Happy 72nd birthday NHS! Join Heart for a very special clap on Sunday afternoon

3 July 2020, 13:28 | Updated: 3 July 2020, 14:03

On Sunday 5 July, the NHS turns 72 - and the whole nation is getting together to celebrate.

For many, one of the highlights of the coronavirus lockdown was seeing all their neighbours get together to give the country’s keyworker and NHS heroes a massive applause every Thursday at 8pm.

After 10 weeks, ‘the NHS clap’ came to a natural end as things started going back to normal, but we are being encouraged to return to our doorsteps ready to applaud, cheer and bang pots and pans on Sunday at 5pm.

#ThankYouTogether takes place on the 72nd anniversary of the day that the NHS was founded, and aims to celebrate those who have been helping us through the pandemic, and recognise the vital role the NHS and its staff play in our communities.

Volunteers and other key workers who have helped to keep services local networks going during these troubling and unprecedented times are also at the forefront of this celebration.

Broadcasters, including Heart, will be pausing normal transmissions to join in - so make sure you are tuned in and ready to cheer along with us!

Heart Breakfast with Jamie and Amanda wish the NHS a Happy Birthday

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS Chief Executive said: "The NHS’s birthday this year not only offers the opportunity for us to say thank you to the nation, but for us all to come together at 5pm to pause and recognise all the work which has taken place in the last months and say a heartfelt thank you."

The day prior, on July 4, there will be a moment of remembrance and reflection for those we lost during the pandemic. To take part, people are being asked to put a light in their window or on their doorstep.

Read more:

Prince William and Kate Middleton clap for carers with the children

Across the UK, as a mark of respect and tribute to NHS staff, key workers and everyone who has played their part during the pandemic, iconic landmarks including the London Eye, Royal Albert Hall, Blackpool Tower and Wembley Arch will be illuminated in blue.

The #LightItBlue campaign will see the following buildings lit up on Saturday night. People are being asked to share photos of their local landmarks all lit up on social media using the hashtags #LightItBlue and #ThankYouTogether.

North East and Yorkshire

Bradford City Hall

Forster Square, Bradford

Bradford Teaching Hospitals buildings

Margaret McMillan Tower, Bradford

Durham County Hall

Raby Castle, Durham

Gateshead Millennium Bridge

Harrogate Convention Centre

Hull Inspire

CAMHS Unit Keighley

Airedale General Hospital

Knaresborough Castle

Newcastle Civic Centre

Sheffield Children’s Hospital

Sunderland Beacon of Light

Sunderland: Penshaw Monument; Fulwell Mill; Northern Spire Bridge; Keel Square; High Street West; Lighthouse (Cliffe Park)

Wakefield Town Hall clock tower

Whitley Bay: St Mary’s Lighthouse

York: Clifford’s Tower; historic city walls

York Hospital

North West

Bascule Bridge

Blackburn Rovers Football Stadium

Blackpool Tower heart and front

Central Pier Wheel

Blackpool Pleasure Beach Big One

The Blackpool Winter Gardens dome

Blackpool Illuminations (Promenade and Lightworks Depot)

Chorley Clock Tower

Cunard Building, Liverpool

Greystone Bridge, Knowsley

Liverpool Town Hall

Port of Liverpool building

Palm House

Sefton St

George’s Hall, Liverpool

St Luke’s Church

Steve Prescot Bridge

The new Royal site, Liverpool

The Spine (The new northern home for the Royal College of Physicians (RCP)

Midlands

Birmingham Library

NEC Birmingham

The Guildhall, Worcester

University of Nottingham Wollaton Hall

Nottingham Council

East of England

East of England Show Ground

London

10 Downing Street

Blackfriars

BT Tower

Cannon St Bridge

ExCeL London

Houses of Parliament

London Eye

London’s Living Room

National Gallery

O2 Royal Albert Hall

Southwark Bridge

St Thomas Hospital

London Tate Modern (Chimney)

Tate Britain

The National Theatre

The Shard

Tower Bridge

Waterloo Bridge

White Hart Lane – home of Tottenham Hotspur FC

Wembley Stadium

South East

BAi360 in Brighton

Clacton Hospital

South West

Albert Clock Barnstaple

Ashton Stadium (the home of Bristol City FC and the Bristol Bears)

Bristol skyline

Bristol South Plaza

Scotland

Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh

SEC Glasgow