At their annual Christmas lunch the Northam Ladies Auxiliary has farewelled members who have recently retired from their volunteer work with the group.
The volunteers run the Northam Hospital kiosk seven days a week and donate all earnings to the hospital.
Two of the recent retirees are long-time friends Wendy Starling and Thelma Glass who between them have volunteers with the Auxiliary for 65 years.
Mrs Glass said the most rewarding part of volunteering was helping people from out of town.
“It is great to know that the money you raise is going to a good cause,” she said.
“The biggest thing I remember is buying a rake and a broom for a man who had dementia who just wanted to rake things.
“That probably cost us 3 pounds going back to the 1980s but you could see a whole lot of good come out of it.”
Mrs Starling, who retired due to sickness said she has made lifelong friends through her 23 years of volunteering.
“We didn’t know each other all that well but we made a lot of friends,” she said.
“It was a good time.
“I think you get a whole lot more out of what you give.”
The duo go a long way back, previously working together at the Post Office.
“In our day we were at home with the children and we didn't have a second job like most young people do now so you were looking for something that made it feel worthwhile,” Mrs Glass said.
“It serves a lot of purposes, I think any volunteering does.
“Anything you do for other people is even if it is helping someone get in the car.”
The auxiliary was originally started by a barber called Mr Jolly after World War II.
He would sell cigarettes, newspapers and sweets to raise money for the hospital.
The idea was then adopted by the Pink Ladies, a group of women who started selling flowers, and gradually became the kiosk it is today – selling confectionery, newspapers, sandwiches, drinks and toiletries.
