A flag raising in Grantham on Monday has marked the first ever NHS Social Care and Frontline Workers' Day.

South Kesteven District Council Chairman Cllr Breda Griffin was joined by NHS Healthcare Support Worker Helen Graves and Judy McLaughlin, St Peter's Hill Surgery Practice Care Co-Ordinator, to celebrate the birth in 1948 of the National Health Service.

Guests included police cadets Jasmine Hempsall and Joe Timms, who raised the NHS flag.

The ceremony recognised and expressed gratitude for everything that NHS and frontline staff and key workers have done and continue to do and remembered those who lost their lives.

Cllr Griffin said: "The 5th July 1948 was an historic moment in our country's history, bringing free healthcare to everyone. The NHS has been treasured ever since, but never more so than since March 2020 when the COVID pandemic hit and utterly changed all our lives.

"Suddenly we were at war with a ruthless, invisible enemy. On the front line were our NHS doctors, nurses, and paramedics, plus platoons of critical workers, who kept our shops stocked and open, our streets safe and our essential services running.

"We must also not forget the many volunteers including the armed forces who have and still are assisting with the rollout of the COVID injections."

Future ceremonies are likely to raise money for NHS Charities Together, supporting 250 hospitals and their charitable trusts, and the National Care Association, representing 1.6 million workers caring for some of society's frailest citizens.

A one-minute silence was followed by a prayer of thanksgiving from Father Stuart Cradduck. The flag will fly for seven days.