leave the facility and face exorbitant prices.

For on the ground floor of the hospital's main building is a tuck shop set up by the Women's Hospitals Auxiliary and staffed by its volunteers.

While small, the shop has a wide range of healthy and not-so-healthy snacks.

This includes fruit juices, sodas, yogurt, ice cream, sherbert, candy bars, potato chips and mints.

But you will not find any hamburgers and french fries sold here.

Tuck shop chairman Mrs. Margaret Hillen said: "We try to sell mainly healthy things, because after all this is a hospital.'' The Tuck Shop also sells a variety of handy items -- from note pad paper and pens to radio batteries.

And just in case they run short of something, the storage area for supplies is located directly behind the tuck shop.

All of the items are sold at very low prices.

"We keep our prices low because most of our customers' income is minimal,'' Mrs. Hillen explained. "We actually consider the operation to be a service rather than a money-making project.'' Mrs. Hillen said although profits were down for the second consecutive year last year, the tuck shop continues to run smoothly.

In addition to providing the patients with a choice of snacks, the Women's Hospitals Auxiliary last year set up comfortable, cafe-style booths in the Tuck Shop area. This was funded from the Memorial donations made at the time of the late Mrs. Christine Dingman's death, augmented by $1,530 from the WHA.

A juke box was also installed, free of charge, by the Island Vending Co. Ltd.

So residents can now enjoy listening to their favourite tunes while enjoying a snack.

The shop is open from noon to 1.30 p.m. weekdays, but closed on weekends because then patients have access to the hospitality carts on their wards.

GOODIES FOR PATIENTS -- chairman of WHA's tuck shop at St. Brendan's Mrs.

Margaret Hillen stands behind the counter where she serves a variety of snacks to residents.

UNIQUE GIFTS -- These can be can be found at the WHA's gift shop at the hospital. The shop, which has long been popular with residents and is attracting increasing numbers of visitors, raised some $40,000 last year through sales of unusual gifts including locally-made baby clothes, cards, and cookbooks by the Island's charities. Pictured showing off some of the special items is Pink Lady Mrs. Audrey Pearson.

BREAD WINNERS -- WHA'S gift shop and coffee shop at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital are the two main sources of income for the organisation.