A Simple Thank You.
It began with an idea, “why don’t we fly our beloved blue Spitfire PL983 ‘L’ around the local villages for the #clapforourcarers this evening? … We can prepare the aeroplane as a household and it could really lift the community spirit”. Well, we did, and the response was utterly overwhelming. Being around the Spitfires so regularity can make it all too easy to take for granted just what the sight and sound of this machine means to so many people. We just weren’t prepared for the emotionally charged messages of support and gratitude that we received for that first flight, it was what paved the way for the development of the NHS Spitfire project.
The Thursday flights soon became a bit of a tradition in our local area, and as we approached the tenth week we decided to add our own thank you message to the bottom of those iconic elliptical wings. That evening we set off again, this time with the ‘THANK U NHS’ emblazoned across the underside of the aircraft.
Saying and receiving a thank you is one of the simplest pleasures enjoyed by humankind, it takes the smallest of efforts but can carry vast meaning. So, how could we give people an opportunity to join us in saying thank you to the NHS whilst also giving them the opportunity to thank someone closer to home… well, this is what we’ve come up with…
We are attempting to completely cover our photo-reconnaissance blue Spitfire PL983 ‘L’ in hand written names! For us to accomplish this we need your support, as the names we are hand writing onto the Spitfire will be nominated by you! It can be your own name or that of a loved one, a member of your family, a friend or a kind neighbour. You can now become a part of the NHS Spitfires story by nominating a name to be hand written on the aircraft’s airframe.
Each name nominated will also help us together as a nation say thank you to the NHS by contributing to the NHS Charities Together (Registered Charity Number 1186569) To nominate a name you simply need to visit our JustGiving page and donate a minimum of £10 along with the name of the person and the reason for the nomination in the donation comment (instructions for donations included in JustGiving page story). We will be adding the names throughout the Summer and sharing updates via our social media pages as the blue outer-surface of the Spitfire slowly begins to be covered in the names of our nations local heroes!
A modern day Spitfire fund, with a twist, set up in order to support our incredible NHS.