Friends give ‘huge thanks’ to Frome firms for saving NHS £40,000 in resurfacing project

The Friends of Frome Hospital have given a ‘huge thank you’ to local companies for joining together to resurface the hospital access road, saving the NHS Trust nearly £40,000.

The road, which had a large number of potholes, was resurfaced for free by local companies following a request for help from the Friends of Frome Hospital.

The Friends have now come together with members of the companies involved to thank them for their efforts.

“Matron Peter Harvey approached us to see if we could perhaps help fund the repair of the potholes on the hospital access road,” said trustee of the Friends, Nick White

“Quotes had been secured to the amount of approximately £8,000 just to patch the potholes, which would be a temporary fix.

“I suggested at a meeting that as Frome was surrounded by road stone quarries and Frome being a centre of excellence for road surfacing, could we not reach out to local companies to see if they could help with an ambitious total resurfacing?

“I approached Ian Regler of IMS Ltd. who are a local surfacing company to see if they could help. He, with the help of his co-directors, said they would provide their services free of charge but that we may have to pay for some of the plant required and the materials, but they would reach out to see if they could get some of their suppliers to help as well. Fortunately, everyone got on board to support this project. So, we now have a brand-new black top to our horseshoe access road. This is a tremendous effort by all concerned and has saved the NHS Trust at least £40,000.”

Melissa Messenger, the hospital’s senior administrator, said, “This has been an amazing project to be part of, and the kind support and generosity shown by the local and national companies who came together to make this possible has been humbling to see.

“The road is now in a safe state of repair to enable our patients to get in and out of the hospital. We are hugely thankful to everyone involved, particularly The Friends of Frome Hospital who made the initial contact with IMS Ltd and who then took control of the project seeing it through from start to finish.”

The Friends of Frome Hospital have shared their appreciation of the work donated and have thanked all who gave up their weekend for the project, which took place on the 15th and 16th June.

Nick said, “We would like to thank the following: • IMS Ltd, directors: Ian Regler, Sharon Payne and Steve Caffyn for planning and overseeing project, supplying plant and labour free of charge. • Mendip Quarry Producers: Tarmac, Wainwrights, Heidelberg, Aggregate Industries, Morris and Perry, all working in collaboration to provide the Asphalt Materials. • Jet Plant Hire: suppling the Milling Machine, sweeper, and lorries to take the old material away. • CH Contracting South West Ltd: supplying traffic and pedestrian management, cones, signs, barriers, gate man. • Amos Markings Ltd: supplying lining to new tarmac and Hellard Haulage: Ims Plant Haulage.”

Friends of Frome Hospital provides health and wellbeing services and support for the benefit of the wider community which usually extends beyond what the NHS can or does provide.