In commemoration of the health service’s 75th anniversary, MPs have joined top NHS clinicians for a special run through St James’s Park.
The event brought together 22 MPs from a range of political parties to celebrate the milestone – England’s chief nursing officer, Dame Ruth May, kicked off the 5k run.
The run comes alongside a number of other parkrun and junior parkrun events this weekend which have the backing of sports stars like tennis great Sir Andy Murray, Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes and Welsh footballer Helen Ward.
NHS England’s national medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: “We know the NHS is the institution that makes our nation most proud to be British and, on the day it turns 75, I was delighted to join parliamentarians from across the UK as they donned their trainers to take part in this special run to celebrate all it has delivered for us over that time and to thank its staff and volunteers, past and present.”
This comes shortly after Britain’s sporting heroes joined together to pay tribute to the NHS by sharing their best stories of the service.
Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of NHS England, added: “It is incredible to see this gratitude for the amazing work that our NHS staff do and, as we reach our milestone 75th birthday, I am very proud of every member of staff who make the NHS what it is – the biggest care team in the world.
“It’s a team that has managed unprecedented challenges in the pandemic, led the world with its delivery of the covid-19 vaccination programme and is now working extremely hard to recover services.
“I’m very grateful to the sporting stars who are sharing their appreciation for our dedicated and determined staff to celebrate 75 years of the NHS.”
Image credit: iStock
