Supporters of a mothballed Cobham hospital plan have handed the fruits of their fundraising to charities.

The Friends of Cobham Cottage Hospital have donated £50,000 to the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher, £50,000 to the Alzheimer’s Society and £7,000 to Shooting Star Chase children’s hospice.

A £100,000 cheque will also be presented to Royal Surrey County Hospital on Monday, October 31, to equip its endoscopy unit.

The friends spent 35 years raising money to open a 20-bed inpatient ward at the hospital, but NHS Surrey pulled the plug just before the Minister of State was due to open it, stating it was not economical to operate due to size.

The friends then had to get permission from the Charities Commission to designate the hefty legacy donated to them, on the understanding it would be spent on the hospital, to other charities.

Chairman Howard Macdonald said: “We have a lot to be proud of. It is thanks to the hard work and generosity over 35 years of the fine people of Cobham, Oxshott and surrounding areas that we have our wonderful Cottage Hospital on the Portsmouth Road.

“Of course it is sad that NHS Surrey have determined that they cannot economically operate any longer our 20-bed in-patient facility, but we still have some outstanding outpatient facilities that are greatly for the benefit of our local people and that we hope will continue to operate for many years in the future.”