The community builds the hospital

Seaton and District Community Hospital was built after a huge community fundraising campaign in Seaton, Colyton, Beer and the surrounding area throughout the 1980s. About a third of a million pounds, or £1 million in today’s money, was raised and then matched by then Exeter Health Authority. According to local historian Ted Gosling, apart from 1940 when invasion threatened, this was the only time that Seaton really came together in his long lifetime. The Hospital story is told in a fascinating booklet by Mary Wood, That’s What Friends Are For. You can read this here (thanks to the League of Friends for the PDF):

• Mary Wood That’s what Friends are for book

The money the community has put into the hospital

The League of Friends put the equivalent of £4 million at 2016 prices into the hospital, as the table below demonstrates. Of this, nearly £1.5m has been towards the hospital buildings, more than £1.6m towards the general running of the hospital (including equipment) and about £0.85m towards the innovative Hospiscare at Home scheme. THE TOTAL IS THE EQUIVALENT OF £5.25M AT SEPTEMBER 2023 PRICES.