'Thank you NHS’ chocolates from a young Hinckley and Bosworth resident have been handed to the Secretary of State for Health, Steve Barclay, and Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan, as part of campaign to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NHS on July 5th.
Specially designed chocolates from Myla Godwin, a young resident from Hinckley who has been calling for a national celebration of the NHS and healthcare workers, were hand-delivered to the Health and Education Secretaries in Parliament.
Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, took Myla’s chocolates to Westminster and personally handed them to the Secretaries on behalf of his constituent. Dr Evans discussed with Mr Barclay and Mrs Keegan the progress Myla has made on her campaign.
In 2021, Myla Godwin welcomed NHS staff and Dr Luke Evans MP to Battling Brook Primary School to show her gratitude to nurses, doctors, paramedics and social care staff for their hard work. The entire school came together to put on the event, raising over £2,000 for NHS charities.
In a meeting with the MP that took place during February, Myla spoke about how her campaign to pay tribute to the NHS has grown as the petition reaches 650 signatures – four short months later the number of signatures has grown over 350% to 2,394.
Myla’s proposal suggests that 5th July 2023, the 75th anniversary of the NHS, should be made a national ‘Thank You NHS’ day, during which school pupils could come to school in an NHS related outfit and have a day dedicated to learning about the work and history of the NHS.
Myla Godwin said “I remember when every Thursday night during Covid we all used to go outside and clap our hands or bang our pots and pans to say thank you to our amazing NHS workers. I believe that on the 5th July 2023, the NHS’ 75th birthday, we should remember why we did that.
“I started this campaign to bring attention to what the NHS did for us during Covid, and for us to show our appreciation.
“Over the last six months I have been visiting NHS workers at hospitals including Leicester, Coventry, Nottingham and Nuneaton handing out over 500 of our specially designed chocolates and flags.
“It was a privilege to meet them all, they are all heroes.”
Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, said “It’s been a real pleasure to see Myla’s campaign flourish over the past couple years.
“When Myla dropped the chocolates round to my office, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to raise her excellent work directly with the Health and Education Secretaries, who were delighted to hear of her progress and took the chocolates away to share with their teams.
“As we begin celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the NHS, it’s important that we ensure the NHS is in a strong position for the next 75 years – which is why I’m delighted with recent news of serious investment in our local healthcare infrastructure.
“We’ve been given the green light and hundreds of millions for two new hospitals, a midwifery-led unit and multi-storey car park at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, Glenfield and General Hospitals in Leicester. Not forgetting the £14.5m for Hinckley hospital – all investments in our community’s health for the years to come!”
