University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) is joining the biggest ‘thank-you’ the country has ever seen to mark the 72nd birthday of the NHS.
It will culminate in an epic ‘pause for applause’ at 5pm on Sunday 5 July; the day the NHS marks 72 years.
This major country-wide socially-distanced coming together will thank all those who have been helping us through the pandemic and recognise the vital community connections that continue to support us all.
As part of the event, UHMBT will be lighting up buildings on its main hospital sites in blue and sharing thank you messages on social media accompanied by the hashtag - #ThankYouTogether
Broadcasters across the country will suspend normal transmissions at 5pm as people across the country pause what they are doing to think of others.
Everybody will be encouraged to stop what they’re doing and join with others - following social distancing - in their streets or neighbourhoods to applaud not just the NHS and other key workers but all those who have volunteered or helped to keep services and community networks going. 
Following the applause, organisers hope people will enjoy a drink or a cup of tea and reflect with family, friends and neighbours on the bonds that have sustained us in recent months. It will be a wholly inclusive occasion, with those still shielding also encouraged to take part in any way they feel able to.
UHMBT will be saying its own big thank you on social media to everybody who has helped the Trust to continue doing its job during the biggest health challenge it has ever faced.
And on the evening of Saturday 4 July, everyone will asked to put a light in their windows in remembrance of those we have lost during the pandemic. Public buildings will be lit up in NHS blue, including UHMBT’s main sites, the Blackpool Tower, Royal Albert Hall, the Shard and the Wembley Arch.
Aaron Cummins (pictured, below left), Chief Executive of UHMBT, said: “Our Trust and the local community are living through the biggest health challenge in the history of the NHS.
“I have been bowled over by the way that everyone has come together in the most difficult of times. Out staff continue to show incredible dedication, strength, compassion, skill and care for all of our patients and their families.
“The public’s support has sustained our NHS colleagues through these challenging times and we appreciate that immensely. We also wish to remember those we have lost and pay tribute to them.
“In the light of such outstanding support for each other, we are hugely grateful to be marking the 72nd anniversary of the NHS; a year that will go down in history and one that we will never forget. We will continue to do our very best for our patients and are thankful for the public’s unstinting support.”
Sir Simon Stevens, NHS Chief Executive, said: “No health service, not even the NHS, could have coped alone with this coronavirus pandemic. From bus drivers and teachers to care staff and food retailers and, of course, the public who took action to stay at home to stop infection spreading, everyone has played their part.
“The NHS’s anniversary this year not only offers the opportunity for us to say thank you to the nation, but for us all to come together at 5pm to pause and recognise all the work which has taken place in the last months and say a heartfelt thank you.”
Support for the initiative has come from individuals and families all across the UK as well as grass-roots community leaders, carers, emergency workers, sportspeople, religious leaders and celebrities.
The Premier League, Scouts, Girl Guiding, WI, and the British Paralympics Association are among the supporting organisations.
Notes for editors:
ThankYouTogether is a coalition that everyone is invited to join, from community groups across the country to some of the UK’s best-known organisations. The aim is to bring people together and bridge divides, to help build a kinder, closer and more connected society.
To arrange advance media facilities please contact: media@together.org.uk
Lance Price lanceprice@gmail.com 07816 265801
Steve Ballinger steve@britishfuture.org 07891 565592
ENDS