Lincoln Cathedral will be among the places to ‘Shine a Light’ in an extra special tribute to the nursing profession on Tuesday, 12 May.
The Cathedral will be lit up blue to mark International Nurses’ Day, which celebrates the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale and the highly respected work of the nursing profession.
However, 2020 also has extra significance as Florence Nightingale’s bicentennial year.
The special milestone has led to 2020 being designated as the first ever global Year of the Nurse and Midwife by the World Health Organization (WHO).
NHS organisations have called for the public to ‘Shine a Light’ at 8.30pm on Tuesday, with either a light or a drawing of a light in windows as a visible symbol of welcome, hope and warmth as part of the celebrations.
The Very Revd Christine Wilson, Dean of Lincoln said: “We are pleased that Lincoln Cathedral can help raise awareness across the county of 200 years of the pioneering work of Florence Nightingale and those who, through their skills, compassion and dedication, continue her legacy by devoting their lives to caring for others.”
Nurses and midwives make up the largest numbers of the NHS workforce and Lincoln Cathedral’s blue lights will act as a symbol of the vital role they play in Lincolnshire and beyond to care for people in our communities.
Blue lights also continue to be displayed on Thursdays until worship is able to resume in a show of appreciation to NHS staff and frontline services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
