Glowing tributes as chief Whittington volunteer steps down, aged 87

HE started with just four people in the department at an age when many think of retiring. Nineteen years and 1,200 applications later, the voluntary services department at Whittington’s Archway Hospital stands at a remarkable 172 volunteers.
And many of them, past and present, were out in force at the Whittington on Wednesday to say goodbye to the man responsible for the transformation – ex-Islington councillor, judge, headmaster and alderman, Ron Lendon.
At the age of 86, Mr Lendon, who travelled in from Bexhill-on-sea four days a week to fulfil his role, has decided that it is finally time to move on – so he can spend more time practising his flute.
He told the New Journal that he would be leaving with very happy memories.
He said: “It has been a privilege to run the services team. I have really enjoyed myself. I started as a volunteer and I continued as a volunteer. It is nice to know that they are regarded as a great help to the hospital.”
Under Mr Lendon’s direction, the volunteers have helped out in every area of the hospital – from those in the wards and chemotherapy departments to porters pushing wheelchairs, guides directing patients or office staff helping out with secretarial work.
Many have now gone on to become doctors or consultants themselves.
Asked how he managed to find the time for his work, he said that it was often simply a case of making the time.
“When you are a busy person you have to make more time for things,” he said. “I am proud of the fact that I have never taken on anything that I was not able to do.”
He attributes his remarkable energy to good genes – and his Methodist faith.
“I seem to have been born to do voluntary work of kind of another,” he said. “Part of my inspiration is from my mother who devoted her life to helping others. And my religious convictions give me the impetus to really go for it.
“I get tired like other human beings but I try not to take it out on other people. The important thing at my age is to keep busy – both mentally and physically.”
So the young 86-year-old has no intention of retiring to a sofa to watch TV. As well as practising his flute, he hopes to continue with his voluntary work – “in a completely different capacity, not as a manager” – and even perhaps get round to writing his autobiography.
At the hospital, he will be sorely missed. Spokeswoman, Deborah Goodhart said simply that it would be “the end of an era”.
Fellow volunteer and long-time friend Margaret Smith added: “It is an illuminating experience to walk with Ron through the corridors of the hospital. You simply cannot get very far at all without someone interrupting to greet him or stopping to talk. He will be sorely missed.”