Inside Your Hospital: Just what the doctor ordered!
Does an apple a day keep the doctor away? We can’t say for sure but the colourful fruit and vegetable stall at the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) provides our staff, patients, and visitors with fresh produce every day.
The stall offers a wide range of top quality fruit and vegetables from fresh berries to jacket potatoes and everything in-between. The top sellers include grapes, oranges and bananas – no surprise for a hospital!
It’s very much a family affair for Lauren Wells who runs the QMC stall alongside her mum, dad, brother and close family friends.
Their Leicester business B&C Fresh Fruit and Veg has been serving patients and visitors at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) for the last 2.5 years and the stall is only getting busier.
Lauren, 35, said: “If you’re ill in hospital it’s always nice to have fresh fruit and veg. Everything is bought daily so it’s always nice and fresh.
“We love running the stall and meeting so many different staff, patients and visitors. It’s nice we can provide them with quality fresh and healthy fruit and veg. It’s nice to think our fruit may help patients in their recovery and make them feel a little bit better.”
Lauren expects to sell between 70-80% of the produce every day. She added: “Some weeks are busier than others but we’re always here come rain or shine. We get to know the hospital staff and we have our regulars.
“Recently we’ve had a customer who has been a patient for seven weeks. Every day she comes and gets a banana and a handful of grapes. It’s really nice.”
B&C Fresh Fruit and Veg have been running for 25 years and have stalls across the region. Lauren and her family pride themselves on the quality of their produce.
Lauren’s mum Paula Wills said: “You might pay a little bit more than in a supermarket but our produce is quality and will last. You won’t be able to get a cauliflower this big from your regular shop.”
The location outside the main entrance allows staff, patients and visitors to conveniently purchase fresh produce. Lauren said: “We’re in the prime location here. We have high footfall and we’re busy. We even recently saw a baby born in a taxi in the car park. The staff all rushed to help. The mother and baby were fine and it was a moment of pure joy.
“A few weeks later she even returned and walked past the stall. I’ll never forget it.”
Lauren and her family and now preparing for the cold winter weather and Christmas rush. She added: “You get used to the weather. I’ve done it for years so I dress accordingly with plenty of thermals and gloves.
“Christmas is our busiest week and it’s lovely to know that our fruit and veg are on the plates of so many Nottingham households on Christmas day.”
The stall has helped the health and wellbeing of staff, patients, and wider communities.
Chris Neale, Assistant Head of Facilities at NUH, said: “As a healthcare organisation, it is important that we promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles to patients, visitors and staff.
“The fruit and veg stall makes it easy for staff to buy fresh health produce as they come into work or on their way home. It’s ideal. It’s also great to see visitors buying fruit for patients too.”
The stall is open 7am to 2:30pm Monday to Friday outside the QMC main entrance. Lauren’s family also run a stall at City Hospital every Monday, Wednesday and Friday outside outpatients.