For cup of tea, read cup of comfort!  That could be the maxim of St. Peter’s Hospital League of Friends café manageress, Sally Murray, who has been providing tea and hundreds of other “lines” for 25 years.

Sally, of Station Road, Addlestone, had not long moved into the area with her family when she found she had time on her hands and she became a volunteer at St. Peter’s Hospital.  In those days the café was half-way down the Ramp Corridor with the wards at the bottom and the outpatient department at the top.

Said Sally: “We were in a very good position for the wards, staff, outpatients and the A&E and we were always busy.  At that time there were no other food facilities. We did a hot “Meal of the Day”, made lots of sandwiches and were open on Saturday and Sundays from noon-5pm.

When the new outpatients block was built in the mid-1980s a much larger café was incorporated.  Over the years a large range of food and drinks has been introduced and even a cup of tea has a large range of flavours!  Sally developed a very good line in in-the-spot “home-made” quiches which is being carried on by her deputy Chris Elliott who is now taking over as the Friends Café manager.

At Sally’s retirement party on Friday (20-07-07) the chairman of the St. Peter’s Hospital League of Friends said: “Sally has made the Friends’ café what it is today.  She has never lost her cool despite the heat and the pressure and certainly she is responsible for the café going from strength-to-strength over the years.”

Among her farewell gifts of vouchers and a designer watch was a rose, named “Sally.”

Sally, who has cycled to work every day, will be keeping busy tending her allotment and helping to look after her grandson, Lewis Smith of Knaphill.