Staff at an Epsom psychiatric rehabilitation home were ‘very grateful’ to be gifted a new minivan by a charity group, which will allow them to take patients on day trips.

Surrey Comet:

Friends of Horton Haven, led by Kingston borough councillor David Fraser, 88, splashed out £23,000 to buy the nine-seater van for the centre from funds they had raised over a number of years.

It’s the biggest donation the friends group has ever made, Coun Fraser said.

He said: "When we brought it around the staff couldn’t believe it, they were very grateful.

"It was a really good thing to do because it’ll make a big difference for staff and patients.

"They’ll be able to take the patients out more easily and do more things outside of the centre.

"Some of the patients are very mentally and physically handicapped so it’ll make a big difference I think."

Surrey Comet:

After Horton Hospital closed more than a decade ago, some patients were unable to be placed at other facilities, and so the Horton Haven in Haven Drive was opened to them.

Coun Fraser, who has been a borough councillor for 31 years, works to raise money for the patients and staff, donating money for presents every Christmas and for each of the patients’ birthdays.

He said: "I used to work as a social worker for over 40 years, and I worked at Horton Hospital, so a cause like this is close to my heart."

Coun Fraser also does charity work for a blindness charity and is a trustee of the Smith Trust, which gives out grants to alleviate social inequality.