A Nurse dubbed the ‘Angel form the North” who works for the Northern Care Alliance at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, part of the NCA’s Bury & Rochdale Care Organisation, will switch on this year’s Blackpool Illuminations, alongside some other covid heroes.
Leona Harris is a nurse from Rossendale who has worked as a COVID-19 frontline nurse at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury since the start of the pandemic.
Other heroes include a consultant, another nurse, a hospital catering manager, two extraordinary fundraisers, and a therapy dog and his owner.
Together, they will pull the famous switch at a special virtual switch-on event to be staged in association with MTV on the night of Friday 4 September.
Leona is also celebrating today because she has been shortlisted for a Nursing Times Award 2020, in the Florence Nightingale Nurse of the Year category.
She said:
“I am totally overwhelmed to have been chosen to feature and switch on this year’s Blackpool Illuminations along with other amazing people. Also to be nominated and shortlisted in the final for such a prestigious award by the Nursing Times for the Florence Nightingale Nurse of the Year is unbelievable and surreal. Things like this just don’t happen to people like me.”
Steve Taylor, Chief Officer at Bury & Rochdale Care Organisation, said:
“Leona is a true hero and a fantastic asset to the team here at Fairfield General Hospital. To be recognised by both Visit Blackpool and the Nursing Times is true testament to her abilities as a nurse. On behalf of everyone at the hospital I would like to say a great big thank you and congratulations to Leona for all her hard work and achievements.”
