The medal awarded to the NHS following the pandemic to recognise the heroism of staff is going on tour - and will be going on display in Manchester.
The country's health service was awarded the George Cross, the UK's highest civilian gallantry medal, by the late Queen. Buckingham Palace said it wanted to honour the “courage, compassion and dedication” of NHS staff and volunteers, during the pandemic as well as the work of the NHS since it was established in 1948.
It was only the third time ever in British history the medal has been granted to an organisation.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
NHS Chief Executive, Amanda Pritchard and May Parsons, a matron for respiratory services who delivered the world's first approved COVID vaccination, received the honour on behalf of the NHS by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in Windsor Castle last July.
And the medal, currently stored at Windsor Castle, is to tour the country to mark the NHS's 75th birthday, including a stay in Manchester, where patients, staff, and members of the public will be able to view the historic accolade up close.
From Thursday 6 July, the medal will be on display at the Science Museum in London. It will then be able to viewed at Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) on Liverpool Road in Castlefield, from February 2024 before it moves to to the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford from July. It will also visit a as yet unconfirmed venue in the South West in 2025.
Natasha McEnroe, Keeper of Medicine at the Science Museum group, of which MOSI is part, said: “It is a real honour to display The George Cross in our museums in recognition of the dedication of NHS staff caring for patients during the pandemic and to this day.
“Visitors to the Science Museum will see The George Cross beside items celebrating the NHS’s 75-year history and nearby objects collected during the pandemic to represent the impact of COVID-19 on our lives.”
The award’s official citation praised staff for their fight against Covid in what it called “the greatest public health emergency in the organisation’s history”.
Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of the NHS in England said: “For 75 years, NHS staff have served our country – this year’s anniversary is an opportunity to reiterate our thanks to them, as well as to celebrate the history and achievements of the NHS, from the first organ transplants through to mass vaccination programmes which have saved thousands of lives.
“We were honoured to receive the George Cross from the late Queen on behalf of the NHS and I am delighted that – through our partnership with the Science Museum Group – NHS staff, volunteers and local communities will get to see the medal up close.”
Read the latest headlines here
READ NEXT:
- "It's an accident waiting to happen": Angry residents put up SPIKES to stop problem parking
- The deadly weapons seized by police after underworld disputes spilled onto the streets
- Teacher 'banned indefinitely' after drunkenly headbutting 16-year-old - and told to pay him £1,295 in compensation
- Energy company wants to charge pizza restaurant owner £32,000 to exit 'extortionate' contract
- Wythenshawe brothers targeted wealthy couples for Rolex and Patek Philippe watches in upmarket Hale - they've now been jailed, along with three others
