A COMMUNITY hospital celebrated the 70th birthday of the NHS with a party for its patients and staff.

Deeside Community Hospital in Aston hosted a day of refreshments and music to mark 70 years of free health service.

There was live music provided by a brass band and a specially decorated 70th birthday cake.

Lord Barry Jones, president of the Blue Sky charity and the League of Friends attended the party.

He said: “It was a great honour to be invited to the party. Quite simply it was a brilliant day due to the hard work put in prior to the event.

“It’s a great hostel and a shining example of our wonderful health service.”

Grace Bryce, 95, is a patient at Deeside hospital. Her first of three children was born in 1947, a year before the NHS came into existence. She had to pay £10 for the birth of her child, roughly £225 in today’s money.

Her two other children were born after the NHS had been brought in, and commented on how much of a help that was.

Grace, originally from Connah’s Quay, said: “Everything was made so much easier by the NHS, it took so much of the strain off our finances. We take the NHS for granted, people don’t realise how lucky they are to get healthcare for free.”

Grace suffers from Parkinsons, as does one of her sons. another son is now cancer free having undergone successful treatment for a sarcoma in the leg and she lends her thanks to the NHS for hers and both her sons’ treatment.

Margery Haley, 92, now a patient at the hospital, was working at the Maelor Hospital in Wrexham as a nurse when the NHS was introduced.

She recently suffered a stroke and is now getting the free care and treatment she once gave to her patients when she worked for the NHS.

Margery, originally from Marford, said: “I’ve gone full circle, from once caring for patients to now being one! But I feel very honoured to have been a nurse in the NHS’ first year.”