Celebrate 70 years of the NHS at NDDH family fun day

The NHS is turning 70 this year, and to celebrate, Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust is holding a family fun day at North Devon District Hospital. The event will take place on Sunday 1 July 2018 from 10am-4pm.

The day will be packed full of activities, with plenty of fun for all ages, including tours of the hospital, demonstrations, an entertainment stage with live music and dancing, food and drink from local suppliers, and kids’ activities.

Local organisations and sellers are invited to have a stall at the event, with a proportion of any profits going to the Trust charity, Over and Above, in support of the Cancer and Wellbeing Centre Appeal.

Ian Roome, head of fundraising and volunteering at the Trust, said: “The NHS has supported us all in some way over the last 70 years, and this event is about getting everybody together to recognise the fantastic work of our NHS here in northern Devon.

“We hope to see members of staff, both past and present, their families and friends, and the community coming together to celebrate and have fun, whilst also supporting the Trust charity.”

It will be free to attend and park at the event, although donations to the charity will be very welcome.

Tours will include a tour of the Tarka radio station, a tour behind the scenes of NDDH, a teddy bear tour for children – bring a teddy along and see what teddy gets up to when needing a trip to hospital – and more.

There will also be the chance to get creative and contribute to our time capsule – come along and write or draw your message on our giant scroll, which will be placed in the foundations of the new North Devon Cancer and Wellbeing Centre.

There are lots of opportunities for people to take part in the day’s events:

• Are you involved in a local group or club – would you like to perform or do a demonstration?
• Are you a local organisation or business – would you like to have a stand? It is free to attend but we request that you bring your own set up. Sellers will be asked to donate a proportion of profits to Over and Above.
• Do you have any old photos, uniforms or NHS-related items we can show people on our history stand? You can bring these along on the day.
• Can you help us promote the event? We want to get as many people as possible together to celebrate the NHS, so please help us to spread the word.

If you would like to have a stand or be involved by performing or putting on a demonstration, please contact ndht.charity@nhs.net before Friday 1 June 2018, or ring 01271 311772. Please also let us know at the same contact details if you can support us by displaying a poster for the event.

Ian added: “With your help, we can make NHS70 a fantastic community celebration, so we hope everybody will get involved, whether that’s by contributing to the day’s events or just coming along for a fun day out.”