STAFF at Evesham Hospital are urging the public to celebrate the 70th birthday of the NHS.

Evesham Hospital pre-dates the NHS and has been in the town since 1930. During it’s time services there have been overseen by a number of different organisations and it is now run by Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust – the main provider of community services in the county.

To pay tribute to 70 years of the NHS staff at the hospital would like the people of Evesham and past staff to join them on Thursday July 5 from 11am until 3pm.

Old images of the hospital will be displayed and there will be an opportunity to look at the new sensory garden which was completed earlier this month.

The site of the hospital was originally used for a workhouse. In 1938 it became Avonside Hospital and was later renamed Evesham Community Hospital meaning that the hospital has been serving the local community for 80 years.

All but two of the original workhouse buildings have been demolished and the hospital has seen many upgrades and additions to allow it to continue to serve the local community - most recently stroke rehabilitation services for the whole County were centralised there.

Shirley Hodgetts, matron at Evesham Community Hospital said, “We all know how much the hospital means to the people of Evesham so we’d like to invite them to come along and celebrate its history and bright future with us.

“We’re really keen to hear from anybody who was born at the hospital when there was a maternity unit here as well as anyone who may have worked at the hospital over the years. We’ll be enjoying some tea and cake on the day and celebrating 70 years of our fantastic NHS. “

It is an open event and the public are welcome.