PAUL McCARTNEY

Katie and pals tell of own NHS experiences in hit thank-you book

As far back as I can remember, my mother was a nurse. She became a sister on an NHS ward and later was a midwife, so my feelings about the NHS are obvious – it’s a fantastic institution. I know anyone who works for them sees it as their vocation and is a real hero. One of my outstanding memories is that, one night, in the winter in Liverpool, where we lived in the midwife’s house, my mother was called out to assist a local lady in giving birth to her baby.

I remember standing by the front

FAB SERVICE Macca’s mum was a midwife

zExtracted by Rhian Lubin from DEAR NHS: 100 Stories to Say Thank You, edited by Adam Kay, published by Trapeze. Hardcover: £16.99. Also door watching her leave the house on her midwife’s bicycle with a basket on the front and her medical case on the back. The road was covered in a good few inches of snow but she had no alternative other than to go to the birth in her midwife’s uniform on her standard-issue NHS bicycle. She set off leaving tyre tracks in the snow. That moment will be with me for ever and encapsulates my pride in, and gratitude for, the National Health Service. We are so lucky in the UK to have such dedicated people to look after us all and no matter who you are, you can still benefit from this fantastic system. Thanks NHS. Thanks heroes. Thanks Mum. Love, Paul.

available in ebook and audio. All profits from the sales of this book go to NHS Charities Together and The Lullaby Trust.