pride of Rugby Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively. |
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In May 2016 the Charity was recognised with the Team of the Year Award at the Pride of Rugby Awards following on from the successful Diamond Jubilee Appeal and the contribution to the project which underpinned the Blood Taking Department's move to purpose built accommodation within the 'old Mulberry Ward'. |
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In September 2016 we received an Outstanding Service and Care Award (OSCA) which was also in recognition of the Diamond Jubilee of the charity and the contribution to the Blood Taking department's relocation project. That year a team of volunteers were nominated for an OSCA for the help they gave to the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme hub located at the Hospital when some of the machinery used for the mailing failed and was replaced by manual labour until the machinery was repaired. |
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In May 2014 several members of the Main Committee attended the Pride of Rugby Awards to support Edie Freeman, who had been short-listed for a Long Service Award after 50 years of service. Edie did not win her category but The Friends were surprised and delighted to receive one of three Special Awards. The judges said that they had received multiple nominations for several individual volunteers in The Friends and they decided it was appropriate to recognise the charity as whole. |
This page provides links to recent accounts and AGM reports - click on the image of the front page or the links below.
The report for the year to 31st December 2016 presented on 28th June 2017 is available here
The report for the year to 31st December 2015 presented on 28th June 2016 is available here
The report for the year to 31st December 2014 presented on 23rd June 2015 is available here
The report for the year to 31st December 2013 presented on 16th June 2014 is available here
The detailed accounts and annual return are available on the Charities Commission Website - This link will open in a separate tab but does not go direct to our page. Please enter our Charity Number - 218485 in the 'Charity Search' box at bottom of the left hand column in order to access our page.
The charity has a small team available to give talks about the history of the Hospital of St Cross, or St. Luke’s, and the work of The Friends.
St Cross was opened as long ago as 1884 and has an interesting history.
St Luke's was located on Lower Hillmorton Road and was originally the workhouse of the Rugby Union in 1819.
Want to know more? Please contact our
We have speakers to suit any event and make no charge for this service.
The Friends support the Hospital of St Cross and the Community Service in Rugby by delivering a variety of voluntary services in the hospital and by donating equipment which improves patient experience or helps bring services to the town.
We have over 170 volunteers and no paid staff.
All the money donated is spent to provide equipment and deliver projects which have improved the patient experience in Rugby.
Our administration costs are kept under tight control and are paid for from earned income only.
Since 1955 we have raised over £4.5m and in the last 10 years have spent over £1.3mon equipment and projects!