We’ve made some changes to how you can be a ‘friend’ of the hospital…
You wouldn’t expect a friend to pay you to be a friend… neither do we. We have made some changes to our Individual Membership Scheme to make it accessible to everybody in our community and offer some new ways to be part of the community that supports our local hospital. You can now be a member of the Friends of Conquest Hospital for free or you can choose from a menu of paid options with additional benefits. We have written to all individual members advising them of the changes. All current memberships will continue for the remainder of their period.
For more details visit Join us – The Friends of Conquest Hospital
We continue to attract supporters from the local business community with three more local businesses choosing to become Corporate Members and many renewing their existing membership for a further year. This isn’t the only way local businesses can support the Conquest Hospital.
If you would like to know more about options for your business, please get in touch.
And we have asked the Charity Commission to allow us to update and amend our Constitution…
The Friends of Conquest Hospital has been in existence since 1990. Over that time the core purpose of the charity has remained the same, but some things have changed. At our AGM on the 14th of March members agreed two resolutions to update and make some key changes to how we operate.
The first changes our purpose to better reflect what we do and to enable us to support healthcare delivery provided by the East Sussex Healthcare Trust in the community not just at the hospital site. It also updates the language used. Our new purpose will read as follows: “The object of the CIO is to provide assistance and support to patients of the Conquest Hospital, and individuals within the community experiencing illness, disability, or health related recovery needs and generally to support the work of the said hospital.” This change will need to be agreed by the Charity Commission.
The second to expand the number of Trustees we can have to enable us to add new skills to the Board, to recognise Trustees as Members of the Friends and reduce the quorum needed to ratify decisions, to correct the frequency of Board meetings, to make some other minor administrative changes such as our email address and website, and to correct some clause numbering and typographical errors. These amendments have been submitted to the Charity Commission but do not require their approval.
Our 2026 Events programme is running full steam ahead…
- We held a successful Murder Mystery Supper in March which sold out and received rave reviews. It will therefore be back by popular demand later in the year, with a brand new mystery to solve.
- In April we will have the first of our popular Craft Fairs. Although the stallholder space has sold out everyone is welcome to come along to Brede Village Hall on the 11th of April and browse some gorgeous stalls bursting with a wide range of beautiful items.
- Craft Fairs or Murder Mystery not your scene check out our other events coming later in the year.
Our 2026 Events programme is running full steam ahead…
Coming later this year will be our critical equipment appeal. We’re not quite ready to share the hospital’s wish list with you but it will include equipment that will impact the care received by patients of all ages and across a wide range of departments from across the hospital. Some equipment will be to replace and upgrade existing kit, and some will bring additional healthcare services and treatment pathways to our community, without the need for travel. We can’t wait to share more details in due course.
And last but not least our programmes continue to expand…
It not just events and equipment that are expanding – this year our Schools Programme is expanding. As well as offering themed days around friendship and getting active, a Colour Run for students at Staplecross Primary is in development.
A new volunteer has joined the team to help us continue our Conquest 21 Project to refurbish the 21 courtyards and the outside space around the hospital. We are delighted to welcome Emma Trevett as our Courtyard Coordinator. Emma brings with her a wealth of professional experience gained from many years working as a Design Coordinator for Morgan Sindall, and as Site Manager for firms including Bluestone, Barnes and Elliot and Carillion. Emma has led on projects as diverse as new schools, Police and Fire stations, and many other County Council buildings. Emma’s first work experience was on the Conquest Hospital site when she was still in secondary school.
Emma says “I feel in some ways that I have come full circle. The Conquest Hospital was part of my inspiration for following the career I have and to return to the site and help to restore and refurbish the courtyards is such an exciting project to be involved with.”