Thursday, 02 July 2020
The University of Nottingham will join organisations across the country in thanking the NHS on the eve of its 72nd birthday this Saturday, by lighting one of its most iconic buildings blue.
The Trent Building, on University Park, will be illuminated along with other famous landmarks across the UK including the Royal Albert Hall, Blackpool Tower and Wembley Arch, as part of tributes to NHS staff on the eve of the NHS anniversary.
The illuminations are part of a birthday weekend paying tribute to staff as well as the public and organisations who have helped the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The #LightItBlue initiative began on Thursday 26 March when over 100 of the UK’s most famous castles, cathedrals, bridges, city halls, sports stadiums and giant LED screens were illuminated in blue to coincide with the nationwide applause for the NHS and frontline care workers.
The illumination of the Trent Building will also mark the start of the celebrations of the University’s own anniversaries, with 2020 seeing the 50th anniversary of the University’s Medical School and 30 years of nursing education at the University.
The idea for a Medical School at Nottingham was first suggested after World War II. Healthcare in the East Midlands was badly under-resourced. But it was not until a grant was awarded in 1964 that the University was able to establish the first new Medical School in England in the 20th century. The School grew from humble beginnings in the cowsheds and caravan behind the Portland Building on University Park, where it was based before the QMC was opened in 1977.
Whilst Nursing has been taught in Nottingham for many years it only moved into the University in 1990. Since that time, thousands of nurses (adult, child, mental health & learning disability), have graduated into the healthcare workforce to support improvements in health across the region. The School of Health Sciences was established in 2014 and brings together training for nurses, midwives and physiotherapists.
Both medical and nursing students from the University have stepped up to help the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Final year nursing students, who were all in the last six months of training, were counted as official NHS staff during the crisis, and 260 final-year medical students were also graduated early, in order to support the NHS during a period of unprecedented pressure. Additionally many clinical academic and technical staff have time-shifted to front-line NHS work.
Professor John Atherton
Professor John Atherton, Pro Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University, said: “We are pleased to support the #lightItblue campaign and to light up the University’s Trent Building to mark the 72nd anniversary of the NHS. It is particularly poignant and important at this moment, in that we can show our gratitude to the NHS and pay tribute to the staff who have helped the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the countless other organisations that have supported the NHS through such a difficult period.
“We would also like to take the opportunity to start our university birthday celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Medical School and 30 years of nursing education in Nottingham. Now, more than ever, we want to celebrate the dedication and commitment of our colleagues and students, and to mark these important anniversaries with a series of events stretching out across the next academic year.”
The University will be holding a variety of events across the year to mark the important anniversaries. Activities will include a gala dinner, a number of conferences, a series of blogs, and a charity 10km race.
Story credits
More information is available from Charlotte Anscombe, Media Relations Manager in the Press Office at the University of Nottingham, on +44 (0)115 74 84417, charlotte.anscombe@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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