Employees indulged in a celebratory afternoon

Members of staff have come together to honour the NHS and its achievements over the past 75 years.

The monumental milestone was marked by hosting a bake-off followed by afternoon tea at gtd healthcare’s head office, all in aid of celebrating 75 years of the NHS.

Ten members of staff showcased their baking skills with lemon, raspberry, chocolate, apple and tea just a few of the delicious flavours that were put to the test in the competition.

The star baker award was presented to Vikki Newman, operations manager within the Clinical Hub, for her unique spin on a cheesecake.

The cakes were rated for their appearance, taste, texture and colour by a panel of judges; (left) Dawn Sewards, director of governance, Jane Pugh, director of finance and strategic resources, and Andrea Handley, director of nursing and allied health professionals.

Dawn said the event was an excellent opportunity for people to get together and commemorate 75 years of the NHS while demonstrating their culinary skills.

“The cakes were delicious and baked to a very high standard, which made the judging extremely challenging,” she said.

“We had to taste each cake as part of our duties, and it was fun to try the range of flavours and we even had a vegan entry. Each cake was brought out one at a time, and we had no idea who had baked what, which added to the excitement because we didn’t know what was coming next.”

Vikki said she was delighted to be awarded gtd’s star baker.

“I never expected to win as the competition was tough, but it was a privilege to contribute to the event,” she said.

After the competition took place, staff conducted their own taste test of the cakes and tucked into the array of treats available.

Other teams across the organisation got involved and hosted local celebrations. Oldham's Urgent Care Hub held its own afternoon tea party, complete with a variety of cakes and sandwiches while Millbrook Medical Practice and Mossley Medical Practice decorated their reception areas and handed out cupcakes to patients.

Dawn added: “Thank you to everyone who took part in the bake-off, your efforts were fantastic.”

The NHS was founded in 1948 and was the first universal health system to be available to all for free. Over the past 75 years, the NHS has evolved and adapted to meet the needs of each successive generation. To find out more about the NHS’s history, please click here.

For further information, please email communications.gtd@nhs.net.