A hospital has marked its centenary in style with a special exhibition celebrating its past and future.
For the last century Beccles War Memorial Hospital has provided vital care and support to the community.
The hospital opened in 1924 having cost £12,000 to build.
And on Saturday, on the exact anniversary of the opening ceremony a century ago, a special celebration service was held to honour the occasion - with a visit from the great granddaughter of the man who donated the land for the hospital.
With Beccles Hospital built on a stretch of land between St Mary's Road and Priory Road, it was boosted by a gift from Alexander Elliott when it opened on February 24 1924 after the town's residents donated £7,000 towards its construction.
As the commemoration event was held in the hospital reception and foyer area, historical artefacts, books and photographs were on display to inform visitors of the role the hospital has had in the community over the years.
Celebrating its past and future, the hospital - which is run by East Coast Community Healthcare (ECCH) - was opened a century ago by Major-General Sir Anthony Bowlby, commanding officer of the 54th East Anglian Division.
It had just 24 beds when it opened, and boasted an operating theatre for many years.
In 2017, £1.65m was spent transforming it into an intermediate care unit with inpatient facilities for those requiring medical care but not needing acute support in a general hospital.
A new day room was created at the same time thanks to the charity League of Friends (LOF), which hosted the event over the weekend.
Anne Wincott - the great granddaughter of Mr Elliott - attended the event along with Waveney MP Peter Aldous and the town’s mayor, Cllr Christine Wheeler.
The hospital's League of Friends also attended, as well as representatives from ECCH and Beccles Medical Centre, which shares the site.
Mrs Wincott, who opened the exhibition and unveiled a new commemorative plaque, said: "It’s an honour to be here to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the hospital on behalf of the Elliott family.
"My great grandfather would be very proud of all that’s been achieved over the years."
Former matron and League of Friends trustee, Pam Hardman, from Worlingham, joined the hospital as a staff nurse in 1960.
She said: "I have very happy memories over the years.
"When I started it was just the old building and we had an operating theatre where we used to do operations.
"We gave a good service to the town and to the people of Beccles.
"Today’s celebration has been amazing and it’s nice to have Anne here to represent the Elliott family."
Since 2019 ECCH has provided a specialist palliative care service on Minsmere Ward in partnership with St Elizabeth Hospice, and in 2022 the ward replaced traditional paper patient records with a pioneering digital monitoring system linked directly to patients’ GPs, ensuring that the ward is at the forefront of modern medical care.
Adele Madin, executive director of operations at ECCH, said: "As well as celebrating all the wonderful things that have happened here and the good care that’s been delivered over the years, this is also an opportunity to celebrate the future.
"We know that, with digital technology and advances in medicine, the future of the hospital is strong.
"We will continue to innovate and to evolve what we do to ensure that patients receive the highest quality care in their communities as close to their homes as possible."
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