An army of volunteers who serve tea and sell newspapers at Bristol hospitals have raised £250,000 to improve the environment for patients.

The members of the Women's Royal Volunteer Services (WRVS) run the shops, cafes and trolley services at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UHBristol).

The £250,000 is the culmination of 18 months selling snacks, drinks and magazines at Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI), St Michael's, the Children's Hospital, the Haematology and Oncology Centre and the Bristol Eye Hospital.

It was handed over to representatives from UHBristol at a tea party for the WRVS volunteers.

Matrons at the hospitals will now decide how they want to use the money at their sites to improve the environment for patients.

There are currently more than 120 WRVS volunteers, including a handful of men, working in different areas of the hospital helping to make life easier for patients and relatives.

Younger generations are also involved, with students helping to fill evening shifts at the coffee shop.

Liz Howe and Liz Ward have been working in the cafe together on Wednesday mornings for some time and have racked up more than 60 years of service between them.

Mrs Ward, 68, of Knowle, first started volunteering at the hospital 37 years ago.

She said: "I've always been involved in voluntary work in one way or another.

"I like to give people a smile and a cup of tea and, with some, I help them by taking their drink to the table if they can't do it themselves. They are really pleased, just when we do a simple thing like that.

"It is a pity we cannot get more volunteers, but I think a lot more women are working longer and young women have to get back to work after they have their children."

For Michelle White, 42, of Lockleaze, helping out at the WRVS shop has been a way to return to the hospital environment after a period of sickness.

She said: "I used to be a nurse, but I have been off sick for a while and this is the lead in to getting back to work.

"Because I'm in the hospital and it's the same environment, it has been easy. We get regular people in and also patients who are upset or need a bit of comfort, so it is satisfying."

Arthur Maynard, 60, of Knowle, started helping out in the coffee shop about two-and-a-half years ago, after he had failed to find a job following a heart transplant.

He said: "Since my transplant six years ago, I haven't been able to get a job and thought rather than being bored at home I would come down here.

"I had been for 22 interviews, and even the Jobcentre said they would contact me if anything came up. I think it's because of the insurance after I've had my transplant."

Binnie White, 76, of Hanham, has been volunteering at the hospital for 11 years and works in the WRVS shop every Wednesday morning and one Saturday every month.

She said: "I was made redundant as a doctor's secretary and was looking for something when I saw it advertised.

"I just thought it was giving something back to the community.

"It's very nice, the people are very pleasant and you feel as if the money you don't earn goes back to the hospital.

"Most of the people who work here get on very well and usually we try and have a little laugh."

WRVS has made a series of large donations to the hospital trust over more than 20 years. In 2004 WRVS presented the trust with £280,000 from the previous three years' activity and £200,000 in 2006 from the previous 18 months' activity.

Charles Oldham, regional operations manager for the trust's WRVS volunteers said: "This is a fantastic amount of money that has been raised for the hospitals and is down to the dedication, hard work, commitment and support of all our volunteers."

The chief nurse and director of governance at UHBristol, Lindsey Scott, said: "The work that all our many volunteers do around the hospitals is absolutely excellent and we would like to thank WRVS for this wonderful gift.

"This is just the latest in a long line of donations that have made a significant difference to patients and staff. We are very grateful to everybody who has made this possible."

WRVS always welcomes new volunteers to help them raise funds for the hospital and provide services for patients and visitors.