A group of volunteers have been praised for donating more than 350 years between them to an Oxford hospital charity.

The 14 John Radcliffe Hospital League of Friends helpers, who have each served drinks and snacks for at least 25 years, have now been commended with long service awards.

Their dedication, together with that of other helpers, helped to raise £116,750 last year alone - the equivalent of about 1,950 mugs of coffee at the Women's Centre tea bar and the cafe in the main hospital.

Dordie Allan, Barbara Belcher, Sylvia Dring, Dorrie Gethings, Joan Hine, Jo Holloway, June Lee, Graham Lee, Elizabeth Pain, Barbara Popkin, Michael Popkin, Kathleen Simmonds, Audrey Tovey, and Doreen Hunt, have all now received a badge and certificate to commemorate their loyalty.

Mrs Hunt, 76, of Woodlands Road, Headington, has worked at the tea bar since the hospital opened in 1972.

She said: "We were at St Andrew's Church when the vicar said a new tea bar had opened and he would pray for volunteers. My daughter said we should do it.

"She was at Milham Ford School, but it was the start of the summer holidays and we went and helped. Five weeks later, she went back to school - but I've never left! "Things have really changed now. In those days, we thought we'd done really well if we took £38 on a day. Now we take more than £200 a day, and the main cafe can take over £1,000 a day."

Since the league of friends was established, it is estimated that it has raised £2m, including £12,000 for the new Oxford Children's Hospital, being built at the site.

Chairman Beryl Andrews congratulated the long-servers, who she said helped make a little home-from-home for patients, visitors and staff at the hospital. She said: "We rely on people to volunteer and we use the money we make for equipment at the hospital.

"It's excellent that so many people have helped us for so long in their own time. They really make a difference and we get loads of letters of thanks.

"People like to come down from the wards to somewhere that is a little more ordinary and homely than the hospital canteen. We try to have a friendly atmosphere because it can be very stressful in hospital."

Helen Munro, of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "Their commitment and dedication to the NHS is an example to us all."