A Tribute to Jackie Ramage, Volunteer at the Friends of St Mary’s Hospital for 33 years.

All at the Friends of St Mary’s Hospital, were very sorry to hear that our former colleague Jackie Ramage had passed away.

Jackie joined Friends way back in 1986 and her son Jed remembers that she and her husband Bill worked together in our cafe in the old Accident & Emergency Department. At that time, A and E was a building situated where the main car park is now, at the front of the hospital.

Jackie was to stay with us through thick and thin , but she finally hung her apron up in 2019, having completed 33 years’ service as a volunteer.

In 2015 the Friends were invited to nominate two volunteers to be invited by her Majesty the Queen to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace. Jackie accepted this invitation and went to London accompanied by her son Jed. By all accounts she had a wonderful day!

More was to follow. In 2019, Jackie was nominated for the Local Hero Award organised by the Isle of Wight County Press. She attended the award ceremony and typically said before she went that she was thrilled to be nominated but had no expectations. But Jackie was the joint winner in the Volunteer category. She shared the accolade with Hugh Griffiths from Newclose Cricket Ground. Jackie managed to say a few words on receiving her award and she was visibly overcome by this turn of events. We were all so proud of her.

Sadly, in 2019, Jackie decided that the time had come to do a bit less and she served her last cup of coffee from our old cafe in the Foyer just before it closed for good. We still miss her enthusiasm, dedication and friendship. Our thoughts are with her family who will miss a much - loved mother and grandmother.