I Love NHS Day will celebrate key workers across Manchester and beyond

Manchester is synonymous with the NHS and was the location of the first hospital to offer free healthcare to all, giving birth to a National Health Service in 1948.

Since then Manchester has continued to be a city dedicated to the work and support the NHS provides and was the location for one of the first Nightingale Hospitals in 2020 at Manchester Central.

Now, to celebrate the incredible work of NHS staff and key workers, especially after the past year, I Love MCR is launching the first-ever I Love NHS Day on Sunday 13th June to say “thank you”.

The date of 13th June is 12 months since the ‘social bubbles’ came into existence after the first lockdown in the UK, which were only achievable thanks to the tireless work and commitment from NHS workers.

Born out of adversity during the riots back in 2011, I Love MCR knows a thing or two about launching a campaign during a pandemic. The idea for I Love NHS Day was born from the team wanting to support International Nurses Day, but thanks to I Love MCR’s outdoor media executive, Gus Karagiannis, it quickly grew into something much bigger.

“After watching the Brit Awards seeing NHS Staff and key workers in the audience, I got emotional and thought to myself, ‘what an amazing way to say thank you for everything the NHS has done the last year’,” says Gus.

“I have friends that work or have family in the care of the NHS and I know how tough it has been for them since the start of the pandemic. 

“There has to be a grand gesture we can do to show how grateful we are to all NHS staff and key workers? What if we can get an entire city to say ‘thank you’?

“This project means so much to me and I’m humbled to be a part of it. Manchester is a unique city in so many ways, this is just testimony to the fact that we do things differently here.”

A dedicated section of the I Love MCR website will help the local community join in on the day, as well as providing opportunities and assets to recognise NHS workers through sharable content, printable posters and commemorative merchandise available to purchase, with profits going to NHS Charities Together. 

There will also be an opportunity to share stories of love and gratitude for NHS workers throughout June.

“It’s a shame that it’s taken a global pandemic for a lot of us to realise just how lucky we are to have our National Health Service – and that’s because we’ve needed them now more than ever,” says Chris Greenhalgh, CEO of I Love MCR. 

“This aims to be an annual reminder of how proud we are to have the NHS and how hard they work all year round. 

“This isn’t just another “Thank you NHS” slogan. This is a day dedicated to raising funds and proving just how much we love them. Manchester standing strong together for NHS Charities Together.”

The I Love NHS logo will be displayed across the city on over 200 digital billboards, and supporters can download the same logo to print and display in their windows showing their own love for the NHS, sharing their support online using the hashtag #ILOVENHSDAY.

Working with our advertising partners and the wider city, I Love MCR will be able to support and reward members of the NHS community with discounts at hospitality venues, limited-edition merchandise to buy and some special surprises that will be revealed nearer to the day.

Proceeds from I Love NHS Day will go to NHS Charities Together, which is the national charity partner of the NHS and supports 240 charity members across the UK. 

The £1m they provide daily to the NHS goes towards helping hospitals, ambulances, mental health trusts and many more patient resources.

For more information and how to get involved, visit: ilovemanchester.com/ilovenhsday.