Sheffield Children's Hospital to light up blue for NHS 73rd anniversary

The Wembley arch, Liverpool’s Liver building, Salisbury Cathedral and vaccination centres across England are among the landmarks to be lit up blue to remember NHS workers who have lost their lives to the virus, ahead the NHS’s 73rd anniversary on Monday.

NHS Chief People Officer Prerana Issar will attend a memorial service at the London Blossom Garden this afternoon, Saturday July 3, in memory of the NHS workers who died while caring for patients during the pandemic, and in dedication to the way the health service – backed by key workers and the public throughout – has worked together to care for 400,000 Covid patients in England’s hospitals.

The garden, at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, was planted as a living memorial and is a place to reflect, remember those who lost their lives, and pay tribute to key workers.Later in the evening more than 70 landmarks around the country will light up blue, including sites that have been part of the world-leading vaccine rollout that has seen more than 65 million life-saving jabs delivered so far.

Some of the country’s most well-known landmarks and event spaces have been transformed into vaccination centres since the world’s first approved jab was delivered on December 8. These include Sheffield Arena, which will end its stint as a centre later this month.