Friends of Friarage shop volunteers visited by Rishi Sunak

The Richmond MP and Prime Minister called into the Friends of the Friarage Hospital shop while on a visit to ceremonially lay the first brick at the Northallerton site's new £35m surgical hub.

The Friends charity is trying to raise £200,000 to bring specialist eye surgery equipment to the hub so patients in Hambleton and Richmondshire do not have to travel to James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough for treatment.

Friends’ co-chair Susan Watson said: “Our shop volunteers’ unfailing commitment to their regular shifts has enabled them to donate an incredible £20,000 to the eye appeal.

"The eye appeal is the focus of our efforts this year, with the aim of supporting the surgical hub by bringing vitreo-retinal eye surgery to the site.

"The service is currently available at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough, with over a quarter of the people waiting for treatment coming from Hambleton and Richmondshire. If we can raise £200,000 for the equipment we will be able to treat patients closer to home.”

Mr Sunak also met the shop’s newly appointed manager, Tony Young, who started work this week. His predecessor has moved on from the team after 11 years’ service.

A spokesperson for the Friends of the Friarage said the charity "would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to the previous manager for all her hard work and efforts and for developing the fantastic group of shop volunteers, without whom a lot of the Friends fundraising would not be possible".

To find out more about Friends of the Friarage’s 2024 Eye Appeal and to donate, see https://www.justgiving/com/campaign/EyeAppeal2024