'Thank you NHS' rainbow road tribute created outside Sunderland Royal and Nightingale hospitals

The words of thanks, decorated with a rainbow, have been laid out at the entrances to Sunderland Royal Hospital on Chester Road and Kayll Road, with another placed on the A1290 Downhill Lane at the turning for the new Nightingale Hospital being set up inside an industrial unit near Nissan.

The markings were laid by highways staff over the weekend, with tens of thousands of people to see them each day on the busy city routes.

Councillor Michael Mordey, the council’s deputy leader, said: "We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our heroic NHS workers who are putting their lives on the line every day in the fight back against this killer pandemic.

"This is just a small token of our enormous thanks for everything our NHS workers are doing to keep us all safe.

“They’re doing an incredible job in the most challenging of circumstances and we hope this will remind them of just how grateful we are.

"We're also very grateful to all of our social care and other key workers who are working tirelessly to deliver critical services and keep our city going in these unprecedented times."

Last month, the council let up landmarks including Penshaw Monument, Northern Spire bridge, Keel Square and Fulwell Mill in blue in honour of the NHS and social care workers.

Ken Bremner, chief executive of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust which runs Sunderland Royal and South Tyneside District Hospital, said: "We are massively appreciative of all of the support we have received and this gesture from Sunderland City Council will no doubt put a smile on the faces of many of our staff coming into our hospital sites at this difficult time.

"The rainbow has become a symbol of the efforts of our frontline workers, not only in healthcare, but across all our public and essential services and we share this recognition with everyone helping to keep our communities safe and supporting the trust through the pandemic.”

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