Schools, businesses and community groups across Tameside and Glossop are being invited to take part in this year's NHS Big Tea on 5 July to say thank you to NHS staff.

As part of plans to celebrate the NHS’s 73rd birthday, the #NHSBigTea is a chance to come together to thank NHS staff and communities for their hard work over the last year. 

In 2019, the NHS Big Tea saw hundreds of events in hospitals, ambulance services, community and mental health trusts across the UK.

This year, everyone is being invited to organise a tea and raise a mug in collective thanks at 3pm on July 5 - stopping to share heartfelt gratitude to every clinician, GP, nurse, support worker, hospital porter and paramedic who’s put themselves on the line this year to keep people and their loved ones safe.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, hospitals in England have cared for around 400,000 seriously ill Covid patients. At the same time the NHS has rolled out the biggest vaccination programme in its history, the fastest in Europe and most precise in the world.

People can register on the Supporters - Association of NHS Charities (nhscharitiestogether.co.uk) website to access a variety of goodies to help  plan a tea party, virtually or in person.  

They are also strongly urged to observe the Government’s current social distancing guidelines - afternoon tea can happen with six people or two households if indoors, and with up to 30 people if it’s held outdoors. 

Dr Asad Ali, co-chair at NHS Tameside and Glossop CCG, said: “The CCG could not have achieved all it has this past year without the skill and dedication of its people and the councils in Tameside and Derbyshire, along with the support of thousands of returners, volunteers, other keyworkers and, of course, residents who played their part by following the social distancing rules. 

“The NHS’s birthday is a chance to celebrate the success of the NHS Vaccination Programme – and again I want to encourage everyone who is eligible to come forward for a jab. I also want to say thank you to our staff, our army of volunteers, and local communities for working so hard to deliver the extraordinary vaccination roll-out.

“While marking all that the NHS has achieved, we must also remember those who have lost their lives to Covid. Not just in the NHS, although there will be particular resonance for colleagues, but all those who have been taken too soon.”