HOSPITAL volunteers who have clocked up more than 600 years’ service between them have been commended for their years of faithful service.

Fifty-three long-serving members of the county’s League of Friends organisations, which run shops and support patients at the hospitals, were presented with certificates recognising their efforts at a ceremony held at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, in Oxford.

Among them was one of the longest serving workers, Jeannie Stephens, who started working for the League of Friends at the NOC, in Headington, in 1967. She is one of a team of 35 NOC volunteers honoured at the ceremony on Monday.

Despite having given 43 years of dedicated service, Mrs Stephens, who lives in North Oxford, said she had no intention of giving up.

The 84-year-old said: “I’m still going strong. The hospital has been very good to me and I have been given quite a lot of awards over the years.

“It’s always nice to be recognised and I’m very grateful to them.”

Mrs Stephens said one of her best memories from her years of working in the shop, was when she met the Duchess of Cornwall during a Royal visit to the hospital in 2007.

She said: “I wasn’t too sure about her to begin with, as I was very fond of Princess Diana, but I have changed my mind after meeting her. She was lovely.

“One of my colleagues served her a packet of crisps and a scone.”

Volunteers from the Churchill and John Radcliffe Hospitals in Headington, and Wantage Community Hospital were also recognised at the ceremony, which was timed to mark the national volunteer organisation Attend’s diamond jubilee.

The certificates were presented by BBC Oxford TV newsreader Geraldine Peers.

Hilary Daffern, the chairman of the NOC’s League of Friends and regional chairman of Attend, said the awards had been a great success.

She added: “The awards are a chance for us to recognise and celebrate the contribution made by those who, without their support, our member groups would not be in existence.

“The ceremony gives us a chance to gather together to thank our long serving volunteers of Oxfordshire.”

awilliams@oxfordmail.co.uk