Ray's £1 million gift of surgery for Shropshire village

So instead of letting Prees Medical Practice shut, Mr Grocott, the chairman of Whitchurch-based storage and distribution firm Grocontinental, spent £1 million of his own money to fund a new medical centre in Whitchurch Road.

The new practice, named in honour of Mr Grocott, officially opened yesterday to replace the former surgery in Shrewsbury Road at the home of Dr Guy Carter, who has now retired.

It will serve the local population of 4,000, and there are hopes it could expand in the future should there be the demand.

Doctors and patients were full of praise for their village's new £1 million medical practice.

GP Jim Bartlett, lead GP at the centre, said he was "almost lost for words" after Grocott Medical Centre, in Prees, near Whitchurch, was officially opened. He praised the "vision and generosity" of businessman Ray Grocott for making it a reality.

Villagers also said the new building was a far cry from the previous practice, which had been based at the home of retiring GP Dr Guy Carter. The first patients at the new surgery will be seen on Monday.

Dr Bartlett said: "It is a wonderful building, we are all stunned. I am almost lost for words.

"We have followed its progress all the way through so it is great to be in the final finished building.

"The surgery we had before was small and we were confined with the number of nurses we could take on. We had outgrown it.

Parking has been a struggle so having this new building with its own large car park is fantastic.

"Funding was an issue until our fairy godmother Ray Grocott came along. The practice now has a secure, long-term future thanks to the vision and generosity of Ray.

Without his enthusiasm, drive and a bit of dosh this would have been just a dream for us.

"We are so grateful and admire his determination to help our patients."

Joe Whelan, a member of Prees Parish Council, said: "When Dr Guy Carter retired there was always going to be a question of would Prees lose its surgery.

"It would have been very difficult for the residents if that was the case. They would have had to have gone to Whitchurch or Wem, and the village does not have the best transport links.

"It was a blessing to have this facility built."

Patients have also welcomed the new surgery.

Vanessa Rees, 59, of Higher Heath, said: "It is fantastic. It is a fresh new lovely surgery."

Councillor Pauline Dee, a member of the Patients Participant Group for Wem and Prees,

said: "It will make people feel better as soon as they come in. It is so much more spacious than the previous surgery and there is so much more room."

Mr Grocott today said he felt he had to act to protect services – and to make sure Dr Carter would be able to stay in his home to enjoy his retirement.

He said that had the surgery been forced to close it would have "destroyed" the community and left patients facing trips to Wem and Whitchurch for consultations.

He instead decided to fund a surgery himself, and the new Grocott Medical Centre in Whitchurch Road was officially opened yesterday.

The surgery has served the village for more than 100 years but had been threatened by the retirement of Dr Carter, who had ran the practice from his home.

Mr Grocott said he was "so glad" to be able to put something back into the community. He said he had bought the land for the new practice from a farmer before the plans for a new surgery were approved by the NHS.

"The real reason for this was when I heard about Dr Carter retiring," said Mr Grocott. "He was the last of a family of doctors who ran a great medical practice in Prees. So when I heard I thought he would not want to leave his house – so the only other option was to find another place for the practice or close it.

"If I didn't do something it would have gone. We would have had to travel to Wem or Whitchurch. This would have destroyed the village. We're a rural area with hardly any public transport and local people were facing long journeys to see a doctor.

"As a family we have been used to having great GPs when we needed to go, at an easy distance. I have been used to just dropping in when I needed a doctor – but now many people are having to wait weeks because there is not enough capacity.

"All my life we have had good GPs. I am so glad that now I can put something back. This was my opportunity.

"I just couldn't stand by and see us lose our doctors' surgery.

"I looked at some other places around the village but couldn't find anywhere. I then approached the farmer who owned this piece of land – after tough negotiations I bought the plot off him.

"I got the idea for the design of the building from Shawbury and from start to finish it took about two years to finally get where we are today. There were a few hurdles to cross but I had so much help from some great people. I am so pleased to see so many people here to celebrate the opening."

The new medical centre has four consulting rooms, nursing space, treatment area, dispensary, waiting room and offices.

There is also space to accommodate future growth of the practice.

The Grocott Family Charitable Trust, set up by the owners of Grocontinental, will lease the building to the NHS for a nominal rent for the next 15 years.

Grocontinental began life as a cattle haulage business in the 1940s and has grown to become an international haulage and food storage company employing 350 people, with an annual turnover £30 million.

Prees has a population of 4,281, and the practice will serve the village and surrounding rural population.

It is hoped the new practice will cater for double the number of patients, lead to an increase in jobs, and provide extra capacity to train doctors. The centre will be run by staff at Wem and Prees Medical Practice.