Hospital Cup

The tournament is an inter-club knock out tournament, which dates back to the 1940s. All proceeds from the Hospital Cup Tournament go to The League of Friends of Saffron Walden Community Hospital.

There are men’s and ladies’ singles, men’s and ladies’ doubles and mixed events, with a finals day held on the second Saturday in September each year.

For details of this year’s tournament, contact Stansted’s Hospital Cup representatives, Fiona Pye (fionapye@btinternet.com) and Lisa King (stirling.lisa08@gmail.com).

Initially the Hospital Cup tournament was set up to raise funds for the Saffron Walden & District Charitable Welfare Association. This association was founded as a consequence of the absorbing of the town’s voluntary General Hospital into the newly formed National Health Service in 1948.

In 2008 this association was wound up and the League of Friends became the focus for fundraising for the Hospital Cup. Avocet Ward at the Community Hospital in Saffron Walden had just been built, and the League of Friends has since been heavily involved in the fundraising for the development and equipping of this facility.

This rehabilitation unit is a facility within the hospital that provides services such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy. These services enhance the patients’ stay within the hospital and potentially enable the patient to return home earlier than they would normally have done.

The new facilities are suitable to provide patients with intensive therapy and with dedicated facilities such as a bathroom, kitchen, etc. which assist patients in coping with daily life before they return home.

The League of Friends continue to support this new facility and the Community Hospital in general. All monies raised by this tournament will therefore benefit all future patients.

More information on this year’s event can be found on the Hospital Cup website