Blaenau Gwent is proud of its heritage as the Home of the National Health Service. When local MP Aneurin Bevan was made Minister for Health & Housing, he used the Tredegar Workmen’s Medical Aid Society as the blueprint for the service that reaches its 75th anniversary this July.
Two whole weeks of celebrations are planned, including a series of artworks that are cementing this heritage across the community. The artworks will be revealed each day in the lead up to the anniversary and will celebrate local heroes who made contributions to the formation of the service we all love so much.
Councillor Stephen Thomas, Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate and Performance at Blaenau Gwent Council commented:
‘The focus of the Bevan Festival in 2023 is on our National Health Service’s 75th anniversary celebrations. It celebrates one of Wales’s greatest heroes, Aneurin Bevan and his legacy – the NHS.
I am pleased that the artwork being unveiled during July to celebrate this most wonderful gift to our nation and long may it continue to help those who need it most.’
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Aneurin Bevan The first of a series of artworks to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NHS has been completed, 29th June. The large mural emblazoned on the exterior of the Gwent Shopping Centre, Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent depicts Bevan as Minister for Health announcing that he would ‘Tredegarise’ the UK.
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Thora Silverthorne The second of a series of artworks to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NHS has been completed and is dedicated to Thora Silverthorne, originally of Abertillery in Blaenau Gwent. On the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, she was one of the first to sign up for the Spanish Medical Aid Committee. The mural is in Alma Street, Abertillery near the terraced house where Thora lived in at the start of the twentieth century. |
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Portrait in Pills As part of a series of artworks to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NHS, famous artist Nathan Wyburn has created a unique interpretation of the architect of the NHS, Aneurin Bevan. The portrait was commissioned by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council with local pharmaceutical manufacturer, PCI Pharma Services, supplying a selection of placebos as the medium for Nathan to work with. |
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| Set in Stone As part of a series of artworks to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NHS, famous artist Nathan Wyburn has created a large portrait in stones of Aneurin Bevan on a hillside above Trefil, Tredegar. |
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Photo tribute on 75th Anniversary of the NHS Ebbw Vale artist Nathan Wyburn has created a special artwork celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the National Health Service. The artwork is one of a series commissioned by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council to celebrate this landmark anniversary. |
