Barnet Hospital turned deep purple as staff celebrated the launch of its new charity.

Volunteers handed out purple balloons and cupcakes, while staff and visitors posed for photos with props and costumes to mark the event in Wellhouse Lane, Barnet yesterday.

The Barnet Hospital Charity aims to improve people’s time in hospital, including providing care packs, slippers for elderly patients and volunteers to help people around.

Bigger projects will also be supported by the charity, such as buying specialist equipment.

Created by the Royal Free Charity, the launch follows the hospital’s takeover last July by the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, along with Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield.

Chris Burghes, chief executive of the Royal Free Charity, said: “This is a really great moment for us. The services we provide at Barnet Hospital and Chase Farm Hospital will be at least as good if not better than the ones we provide at the Royal Free Hospital.

“Already you can walk around the hospitals and see our volunteers and our complementary therapists giving massages. We know that we can do more, but we can only do that with the support of the local people and the people at this hospital.”

Alison Kira, charity development manager, said: “A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes to prepare for the launch of the new expanded charity. Today marks the day when we can shout from the rooftops about what we do and why we are here.”

David Sloman, chief executive of the Royal Free London, said: “Charity has had a huge part to play in the history of our organisation and it is playing a huge part now. Often it is the little things like having slippers to give to older people who arrive without them or programmes that benefit our staff. But also the big contributions that can change the organisation.”