Landmarks including Newcastle’s Tyne Bridge, Carlisle’s Civic Centre and The Deep in Hull will be among more than 30 buildings and landmarks across the North East and Yorkshire to Light Up Blue this Saturday evening (3 July) ahead of the 73rd Birthday of the NHS.

Richard Barker, NHS England and NHS Improvement’s Regional Director for North East and Yorkshire, said the anniversary of the founding of the national health service was a moment to reflect upon an extremely challenging year, and celebrate its achievements including the roll-out of the Covid vaccination programme.

“The NHS 73rd birthday is a chance to say a big thank-you to our staff, partners, a whole army of volunteers, and local communities for working so hard to deliver the extraordinary Covid-19 vaccination roll-out,” Richard said.

“While marking, over the coming days, all the NHS and its partners have achieved, we’ll also pause, as a simple act of respect, to remember those who, sadly, have lost their lives to Covid.”

Richard added: “In the North East and Yorkshire I’m delighted to announce that, once again, we have had a strong and enthusiastic response to our call to ‘Light Up Blue’ to help mark the NHS Birthday.

“On Saturday evening, from the white lighthouse at Seaburn and Bradford’s City Hall to university buildings in Leeds and hospitals in Yorkshire’s towns and cities, our region will become a splendid beacon of blue for the NHS Birthday.”

The latest list of locations taking part in Light Up Blue features:

• Airedale hospital, Keighley, West Yorkshire
• Bradford: City Hall; Margaret McMillan Tower; Forster Square Station archways.
• Bradford Teaching Hospitals
• Bradford District Care NHS FT Headquarters at Saltaire, and Lynfield Mount Hospital, Bradford
• Café at Carlisle Cathedral
• Carlisle City Council: Civic Centre Building
• Foundation of Light, The charity of Sunderland AFC
• Gateshead Millennium bridge
• Hull, The Deep
• Leeds Beckett University
• Leeds Civic Hall
• Leeds, CitiPark Merrion Centre, and Arnold’s Bar & Kitchen
• Leeds Town Hall
• Sheffield Children’s Hospital
• South Shields Town Hall
• Newcastle Civic Centre
• Newcastle Tyne Bridge
• Sunderland City Council: Penshaw Monument; Northern Spire Bridge; Keel Square; Fullwell Mill; the white lighthouse at Seaburn
• Temple Newsam house, Leeds
• University of Leeds
• York Council city walls
• York Hospital.

Flying NHS Flag

• Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens, Northumberland
• Middleham Castle, North Yorkshire
• Pickering Castle, North Yorkshire
• Prudhoe Castle, Northumberland
• Warkworth Castle, Northumberland.

Look out for social media updates and photos on Saturday evening using the hashtag #NHSBirthday