NHS 75 celebrations at Evesham Community Hospital
This week Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust have been celebrating 75 years of the NHS. 
An event was held at Evesham Community Hospital on Monday 3rd July where staff were able to celebrate the history of Evesham Community Hospital and the NHS.
The celebration was attended by Derek Bedford from Evesham, who was born on the same date the NHS was founded, 5th July 1948, meaning he will also be celebrating his 75th birthday on Wednesday 5th July this year.
He attended with his wife Cathy who worked as a Nurse at Evesham Hospital for 45 years, where they cut a cake and were presented with flowers to mark the occasion.
The hospital has a rich history, with the site originally used as 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.
Dan Marshall, Matron at Evesham Hospital said, “I certainly wouldn’t
work for any other organisation. I’ve worked for the NHS for the last 26 years; my family have worked for the NHS since 1948 continuously and it’s a great institution to work for”.
Birthday celebrations continue this week across the Trust, with events taking place throughout their community hospitals and inpatient services.