A Second World War Spitfire is set to fly over Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor this Friday, 18 September, to deliver a ‘thank you’ message to NHS workers.
The Spitfire, which has the message ‘THANK U NHS ‘ emblazoned under its wings, is touring hospitals around the UK as it takes flight to raise funds for NHS Charities Together
The names of 80,000 ‘loved ones’ are currently being hand written onto the family-owned aircraft as a way of recognising small acts of kindness throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
Scheduled to takeoff from Newtownards Airport, Northern Ireland at 2pm, the Spitfire is due to fly over Ysbyty Gwynedd at 2.35pm on Friday, although plans are subject change due to weather and airspace.
Scheduled times for North Wales:
2.35pm – Ysbyty Gwynedd
2.40pm – Llandudno Hospital
2.44pm – Abergele Hospital
2.45pm – Glan Clwyd
2.52pm – Wrexham Maelor
People can nominate a loved one in return for a donation to the NHS charity by visiting: JustGiving.com/nhsspitfire
John Romain, founder and managing director of Aircraft Restoration Company, which owns the Spitfire, said: “The response to our initial flight over the last 8pm #clapforourcarers Thursday was incredibly humbling, with hundreds of people from the local community sharing how wonderful it was to not only see the Spitfire, but also to read the message emblazoned across its wings.
“After such positive response we decided to leave the message painted on the Spitfire for the rest of the flying season, this is where the idea to hand write the names of the nation’s loved ones onto the aircraft to raise money for the NHS Charities Together began.”
