Eveline's final goodwill gesture

In her will the late veteran Rother councillor left more than 60,000 to the hospital charity she had served as a committee member for so many years.

The bequest was announced by league treasurer Robin Barnett at last Thursday's meeting of the committee.

The news follows a bequest received from the estate of former league chairman and president John French.

Last Thursday's meeting - which approved gifts totalling more than 117,000 for Bexhill Hospital and the Conquest Hospital - learned that before the meeting began the league's assets had stood at more than 2.318m.

The bulk is deposited with The Charities Official Investment Fund, which allows organisations like the league to obtain the highest possible interest rates.

Some was invested with the Portman Building Society and has earned the maximum bonus as result of the Portman's merger with the Nationwide.

The principal gift agreed at last Thursday's meeting was the 54,000 refurbishment of Bexhill Hospital's outpatients' department. The league is now poised to respond to any major project at the hospital.

Its coffers have been swelled as a result of rising interest rates. The treasurer reported that 85,191 had been received in interest so far this year, with another quarter of the year still to go.

So far this year, the charity has received 107,447 in legacies. A further 115,000 is in the legal pipeline.

The treasurer said the annual Hospital Garden Party had made a profit of 4,000. Putting this in context, he said that though it might appear a small amount compared with income from legacies, it arose from "the most important and high-profile event" of the league year, to which many townspeople contributed their time and money.

He congratulated garden party organiser Douglas Mayne on the success of the event.