A well-known and respected local doctor has been remembered with a hand-crafted wooden bench placed in the garden inside the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton. The garden is on the ground floor off the main corridor opposite the Friends of the Friarage shop, and offers a place of tranquillity and reflection.
Doctor Andrew Brereton was a GP in the Mowbray House Surgery in Northallerton for many years, and was the senior partner in the practice until his retirement in 2003. He was also a member of the Rotary Club of Northallerton, and took part in several fund-raising events to support the Friends of the Friarage. He died as a patient in the Hospital in July last year.
The bench was made by Oli Brereton, one of his three sons, who designed and built it in the Sheffield workshop of Finnbar Lucas, a specialist in bespoke wooden furniture. The reclaimed teak came from former church pews. The inscription on the back rest of the bench is simply “Rest Awhile”, a poignant phrase which captures the value of the bench for those seeking a break from the circumstances which bring them to the Hospital, as patient, staff or visitor. Andy’s name is carved on one of the legs, a subtle tribute to a man fondly remembered.
Andy’s widow, Eileen Brereton, said: “My three sons and I spent some quiet moments in the garden when we visited Andy before he died, and it is a special place for contemplation. I commissioned the bench as a way of thanking the specialist nurse and the nursing team in Romanby Ward for their excellent care for Andy. My hope is that the bench will serve others in their time of need too.”
Dr Tony Walters, co-Chair of the Friends of the Friarage, added: “Dr Andrew Brereton, a much loved and respected GP, is sadly missed. It is touching that his family were keen to enhance the Hospital garden and the holistic work offered by the Friarage, from which he had benefitted.”
A significant sum of money donated at Andy’s funeral was given to the Friends of the Friarage, and to the holistic centre and the new eye unit at the Friarage Hospital.
Photo: Eileen Brereton, seated on the “Rest Awhile” bench, with Oli Brereton and Celia Curry, Administrator of the Friends of the Friarage.
