Publish date: 8 May 2022
Phil Malam, aged 69, remembers the day that HRH Queen Elizabeth II visited to officially open the doors of Leighton Hospital. It was just a few days after the 19-year-old joined to work as a porter on 23rd April 1972.
‘It was a very special day on May 5th – I remember we lined the corridor and the Queen spoke to quite a few of us as she walked past. She was really interested in what we did and thanked us – a lovely lady.
‘It’s been a privilege to work at Leighton Hospital for the past 50 years – and I love my role as a porter. I’ve made some very strong friendships and no two days are the same, which is a lot to say for being in the same workplace for half a century!
‘I really enjoy talking to the patients. Often when we wheel people to surgery they are very nervous and it is a privilege to be the person to try and help them feel a bit calmer.’
‘I was surprised and honoured to be asked to cut the cake at our 50th anniversary event. My colleagues came out to watch, and it was great to talk to the Chairman who said some lovely words of thanks to me. I’m just like everyone else here – the patient comes first and if we can make a small difference to the day in someone’s life by doing what we do then that is good enough for me.’
Working at Leighton Hospital runs in the family, and Phil has passed his passion on for his job to his son, Phillip, who also joined Leighton two years ago as a porter too.
Phil, who lives in Crewe, has no plans on retiring yet: “I can’t think of a better place to work than Leighton. It feels like being part of a large family and if anyone is wondering about joining, I say go for it – I have enjoyed every single day.”
The story with Her Majesty doesn’t stop there! Phil and his wife, Yvonne, who married just after Leighton opened, have been invited to join in with the Queen’s historic Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the BBC’s ‘Platinum Party at the Palace’ concert, which takes place in front of Buckingham Palace on Saturday 4th June, 2022, from 8.00 -10.30pm.
We will be sharing Phil’s Jubilee experience on the day!
