DIANA Grove is a living example of what it means to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in.

One of the founding members of the Friends of Frenchay, her personal involvement has ranged from acting as the group's treasurer to organising gymkhanas to raise money, but in the early 1970s she, and others, had to really get their hands dirty.

With kitchen staff on strike and dirty dishes piling up, the hospital's most loyal supporters stepped in, with Diana going straight from work at the university to do her bit.

"Along the side of the kitchen's huge worktop it was about two feet high with dirty plates, pots and dishes," she said.

"The kitchen staff had worked for lunch and then the porters had brought back the dishes and left them.

"It took a while to find the sink because there were so many dishes.

"The staff were on strike for about ten days and the Friends helped out to ensure patients had their meals.

"One woman who worked in catering told us how many potatoes we would need for 400 people and a butcher came up to cut the meat as there was half a cow and half a sheep."

Having cooked for the patients Diana went along to one of the wards to check how the meals had gone down with them and was disappointed to see a bowl of leftovers.

She said: "The sister showed me a small basin about three quarters full and said it was the waste from the meals.

"I said, didn't they like it? And she said, 'Miss Grove I usually get a washing up bowl. The patients think the food is marvellous'."

There were plenty of clean plates on show when, as a thank you for the decades of support and gifts worth millions, it was the turn of the Friends to take something from the hospital as staff, including chief executive Ruth Brunt, handed around sandwiches, tea and cake at a celebratory tea party in the hospital's headquarters.

Diana, a formidable woman dressed for the occasion in a floating green and navy outfit with matching shoes, thanked the hospital chief graciously, while also hinting that the formal thanks may have been a long time coming.

She has been the treasurer since 1988 but was organising gymkhanas for the cause long before, having served 50 years herself and reminded members that it was not just a long list of expensive items that they had given the hospital over the years, but also helping out.

The events and car boot sales have stopped as the ageing members have been forced to slow down, but still members and supporters have continued to leave bequests to the cause, some leaving their homes to provide the equipment that has helped keep Frenchay on the health map for providing state-of-the-art treatments.

Last year there was a £270,000 robot to be used for brain surgery while the most recent purchase was an ultrasound for the theatres and intensive care unit, which having been installed at Frenchay just a couple of weeks ago, have already been in daily use by staff.

The recipients also performed their duties at the gathering, handing around drinks to the guests as a thank-you for all their efforts.

The first chairman of Friends of Frenchay in 1960 was Bert Tann, former manager of Bristol Rovers. He was succeeded by Eric Godfrey, also from the football club.

The most recent chairman, Jack Nichols, 79, of Fishponds, said: "I joined when I took early retirement and wanted to raise money for Frenchay and that is what I have been doing ever since.

"We have to have people to help to get donations because you cannot leave it up to the Government.

"I have made some good friends and met a lot of people through Friends of Frenchay."

Diana says with pride that no one ever took expenses from the charity and that the only outgoings are for stamps and telephone calls.

The group has pledged to keep going until at least 2014 when Frenchay is due to be downgraded to a community hospital, with most of its specialist services switching to the new superhospital at Southmead.

They hope there will be people ready to take up the reins so that the support of Frenchay remains but most of the members know that by then they will probably have slowed down too much to take on the task.

Diana will be 89 by the time Southmead opens and that might be the key time for her to stop, but she hopes younger people will take over.

North Bristol NHS Trust chief executive Ruth Brunt said she was shocked when she realised just how much money the Friends had raised for Frenchay during their existence.

She said: "I think the partnership we have had with this group is incredibly important.

"I could not believe it when I found out they had been going for 50 years, which is why we wanted to have this party in recognition of what they have done."

Anyone who wants to help Friends of Frenchay can contact them on 956 0848.