RVS charity to resume takeaway services following planning approval

A volunteer charity will once again be able to offer takeaway services at one of North Wales’ major hospitals after losing its usual location due to Covid-19.

The Royal Voluntary Service – formerly known as the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service or WRVS – had for years been based at the heart of Ysbyty Gwynedd, offering both a tea bar and shop.

But confirmed in documents submitted to Gwynedd Council’s planning department, the prevalence of Covid-19 saw the charity’s usual premises vacated to make way for staff changing rooms as nursing staff adapted to the requirements of tackling the pandemic.

As a result, planning officers have now approved the use of a temporary building just outside of the hospital, to be used as a takeaway service for up to two years or for as long as the hospital needs the RVS’ usual premises.

The charity’s profits from hospital shops and cafés are usually returned to the hospital to improve services for patients, staff and visitors.

But it was recently reported that the charity’s income fell by a third last year, with income substantially down from hospital shops, cafes and trolleys because of the enforced closures, also resulting in some redundancies.
“The Royal Voluntary Service have operated a café within Bangor Hospital for a number of years,” state the supporting documents.
“Due to COVID the hospital required our space back on a temporary basis to use for staff changing rooms (due to its location within the entrance of the hospital).
“Due to this RVS have been unable to provide their usual service for NHS staff and visitors to the hospital.

“We have worked with the health board to find a solution, due to unavailable space in the hospital and some concerns regarding health and safety and lockdown measures.
“It has been agreed by the health board and RVS that a solution to this would be to open a temporary/ mobile unit on the grounds- but outside of the hospital in the mostly underused space to the front of the entrance that is not visually intrusive.”

With the temporary building constructed off-site, they added: “Our proposal is to situate a small temporary/mobile ‘cabin’ here to allow RVS to resume providing services, albeit on a much smaller scale, only allowing for takeaway drinks/a small rage of carry away food for staff and visitors.

“The intention, once Covid restrictions allow, is to move back into our existing unit. within the hospital, and remove the cabin to another location in need.”

Anticipating the need for the cabin to range from six months to two years, the application concluded, “The opening of this temporary unit means that the Royal Voluntary Service will be able to transfer existing staff over, opposed to making redundancy as the internal café is still under the health board’s use.
“This equates to approximately two full time positions and numerous volunteering opportunities.”

The cabin will measure 6.2 metres by 2.8 metres, also standing 2.8 metres in height.

Approving the application without the need to go in front of the authority’s planning committee, conditions attached to the officers’ decision mean that the building will have to be removed by October 2023.

By Gareth Williams – Local Democracy Reporter