There has been a lot of feedback and praise in the recognition of Mary Seacole being named The NHS Seacole Centre at the Headley Court in Surrey a former rehab centre for injured soldiers on the 4th of May. It is great that the Seacole Centre will be the first of its kind in England as a temporary service for patients recovering from Covid-19.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52574981
A lot of people lobbied publicly and behind the scenes to make this happen. Individuals such as Yvonne Coghill CBE from NHS England, Lord Simon Woolley and Trevor Sterling from the Mary Seacole Trust. Please find below a message from Baroness Floella Benjamin who played a key role in the campaign:
“I am happy and relieved that the government listened to the 15,000 people, led by campaigner Patrick Vernon, to have a hospital named after Mary Seacole, the iconic figure of Black History. This has made the Windrush community in particular proud.It recognises the contribution, made not only by Mary Seacole but by the thousands of Caribbean NHS nurses and health workers who have acted with courage, dedication, as well as resilience and now tragically, because of COVID-19, some have paid the ultimate price with their lives. This is a poignant moment to honour them all, to inspire future generations and to make the descendants of the Windrush generation proud to know they are very much part of British history...this is Mary Seacole’s legacy!”
Today is the 139th anniversary of Mary Seacole's death. It would be fantastic in 2021 for an International Mary Seacole Day celebrating her legacy and contribution of BAME staff to the NHS.
May be we should all make this happen
Best Wishes
Patrick Vernon OBE
@ppvernon