Bishop Rachel Treweek will attend a special service today, Sunday – celebrating the 150th anniversary of Stroud General Hospital.
In partnership with Stroud Hospitals League of Friends the event will take place at Holy Trinity Church, 3pm.
Hospital colleagues past and present are invited to join the celebratory service either in person, or for those working at the hospital, the League of Friends has arranged for the service to be live-streamed.
The service will also be attended by the League of Friends and Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust Chair Graham Russell and many more.
The hospital moved to its current site in 1875 and provides the surrounding area with inpatient and outpatient services, including a minor injuries and illness unit.
In the build up to the event, the local community, colleagues across the site, as well as patients will be encouraged to get involved in the celebrations as Matron of Stroud and Vale Community Hospitals Liz Lovett explains: “We’re starting off with the church service, then we’re looking at a few different activities over the anniversary year such as a picture competition with local schools, a cake competition, taking some photographs of colleagues and teams within the hospitals and celebrating the history behind the 150 years of the Hospital.
“We want to include our local community and to really celebrate the great things we are doing and our links with the League of Friends and our partner organisations across the county. I love working here and am really proud of my colleagues and the incredible service we provide to Stroud and our local community, so this is an opportunity to thank everyone who has made Stroud General Hospital what it is today.”
Stroud Hospitals League of Friends is a registered charity which supports the site with equipment which would not otherwise be available on the NHS.
Chair of Stroud Hospitals League of Friends Margaret Greaves: “It’s really exciting to mark the 150th anniversary of Stroud General Hospital on this present site and to launch a series of activities to celebrate, we’re having a service at the Holy Trinity Church. Everybody considers the Holy Trinity to be the hospital’s church and vice versa, so it is fitting to mark the event there.
“The League of Friends has been in place since 1948 and we know that the hospital is so much in the hearts of the local community. We hope that everybody, regardless of faith or background, will really join us in celebrating that the site has been here, supporting the community for 150 years, and hope to continue to work together to build upon that for 150 more years.”
Rector for the Stroud Team Ministry, Rev James Turk: “As Rector of Stroud and priest at Holy Trinity Church, it’s a real privilege to mark 150 years of Stroud General Hospital — a place that has served our community with care, compassion and commitment through generations.
“Holy Trinity, standing just next door, has long been a quiet companion to the hospital — a place where people have come to pray, reflect, and seek solace during times of worry and waiting. Though unofficial, it has often felt like the hospital’s chapel, a still point in the midst of uncertainty.
“In this 150th year of Stroud Hospital we look back with deep gratitude — for the lives healed, the dedication of staff, and the community’s support. But we also look forward, praying for continued strength and wisdom for all who work there, and for the ongoing partnership between faith, care, and community in this town we love”.
