Aug 20th 2025
Long-serving Stars Appeal volunteer and fundraiser Sybil Tucker has celebrated her 100th birthday.
Sybil has been supporting us for over 20 years and still regularly volunteers in the Stars Appeal Bookshop in the hospital’s main entrance with her daughter Nicola.
After a morning in the Stars Appeal Bookshop Sybil was joined by her fellow volunteers to mark the special milestone birthday with tea and cake.
Sybil said: “I can’t really believe I am 100. I want to keep going and supporting the Stars Appeal for as long as I can.”
Sybil started supporting the charity with Nicola in 2003 during its Ace of Hearts campaign to raise £1million to build a purpose-built cardiac suite. It was a cause close to the family as Sybil’s brother had a heart problem.
Nicola and Sybil pictured below in the Stars Appeal Bookshop.
The pair, who live in Nunton, started off running a table stall selling books and up until 2020 ran a monthly book, bric-a-brac, and toy stall at the hospital.
They have raised over £65,350 for the Stars Appeal. Money raised by Sybil and Nicola has contributed to a wide range of Stars Appeal projects over the years including the Children’s Unit, Cardiac Suite, Breast Unit, the second MRI and CT scanners, and Neonatal Family Unit.
Her daughter Nicola added: “We enjoy volunteering and get to meet so many lovely people. We know all the money we help raise goes to supporting our local hospital and all the people who use it.”
Sybil, who was a cook in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in Farnborough during the Second World War, and Nicola have a room in the Stars Appeal Breast Unit named after them in recognition of their fundraising efforts.
Dave Cates, of the Stars Appeal, said: “We feel honoured to be celebrating Sybil’s 100th birthday and we are so grateful for the huge amount of support Sybil, along with her daughter Nicola, has given us over the last 22 years, which has made such a difference to the lives of thousands of local patients and their families.”
