IT MAY not be a card from the King, but Haslemere Hospital has got something even better to celebrate its 100th birthday – a new book. 

The book, written by Rose Parry and Fay Foster, is a centenarian souvenir that the pair hope will be enjoyed by people for another 100 years. 

Rose Parry arrived in Haslemere in 1978 as a surgical ward sister and is now chairman of the League of Friends, which helps the hospital by providing extra equipment, enhancing facilities and campaigning for better services for patients and staff. The idea for the book started with the League of Friends, which approached Fay Foster for help.

But Fay, leader of the u3a Local History class, had already started writing a book – two years before Rose came calling. Fay’s inspiration came on the back of an article written by Dr Alfred Thomas in the Herald. 

Dr Thomas, a GP in Haslemere for 30 years, had the revolutionary idea of having a health centre in the town. Fay felt his article was too short and decided to extend the idea to include all the different medical organisations in the town, going right back to the 1660s. 

She said: “It hadn’t twigged with me that the current hospital was about to be 100 years old. When the League approached me to help them produce a book about the hospital I was able to tell them I had one half-written!” 

The first half of the book is a pictorial souvenir creating a timeline for the milestones in the 100-year life of Haslemere Hospital from 1923 to 2023. This section was written by Rose. 

The second half of the book traces the medical history in Haslemere and is the work of Fay, who has lived in the town since 1961. Rose explained that this is an “ongoing story” which will hopefully continue for another 100 years. 

Get your hands on a copy for just £10 at The Haslemere Bookshop, where all proceeds will go to the League of Friends, or from the Haslemere Museum.