Children from Rosedene Nurseries settings, each paid a visit to some local NHS facilities for International Nurses’ Day.
The awareness day marks the contribution that nurses make to society, and is celebrated each year on 12 May in honour of Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
Children from Rosedene took presents, handmade cards and gift baskets to NHS staff at North Tees Hospital in Hardwick, The Friarage in Northallerton and local GP surgeries across Teesside to show their appreciation.
Children from Rosedene Hardwick were given a tour around the newly decorated paediatric emergency unit at North Tees and shown all the different themed rooms. Children from Rosedene Northallerton and Broomfield, were taken into the ward to see the staff in action at The Friarage.
It was the children’s first visit to the NHS facilities since the pandemic, and many staff from both Rosedene and the hospitals were moved to tears.
Leah Fleming, Deputy Manager at Rosedene Hardwick, said: “We think it’s very important to show the children the essential work the NHS does, and International Nurses’ Day was a fantastic opportunity for them to see some real-life heroes at work.
“It was lovely to be able to go in and see the nurses because we haven't been able to have visits for such a long time and show our appreciation for all their endless hard work and dedication. It was emotional for both our staff and hospital staff, but happy tears. They appreciated their gifts and goodies!
“I think it really benefitted their mental health being able to see the little ones and seeing such a small token gift have such a big impact on them.”
Nicola Grieves, senior clinical lead for A&E at North Tees, said: "I would like to thank the children from Rosedene for the lovely hamper given to our paediatric A&E team on International Nurses’ Day. We all really enjoyed the visit.
“It was a lovely thought and lifted everyone’s spirits after a very busy weekend in the department."