FRIENDS of the Borders General Hospital have received a donation of over £3,000 which they say will go towards improving patient care, including upgrading two wards.

The charity, run by volunteers to raise funds for patient care, said wards 4 and 7 will be improved with the money donated by NFU Mutual Borders Agency, a UK-wide insurance agency with a base in Melrose. 

James Marjoribanks, chairman of the Friends said: "This is a very generous donation and the money, along with a large donation from the Friends, will go towards paying for improvements in patient care in wards 4 and 7 at the BGH."

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Mr Marjoribanks added that the Friends are actively involved in buying items to help staff at the hospital and asked those wishing to get involved with any fundraising to visit their webpage.

Richard Forsyth, senior agent at NFU Mutual Borders Agency, said: “We are delighted to have been able to nominate Friends of the BGH to receive a donation of £3,164 from NFU Mutual’s national £1m agency giving fund, set up to help local frontline charities affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

“When our agency was asked to nominate a local charity to benefit from the fund, Friends of the BGH immediately sprang to mind. 

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“Their work and fundraising efforts have such a positive impact on the hospital and the services that they provide, particularly during these challenging times, and we are proud to have been able to nominate them to benefit from NFU Mutual’s national fund.”