(Above) L-R Chelsea Roberts (16yrs), Sarah Brown, Rita Richards (16yrs), Yi Chen (16yrs) - (Cotelands Pupils and Young Mums)
Staff at the Florence Nightingale Museum took the opportunity this week to celebrate the birthday of their namesake and highlight their ambitious £1.3m development programme.
To mark the occasion on May 12, the Prime Minister’s wife Sarah Brown visited the Museum on the grounds of St Thomas’ hospital and viewed the topical exhibition, ‘Mapping the Body’.
Led by noted artist Susan Stockwell, the exhibition explores maternal issues with particular regard to the cultural phenomena of teenage mums.
The PM’s wife met three young mums from Cotelands Pupil Referral Unit and talked to them about the challenges of motherhood, their experiences of working on the exhibition and their views on Florence Nightingale.
“Florence Nightingale was an amazing woman who revolutionised nursing practice against considerable odds,” said Sarah.
“The work the museum has done with these young women is truly fitting of her quest to not only ensure that women received the highest standards of care and attention through pregnancy but also the support and aftercare so vital to both mother and child achieving their full potential.”
Caroline Worthington, (Florence Nightingale Museum Director), Sarah Brown, Julie Gamble AKA Florence Nightingale with specially commissioned Florence Nightingale anniversary rose
The Florence Nightingale Museum’s ambitious £1.3m development programme seeks to bring Florence’s enduring legacy, as relevant today against the context of swine flu, societal breakdown and war as it ever was, to as many visitors as possible.
“Having Sarah attend ‘Mapping the Body’ is wonderful for everyone involved in Florence Nightingale and the nursing profession,” said Caroline Worthington, Director of the museum.
“As we move into the centenary of Flo’s death and the final push to secure the remaining development funding we are tremendously excited about the future. The redesigned museum will provide a pioneering space using the latest interpretation techniques to tell Flo’s story. It will link Florence Nightingale’s lifework to today’s and indeed tomorrow’s innovations in modern healthcare and research.
“Education and reaching out to everyone were fundamental to Florence Nightingale and they remain the central values of the Florence Nightingale Museum.”
Christine Hancock, (International Council for Nurses), Sarah Brown, Caroline Worthington, (Florence Nightingale Museum Director) with specially commissioned Florence Nightingale anniversary rose
As well as Florence Nightingale’s Birthday, Tuesday May 12 was also international Nurses Day. The past President of the International Council of Nurses, Christine Hancock, presented the Florence Nightingale Anniversary rose to the museum.
Christine said, “On behalf of the more than 13 million nurses working worldwide, ICN is delighted to present this remarkable and dignified rose to commemorate Florence Nightingale and the critically important work of nurses everywhere.”
The Florence Nightingale Museum is open late on Fri 15th, Sat 16th and Sun 17th May as part of the Museums at Night initiative organised by Culture 24 and funded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.
