Call for ChronicleLive readers to share their memories of what the National Health Service means to them

Almost 75 years ago, the NHS was founded. The doors of the National Health Service opened in a time of rationing and following a devastating war.

And since then, whether you were born in an NHS maternity unit or saw NHS doctors carry out a vital operation, almost all of us will have seen our lives impacted by Aneurin Bevan's remarkable creation. However, for many the NHS has never faced challenges like those it is tackling today.

The Covid-19 crisis, huge discontent among lifesaving staff and industrial action, and simply the pressure of looking after a growing and ageing population is taking its toll.

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And of course, in the North East a vast proportion of us work in the NHS. Whether as doctors or porters, nurses or cleaners or healthcare scientists, most of us know someone working hard to provide care, free at the point of access.

In the North East we are lucky enough to live in a region surrounded by hospitals and medics doing pioneering things - the Children's Heart Unit at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital is among very few of its kind in the country, medical research at Newcastle University is often at the very forefront of global innovation.

So, over the course of the week marking the NHS' 75th birthday - the day itself falling on July 5 - we will be profiling some of the fascinating aspects of the health service in our region - from the work being done by GPs in Sunderland to the indomitable children's palliative care team based at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

As part of this, we want to hear from ChronicleLive readers. We want to know how you have experienced the NHS, why it is important to you - if it is - and the memories that stand out when you hear those three unmistakeable letters. Whether you wish to pay tribute to someone who looked after you in a dark time, or remember the day your baby was born, we want to hear from you.

Please share with us your NHS memories and thoughts using the form below. Then, at the end of the week, we will collate the responses and share what the NHS means to the people of the North East.