Light up blue and help celebrate the NHS’s 70th birthday
Landmark buildings in towns and cities across the UK are helping the NHS celebrate as it turns 70 this summer.
The big day is July 5 and events are being organised by and for staff, hospital trusts and healthcare organisations to mark the seventieth birthday in style.
As part of the celebrations a number of landmarks across the North will be lighting up in blue on the evening of the 5th July to say ‘Happy Birthday’ to the NHS and to recognise its special place in our lives.
Landmarks across the North confirmed so far include:
- Blackpool Tower
- Gateshead, Millennium Bridge
- Newcastle, Civic Centre
- Manchester Town Hall
- Clitheroe Castle
- Leeds Direct Arena
- York Minster
- Leeds Town Hall
- Leeds Civic Hall
- York Hospital
- Leeds University
- Bridgewater Place
- Sheffield Children’s Hospital
- Wakefield Clock Tower
- The Royal Hall, Harrogate
- Knaresborough House
- Ripon Town Hall
- Xscape Yorkshire – Castleford
- Bradford City Hall
- Roof of Margaret McMillan Tower, Bradford
- Mirror Pool, Bradford
- Forster Square, Bradford
- National Media Museum, Bradford
- Millennium Square (TV), Leeds
- Royal Border Bridge, Berwick
- St Mary’s Lighthouse, Whitley Bay
- Town Hall, South Shields
- Penshaw Monument (National Trust), Sunderland
- Magistrates Building
- Keel Square, Sunderland
- County Hall, Durham
- Centre Square fountain, Middlesbrough
- Stockton-on-Tees Riverside
- Stockton-in-Tees High Street
- Stockton-in-Tees Stockton Fountain
- Newport Bridge
- Darlington Memorial Hospital
- Hilltop Heights, Carlisle
- Mersey Gateway Bridge
A spokesperson for NHS England North said: “We have some great iconic buildings taking part and would love more buildings across the North to get involved and to light up blue on the evening of 5th July. We are calling on churches, mosques, castles, historic homes and any large buildings in towns, cities and villages to get involved and light up blue if they have the facilities to do so.”
A spokesperson for Merlin Entertainment said: “Merlin Entertainments at The Blackpool Tower are proud to support the NHS and their continued dedication to the health of our communities. Happy 70th Anniversary to our NHS, The Blackpool Tower beams blue for you!”
Joe Gordon, Head of first direct, said: “The NHS is a remarkable institution which touches the lives of everyone in the UK at some point. It’s there for all of us in good times and bad, and both first direct bank and the first direct Arena are proud to be able to join in with the celebrations for the NHS’s 70th birthday.”
The NHS England North spokesperson added: “We also want the general public to help us celebrate and get involved by taking photographs of the lit up buildings on the evening of 5th July and sharing across social media with the hashtag #NHS70 #LightUpBlue”