Colourful tribute to frontline NHS staff in Coventry and Warwickshire

NHS staff at UHCW give a thumbs up to their colleagues to celebrate the NHS birthday

A colourful tribute has been paid to NHS frontline staff.

Hosted outside in the sunshine at University Hospital Coventry, the vibrant creation was put on display to mark NHS, Social Care and Frontline Workers’ Day, which took place on July 6.

The rainbow mural was commissioned by Florette and created by thousands of members of the public. It is designed to be a permanent tribute to the NHS, social care, and frontline services for their hard work throughout the pandemic and beyond.

The Lord Mayor and Mayoress of Coventry, Simon Davis from Florette, UHCW CEO Andy Hardy and Margaret Kennan all give a thumbs up to celebrate the NHS birthday

The mural, which spans 14ft wide and 7ft tall, has traditional rainbow colours and includes over 6,000 thumb prints from members of the public, all of them giving a ‘thumbs up’ to frontline heroes.

Children as young as two years of age up to adults in their eighties picked their favourite colour and placed their thumb onto the rainbow arch to show support for emergency services across the country.

The unveiling was attended by NHS University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire ambassador Margaret Kennan, who was the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

The 92-year-old received the vaccine at the hospital and returned to put the finishing touching on the mural alongside Matron May Parsons, who administered Margaret’s first jab back in December 2020.

The event was also attended by the Lord Mayor of Coventry, Cllr Maton, who also gave a ‘thumbs up’ on the rainbow mural.